The Portraits
The Portraits                                             
There was a hunter in the woods, who, after a long day hun
ting, was in the middle of an immense forest. It was getti
ng dark, and having lost his bearings, he decided to head 
in one direction until he was clear of the increasingly op
pressive foliage. After what seemed like hours, he came ac
ross a cabin in a small clearing. Realizing how dark it ha
d grown, he decided to see if he could stay there for the 
night. He approached, and found the door ajar. Nobody was 
inside. The hunter flopped down on the single bed, decidin
g to explain himself to the owner in the morning.         
As he looked around the inside of the cabin, he was surpri
sed to see the walls adorned by several portraits, all pai
nted in incredible detail. Without exception, they appeare
d to be staring down at him, their features twisted into l
ooks of hatred and malice. Staring back, he grew increasin
gly uncomfortable. Making a concerted effort to ignore the
many hateful faces, he turned to face the wall, and exhaus
ted, he fell into a restless sleep.                       
The next morning, the hunter awoke-he turned, blinking in 
unexpected sunlight. Looking up, he discovered that the ca
bin had no portraits, only windows.