A Cursed Village Far Away

The brightest star of the night sky faded away as the sun emerged from below the horizon. A rugged mountain range to the south lit up, with dazzling light reflecting off the waterfall. Continually, gallons of water fell down the cliff, landed in a small lake, before hastily flowing downhill through a tight river. The river passed a small village, residing only twelve houses. Soropy Village, named after the light of the Dawning Dwarf. Far away from civilized society, only the twelve residents know of its existence.

A young boy, no older than twenty-six, opened his door and left his small cottage.

'What an odd night.' He thought to himself. 'It felt eventful, yet I don't remember any of it.'

The young boy had a shaved face and a tousled haircut. His clothes were plain. A fair summer outfit, not too chilly, not too warm.

The boy looked up at the sky, the moon still faintly visible. 'That feeling might have been the full moon, it heightens my angst.'

"Good morning Ryan, you're up early."

The young boy named Ryan turned his sight away from the sky, and towards the old, but not elderly man. He had black hair with white strands and a well-built body for his age.

"I wasn't able to sleep comfortably, I think it's because of the full moon." Ryan responded.

The man looked up at the sky, in a similar motion to Ryan earlier. "The full moon? It could be, as my wife had that too. Every time the full moon was up in the night sky, she would be unnerved. But I have never felt uneasy about it."

'Eugene's wife.' Ryan thought to himself. 'I have never met her before, but he holds her in high esteem. I wonder if I will ever meet my wife in this village.'

"Anyway, I'm getting my water for the day. Are you going with me?" Eugene interrupted Ryan's thoughts. Ryan was startled for a moment but quickly retrieved his composure.

"Oh, sure. Let me get my barrel."

The sun was now set high above the horizon, dispersing her light across the valley. Eugene and Ryan went towards the west, where the river is closest to the village. It flowed calmly, and the water was clear. The bank was covered with small bushes, and kelp grew from the bottom of the stream. Fish swam upstream, towards the spring, though they would never reach it.

Eugene lowers his barrel deep into the river, filling it up in one scoop. The two men were standing on a small pier, close to the river's centre.

"Here, your barrel."

"Oh, I can do it-"

Eugene took the barrel from Ryan's hands and stopped his words from being spoken. "This is a gesture of support, so accept it." He fills it with a single scoop again. "Here you go."

"Thank you."

They each take their filled barrels back to their houses, passing a few others on the way back. Most of the villagers had woken up, taking their leave to fill their barrels. Soropy Village went from a quiet area within the valley, to a lively, thriving village.

Time has passed, the sun is now high up in the sky. A young girl worriedly walked towards the centre of the village. Its centre was a campfire place with logs around it, being surrounded by the twelve houses. Eugene, Ryan, two other men and two other women were sitting around it, chatting. Ryan was mostly silent. The worried girl hurried over, with distressed eyes and trembling limbs, she came to a standstill behind Eugene.

"Poppy! You look unwell. What's the matter?" Eugene asked politely. The others had stopped chatting to listen.

Poppy was out of breath. Her body had well-built assets for a lady in her early twenties, but she was weak overall, having little to no physical endurance.

"Sabrina- I- We-" She took a deep breath before continuing, while everyone was waiting in anticipation. "We were supposed to meet each other in the Flower Orchard at half past noon. She was going to help me tend to the flowers, but- it's already been half an hour past our arranged time. I can't find her anywhere."

'That unnerving feeling when I woke up.' Poppy contemplates with herself. 'I thought it was just the full moon, but could it be something else?'

"She would never be late, not by this much." Poppy adds.

An aged woman, nearing her sixties, speaks up from behind Eugene. "Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her yet today."

"That old hag is probably still asleep."

"Tyler, not now." Eugene sharply states. "I'll go check on her, let me get her key from the Mayor's office." Eugene stood up and went towards his house.

"A little insensitive, boy." The aged woman comments. "Sabrina was already my age, life can be hard at that time."

"Tsk." Tyler responded bluntly, evading his eyes. He had a muscular build, wearing a tank-top and shorts. His tough face made him look angry instead of simply agitated.

"Don't 'tsk' your superior."

'Annabel, 'my superior' she says. Watch it, I'll better you in no time.' His thoughts were tempestuous.

While Annabel and another younger girl were consoling Poppy of her worries, Eugene headed to Sabrina's house with the key. He opened the door and went inside, expecting nothing more than a sleeping, elderly woman.

"Annabel." Eugene stepped outside, but he did not turn around. "Come over here for a moment. By yourself." The tone of his voice was menacing, and Ryan froze up.

'That feeling last night… it can't be, right?' Ryan stressed, clenching his fist on the log beneath him.

Annabel rushed over and stood in the open doorway, in front of Eugene. She was horrified, yet her hunter's instincts kept her calm. In front of her, Sabrina lay, with one arm hanging next to her bed, touching the ground with the top of her hand. On her neck were bitemarks, with lines of dried-up blood on her neck and chest. Her bed and clothes were stained a crimson red.

Annabel went up to her and placed her fingers on her neck to look for her pulse, but quickly tucked her hand away.

"She's-"

The body was cold and lifeless. Annabel was mortified and had no words for the situation, and Eugene went outside and ran towards his house. He took out a bell from a closet, went back outside, and rang it as loudly as he could.

'This can't be happening.' He thought to himself while ringing the bell. 'I need to call for an emergency meeting!'