The Price of Life.

Having driven about fifty kilometers along winding mountain roads, the car stopped next to the precipice. There was no further road, a small narrow path led up the slope. Before the eyes of travelers, there was a landscape that would capture the breath of any viewer. The snow-capped mountain peaks and the silence of nature could have caused both fear and pacification.

"Now watch out and look around, this road only seems to be harmless. In fact, already from here the influence of the cave starts, and not everyone can even get to its entrance. I myself can go without any problems just because I've been here many times and the spirit knows me," Sam said, walking up the winding path.

"What spirit?" Jun asked.

"What do you mean, what spirit? The one that devours the souls of people that disturb him with their requests," the guide grinned. But his enthusiasm faded away, none of those present were impressed with his horror story. This unusual reaction caused a hint of doubt in his head.

"Hey, people, do you even know where you are going?" The company was extremely calm as if they all didn't even have a clue about the essence of their final stop.

"To the Cave of the Spirits or whatever it is called, I don't remember-" Daniel answered.

"The cave of the demon devouring souls. Here is its full name." Sam became noticeably more serious. As he had supposed, these naive tourists had no idea what place they were going to. One hundred percent, some idiot played head games with them, and they decided to tickle their nerves with such a trip. If that was the case, their life was doomed.

"If you do not have a serious reason to go there, I strongly advise you to go back right away, because after a hundred meters you will not be able to do so."

"Why is that?" Elena asked.

"Because the spirit does not like being disturbed by trifles," it sounded from Sam's mouth that the spirit of the cave was a real person who couldn't tolerate uninvited guests.

"Since ancient times, this place has been known to be notorious, but many people came here hoping to fulfill their cherished desires. If you are not ready to sacrifice something valuable for the fulfillment of your desire, the spirit will take away your body as a price for disturbing him. And if your desire is not what you really want, it will take your soul as well, as a punishment for deception." Many elders in the village knew about it, so they visited the cave in exceptional cases.

"And if the desire is sincere and the person is willing to pay the price, then what?" Elena doubted the reality of the existence of the spirit, but if that was true, then it's better to be ready for anything.

"Then the spirit will let you go and fulfill your desire."

"Such fairy tales don't scare us, man. I saw so many desires of people in my life that this spirit would even envy me." Daniel yawned lazily, the road began to tire him out because of constant lack of sleep over the past four nights because of, well, you know, who.

"These are not fairy tales, this is true," Sam grunted in response, the words of the foreigner struck him.

"You mean to say, there were people who left and did not return?" Elena noted that the guy had changed in the face, this topic was obviously more familiar to him than they thought.

"Yes, my mom," the guy straightened his cap and threw a hood over his head so as not to show his face. "When I was five years old, I became very sick. Neither the doctors nor the healers were unable to do anything and said the only thing I could do was die. That day," Sam paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and continued, "That day, mother put me to sleep, and she went to this cave. She warned my grandmother about it since she was the only person who lived with us. When I woke up in the morning, I was completely healthy. But mom never returned."

There was an awkward silence in the air, even Daniel's sleepiness passed. "Sorry, I didn't have a goal to somehow offend you with my comment," he said to Sam.

"It's okay, you won't upset me that way," the guy grinned and went ahead.

"Sam," David called out to him, "Sorry for getting into this topic, but if you recovered, it turns out that the spirit fulfilled your mom's wish? Why didn't she come back then?"

The guy stopped and turned around, "What do you think, what valuable thing can a person who has nothing but his life offer to the spirit?"

The men thought for a moment, Elena answered first, "Health."

"Precisely, young lady. We lived in poverty, we did not even have our own home, not to mention any material wealth. The only thing my mom could offer was her health," Sam confirmed her words.

"But then she should have returned anyway, shouldn't she?" Daniel asked with genuine indignation. Based on this logic, a woman could not disappear without a trace.

"It would be true if it was only about health," Sam looked down, even after so many years, he felt guilty but tried to live with gratitude for what his mother gave him, "That night when she went to the cave to the spirit my condition has worsened. When grandma came to my bed, I was no longer breathing. The doctor, who was supposed to arrive early in the morning, had no choice but to ascertain my death. But shortly before his arrival, my heart began to beat again. And as you see, it is beating still." The young man smiled, but there were pain and sadness in his eyes.

"That is, you want to say that-" Jun turned his eyes, now it became clear why Sam's mother did not return home.

"The price for life can only be life."

Sam's last words plunged everyone into deep silence. They spent the next meters of climbing up the narrow path in complete silence, all were focused on their thoughts.

Elena looked around, for some time now she was haunted by a strange feeling that someone was watching them. Whether the reason was the story of their guide, or it was the influence of height, as they were in the mountains, but the closer they approached the designated place, the more clearly she felt someone's gaze on herself. This look bore her from all sides, and a couple of times it seemed to her that she had heard that someone was grinning right behind her ear. A shiver ran through the girl's body and she grabbed David's hand.

"What? Is everything alright?" The man noticed the worried look on the face of his beloved woman.

"Mmm, yes, everything is fine, don't worry," the girl smiled, hiding her confusion. Now was not the time to panic, when there was no apparent reason for this. Most likely, it was just her vivid imagination. Elena convinced herself with the help of these thoughts, and they continued on their way.

A small cleft appeared at the top of the path, the entrance to the cave itself was before their eyes.