Just when things seemed to be unable to get worse, it did. The humming started again. Thankfully, it was far away. The rock was in no condition for company. Especially not the humming one that gave hope of this story actually progressing. Unfortunately, that jinxed it as the humming one came closer. Their distinct three-beat tune rang out through the forest.

And then, it stopped. The person who was humming didn't go away; they simply stopped humming. Could they still be close by? Or are they walking somewhere and simply not humming. Without the humming, there was no way of telling where they were. If they went anywhere near the rock, then it'd be possible to hear them. However, there was a lot of background noise to filter.

The wind suddenly picked up and a few branches fell to the ground. The birds in the trees made a cacophony of noise in their singsong chirps. A soft footstep on the other side of the tree, just out of sight? Or was that just a trick of the mind. Another noise on the other side of the tree, the snapping of a twig. It was not necessarily the one who hummed.

There was always that creature that passed through during the winter. Could it have returned for another passover or was it the human who hummed a tune, coming closer without a hum to their name? Whichever it was, the only thing that stood in their way was this tree that wrapped its roots around the rock, both imprisoning and protecting it. Nonetheless, this proved to be no obstacle as a hand came into view.