After fifty years

★★★★

Isabella, Danny, and Bethany were sitting on a wooden bench while the villagers looked at them blankly for a second before tilting their heads down. Odd enough to be freaked out. Not to mention that they were shocked how a Bella had been so calm until now.

A beautiful lady brought them water, which they found risky. They could not dare to eat anything from this village. Who knew what kind of intoxicant they had mixed in the water?

She carefully offered the water, and the three of them took it with a smile. The next second, they placed the water glass beside them without drinking it.

"Where are you from, young girls?" they heard the old lady who sat on a big stool in front of them and the villagers moved away from them and made a suitable distance.

"We are from the nearby town," Danny answered. But a thing she noticed was that the woman was interested in Isabella as if the question was asked of Bella. Because when she answered, the old woman forced a smile at her. She wasn't satisfied. Danny was equally focused on the old woman to notice the malice. And she didn't tell her friends that she had brought the gun from her father.

"Why is the village name Blackhound?" Isabella asked the old woman while paying attention to her villagers. Astonishingly, they all stood in the same posture with their hands behind their backs and their heads down.

"Ha, that's a long story. In short, having risen from the ashes," replied the old woman and brought silence into the atmosphere. The three of them had no words to ask for more because the old lady's words sounded real as if they had happened.

"Haha. Please don't mind. This old lady loves to tell jokes. The name Blackhound was chosen by our ancestors. The specific reason we don't know but the name and the rules have been made by them. We are just following that," said the old lady. Danny and Bethany released a sigh that they had been holding.

"Have you ever thought of leaving this place? You know it's the twentieth century and everything is beyond that.

You can have more comfort and any need that has been lacking here," said Bethany, and Danny nodded. She also thought this village was very secluded. There wasn't a single shop nearby.

"Who said we don't have necessity and comfort? We have more peace than you. We learn many things every day. There is a newborn every day with a new deceased," the old woman said. Her answer was vague and dark.

What does that mean, a newborn every day with a new deceased? That means every day someone is born and someone dies?

"Thank you. It is a nice meeting. We love to visit later," Bethany said and didn't hold back herself from displeasing them because the old woman's words were very creepy and the villagers turned into robots. No one could tell from afar if they were breathing.

"Why rush? Sit down," saying this, she looked at a person who was a little close to her. She signaled him with her head and the man walked into a house.

Bethany and Danny grip the wooden bench as they got nervous. They were sure that this woman had an ulterior intention. Now, when they talked about their leave, she wanted to execute her plan. Maybe she would kidnap them.

No, they had to move.

"Do you know the book, 'Lilith?' Isabella asked suddenly. Everyone stopped and turned their head to Isabella. She didn't believe how her mouth slipped. It was a spoonerism she hadn't planned.

Danny and Bethany took a deep breath and stared at her friend, who made a big blunder. She again brought up that damn book when they didn't want to interact with them anymore second.

Doesn't Isabella feel they are pretending?

"Lilith, have you read the original book?" asked the old woman normally.

She didn't get angry or annoyed. Her question was very basic, but Bella was hesitant to tell her the truth. Plus, she didn't know if she read the actual book.

"No, I heard about the book. I also read somewhere that the book is closely related to this village," Isabella said, giving two of her friends some peace.

"So... this is the main reason for your coming. Am I right?" said the old woman and laughed.

"No... actually," Bella faltered as the woman grasped the tip of the truth. She was a very calm and smart woman. She told the truth, but no one would have guessed that she was making fun of them or hooking them with her words.

"We villagers know because so many youngsters like you come to this village about that book, but it is not exactly the truth.

Literally, we have no idea if the book is related to this village. We don't know who has spread this thing outside. But I can give you a little knowledge which I know the book has been lost for the years. No one has found it. Also, the book has a mystery. It is ancient and written by a demon.

There is also a hidden principle that no one knows that only a chosen one can read the book. So anyone who tells you about the book is a lie. Yes, if there is a duplicate, you can read it, but the ancient book has different calligraphy. Every word written on it gives you a sense of truth which cannot be faked," said the old woman and grabbed a bowl that the man had brought from the hut. Incidentally, none of them saw the man as they were absorbed in the woman's words.

"What do you mean, the book chooses the person?" Danny asked. The same question was also had in Bella's and Bethany's minds.

"The book was written by a demon. According to our ancienter, it can't be read by a simple person. If anyone has read the original book, then the person was chosen by the book," the old woman said and walked up to them with a basket.

"Ladies, if you don't mind, please grab these stones. It's our culture to sacred our land. When outsiders came, they polluted the land, not intentionally. Just a few rules," the old woman told and held the bucket in front of them when Bella noticed the tattoo on her face.

Bethany did not want to touch them and looked at Danny, who sighed internally. She was scared as well, but the old woman didn't back off whether they showed displeasure or hesitation.

Danny grabbed the first stone. It was blue. The color of the three stones was the same. Next, Bethany grabbed it. It was a normal and simple stone. Both of them put the stones back in the bucket. It was time for Bella, who was lost on the woman's tattoo, so Danny elbowed her.

Isabella quickly shifted her eyes from the woman to the stone and held it in her palm. Nothing unusual, she felt. She placed it back, and the woman smiled.

"We are going to have a feast. All of you can stay and enjoy with us," the woman said.

"No, no. Thank you. We need to go before the sun goes down," Bethany said and stood up. Bella and Danny followed Bethany and gave them respect with folded hands before leaving the village.

When the three of them turned back their heads after walking a little distance, they saw the old woman and the villagers were looking at them. The old woman had a smile, but the villagers were looking at them without blinking.

"O fucking lord... They are scary, as the man described in the video." Bethany first opened her mouth while looking at her back frequently, scrutinizing whether someone had followed them.

"It is all because of Isabella. We told her that the book doesn't exist. No one can tell that it is real. Yet, she is so stubborn and takes us to this village. One time I almost felt that they will take out our kidneys," Danny said, quickening her pace.

"I am sorry. It's just my head. I can't control my head ever since I found out the book has been lost for decades. I am sorry," Isabella apologized and clung to Bethany's shoulder.

"Don't talk about it anymore," Bethany said and ran as she saw the car.

"Thank god. The car is okay," Danny murmured.

"Let's go out of this fucking place," Bethany said, and Danny started the car. They left the place. It was a horrible dream for them.

On the other hand, as they left, the BlackHound village slumped into darkness. Under the blue bright sky, a village went from vibrant to black. Their surrounding trees were dark black as if they had been burned out a long ago.

"Creator, is there any good news? Why did you wake up from your slumber?" One villager asked the old woman, who was now standing upright without the stick, who was no longer looked old.

"Yes, I got the smell when they entered the village. Look at these stones," the woman said and held up the Stones in front of the villagers. And they were dumbstruck as the one stone turned red. This hadn't happened in the last fifty years. Now finally, all of them smiled. They wanted to dance. Also, they wanted to know which one of them.

"The pretty one with hazel eyes," the old woman said and laughed.