A six-year-old boy saw a wet rope by the river: he pulled it, and a few minutes later something terrifying surfaced 

That day was warm and peaceful.

The boys were playing on the bank of a quiet river. They floated little boats made of bark, tossed stones into the water, and laughed so loudly that the echo spread through the whole forest.

Suddenly, one of them — Ilya, the most curious of the group — noticed something strange.

In the sand, almost at the water’s edge, lay a thick rope. One end disappeared beneath the murky surface of the river, while the other lay coiled on the shore.

— Look! — shouted Ilya. — What if there’s treasure on the other end?

But his friends immediately grew wary.

— Don’t touch it, it might just be trash… — someone said hesitantly.

— Or a trap! — added another.

Despite his fear, Ilya bent down and grabbed the rope. It was wet and cold. He pulled — and felt resistance. There was definitely something attached to the other end.

— I’m pulling! — he yelled, but his friends were already backing away. Someone laughed nervously, another turned pale.

— Let’s get out of here! — one of them shouted and ran off first.

A minute later, Ilya was alone by the river. His heart was pounding.

He pulled again, harder this time. The rope moved slowly, as if something heavy was being dragged along the bottom. The water rippled, and from the depths something horrifying began to rise.

Ilya froze but didn’t let go. He kept pulling until he finally saw what had come to the surface.  Continued in the first comment 

It was a man’s body. Water streamed over his face, his eyes were closed, his clothes clung to his skin. The rope was wrapped around his waist, and there were bruises on his neck.

Ilya screamed. The rope slipped from his hands, he stumbled backward, and ran toward the village. Tears blurred his vision, his breath was ragged, but he didn’t stop.

When the adults returned with him to the river, the current had already carried the body closer to the shore. Later it was discovered that the man had been missing for a week.

And the rope — that same rope — no one has ever dared to touch it since. It still lies there on the riverbank, a reminder that sometimes curiosity can reveal a terrifying truth.