Pulling his jacket tightly around him, he kept moving, hoping to find a way out. After walking a long distance, he came across a small clearing. There was a muddy little pond, and the ground was covered with soft grass, scattered with a few stones. He sat on one of the stones to rest. Some stones shimmered in the moonlight.

Suddenly, the air grew colder, and Arjun felt as if someone was watching him. He turned around and saw a faint figure standing by the edge of the pond. At first, he thought it might be an animal. He looked around for something to protect himself, but in the dark, he could only find stones. He decided to quietly hide behind the big trees. As he stepped forward, he heard a girl’s voice echoing, “Wait, don’t run. I’ve already seen you.”

“Who’s there?” he called out, his voice trembling.

“I’m Ria, a young girl. I’ve lost my way too,” the figure replied.

Arjun felt somewhat relieved but was puzzled about how she ended up in the dense forest. “Ria, can we talk?” he asked, stepping out from behind the trees.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I’m lost in the forest and trying to find a way out.”

Arjun was surprised when he saw a beautiful young girl in a white dress walking toward him. “What are you doing here?” he asked in astonishment.

“It’s a long story, Arjun. Can you help me?” she said.

“What can I do for you? I’m lost,” he replied.

Ria extended her hand and showed him a shining ring on her middle finger. “Can you remove this glowing ring from my finger?”

Arjun was startled. They were lost in a dark, dangerous forest where wild animals could attack at any moment, yet she was talking about a ring. Her eyes showed no fear, and she was smiling.

“Ria, aren’t you scared, being here alone at night?” he asked.

“No, and you don’t need to be scared either. Nothing will harm you. I promise,” she replied.

Arjun realized she wasn’t an ordinary girl, but she was kind and calm. He reached out to try and remove the ring. He pulled and twisted it, but it wouldn’t budge. Then Ria said, “Arjun, close your eyes, pray to your God, and ask for help in removing the ring.”

Arjun did as she said. This time, the ring slid off her finger. Ria smiled and said, “Keep it.” Arjun noticed the ring was no longer glowing. As Ria began walking back toward the forest, Arjun called out, “Can I know who you are? And why did you want to remove this ring?”

Ria stopped and said, “It’s a long story. I lived in a nearby village. One day, I came to this forest with my parents. Back then, the pond was beautiful. While walking around, I found a glowing ring buried in the soil. It seemed magical, so I picked it up and wore it on my finger. I was happy with my new, strange ring, but it wasn’t ordinary. A restless spirit was trapped inside it.

As night fell, I noticed a strange shadow following me. Terrified, I told my parents. They took me to a healer in the village. He was frightened when he saw the ring and told us it was cursed, holding the soul of a tormented ghost. He said it had to be removed and returned to the place where it was found, or the spirit would never find peace. But when we tried to remove it, it wouldn’t come off, as if it was stuck to my finger.

Day by day, I grew weaker until one day, I died. But because of the ring, my soul was trapped. Since then, I’ve been searching for someone who could help me to remove it. Every night under the moonlight, I wander the forest looking for help.”

Now Arjun understood that she was a ghost. He began trembling with fear.

“Thank you,” Ria said, “You’ve freed my soul. Now I can rest in peace. The ring is free from all curses. You can keep it without fear. Stay here until morning. Your friends are coming to find you. You’ll be safe. I’ll protect you.” After saying this, her body slowly disappeared.

Arjun was speechless. He sat back on the stone and waited for his friends, feeling calm. He knew he was completely safe now.