The Willows by Algernon Blackwood
The first speaker and his companions, a Swedish man, are on a canoe trip, intending to travel the entire length of the Danube to the Black Sea. The river was in floods and quickly swept them into Hungary, where it was forested and uninhabited. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing on either bank except the limitless large willow hedge.
They decided to stop for the night on one of the small islands that line the river and for camping almost immediately, with a couple of odd sights that set the tone for their stay. Strange creatures, similar to the floating floats, were spotted along the river, while shortly thereafter, they saw a "flying appearance" traveling along the river swiftly, similar to the boat people who appeared to be. Mark The cross and shouted fiercely at them. These strange events sparked the narrator's imagination, and he realizes that the beauty of the forest landscape is still bizarre, even fearful, such as the strong winds, the flowing water, and especially the willow branches. Moving all the time
Later that night, the narrator has to face a stranger. Looking out of his tent, he saw a strange pillar or creature emerging from a clump of willows and vanish into the sky in the moonlight, a figure that seemed to melt in and out. The sight was so strange and elegant that the narrator almost knelt down to worship. Later that night, in his tent, he heard countless small steps of footsteps coming from outside his tent and still felt as though a heavyweight was pressing on him. He took a look around and realized that the willows seemed to have moved closer to the tent at night.
The next morning, the narrator hopes to have a still and imaginary travel companion convincing him that he is dreaming. Instead, he heard the surprising revelation that the canoe was missing and there was a tear in the bottom of the canoe. Adding this ominous message, the companions revealed a feeling that the mysterious forces in the area sensed their presence and would try to make them their victims. Adding to their tension was the discovery of tiny conical holes in the sand all over the island.
The damage to the canoes meant they would have to spend day and night on the island to repair it, which is not reliable news. That night, at dinner, they found the bread was missing from the supply sack. It was at this time that a gong-like sound came from the sky, even from the willow bushes and even from within their bodies. They are now fully convinced that these sounds and other symptoms can be. They are innate non-human and almost certainly a threat.
The narrator's companions, who believe they have offended areas of other worlds, explain that they must be silent and especially not to think of alien forces. Otherwise, both will be found and sacrificed. As if confirmation, when one of them yelled, a strange cry was heard in the sky.
