Chapter 3: Traditional Stories

It just wasn't alarming when anyone went missing. On a usual night, the kids huddled together at the house. A tradition of telling scary old stories to new members had begun since they had moved there. Granny had been sure they were being educated in the traditions of their ancestors.

"It was a very dark night" Granny said. Lexi and Ericka needed to understand the dangers. It wouldn't hurt to tell Avery and Charlie again either.

"The man had just stepped out the tent. A hungry shadow ate him up right in front of his helpless friends." The kids gasped in horror as Granny told the story every year, but the newest members (Lexi and Ericka) had never heard it. "They say" she paused for effect.

"They say that there was nothing left of the man after the shadows were done." Granny added in after a lengthy pause. Lexi and Ericka were crying from fear.

"There wasn't even blood left behind" Avery chimed in. He had just joined the conversation. He had been busy taking care of Charlie. Lexi and Ericka were their newest members, only five years old. The girls studied various crafts that would make them much more valuable in their future than the boys.

"That's why you don't go outside when it's dark. That's why you come in if it rains." Granny had gotten serious suddenly. "It isn't a story. There are shadows that will eat you." She patted Lexi's hair.

"Yeah, right" Charlie rolled his eyes. He never believed the stories. Every night he'd push just a little further. He wanted to go back home with his mom, but every night he'd somehow end up back in his makeshift bed at the house. He coughed to fake a cold, but didn't have to fake the moan from pain that followed after the cough.

It was only recently that he was found at the door by Ericka nearly lifeless. She could see a dark shadow nearby. After pulling him into the house, she found another dark shadow in the corner of the room. She was instantly thankful that Lexi was the one they kept a candle lit for and she didn't have to admit she was terrified of the shadow near Charlie's bed.

Charlie had no clue that he was followed every night. It was unknown to all of them that they were all closely watched. They had never even met their fathers who started everything. The shadows would keep a close watch.

After a hard day of work, the kids were barely able to eat much less talk about adventures. Avery knew he had to look out for Lexi. Charlie knew he should look after Ericka. The boys didn't know that the girls were taught to look after them alongside their mundane housework, pottery, and care-taking classes.

As time passed on after Charlie's accident, the girls had begun letting Avery know bits and pieces of what they had learned in their care-taking classes. Charlie had to pretend to be sick. Lexi hid a small bowl with water under his bed for him to 'wet his face slightly' when he heard Granny come. Ericka told him about coughing and the groaning that she saw the older generation do when they were taken to a makeshift nursing home weeks ago in a nearby town. Granny had never even looked closely at Charlie when she saw the 'sweat' marks on his blanket and the profound coughing he made.

Surely, Granny must have believed that Charlie had the disease. Little did the girls know that Granny had seen the bowl and knew his coughing fits only occurred when she came near loudly. If she was quiet enough, he was soundly in bed. Charlie nearly screamed on surprise one night fresh after the attacks to see Granny sitting beside him.

Lexi had been so terrified of the frequent storms that they agreed to keep a candle lit at night. Granny sat on the floor beside Charlie's bed and quickly put her finger on his mouth. The smell of infection was getting stronger since the attack. She looked at his shirtless torso. He stared at the green jar Granny stuck her fingers in.

She pointed to the dark scabs oozing pus with her now green fingers for a few seconds until Charlie nodded. He gritted his teeth not to scream when the cold jelly touched his burning skin. Granny rubbed the green jelly on all the scabs around his ribs. Charlie lifted his arms and revealed the brush burns near his elbows. Surely, she saw the burns on his knees.

Granny shrugged and whispered "Those will heal just fine. Don't tell them I know." She was gone like she was never there in an instant. Charlie rolled over to his first quiet, restful sleep he had since being attacked. He felt himself being tucked in by Granny, but he was just so sleepy.

He wondered why Granny had said those things or how she had known. What was that green stuff anyway? He woke up to find the scabs almost completely gone. Granny brought their breakfast in without even looking in Charlie's direction.

"Charlie is still sick Granny." Ericka once again stood in front of his bed.

"Actually, I feel better today!" Charlie pulled at his new shirt Granny must have put on him during the night. He sat up in bed and looked at Granny, but she just kept herself busy fixing another bowl. "Thanks" he said to everyone as Ericka handed him the bowl. He ate the grits and eggs mixture like he hadn't eaten in days.

Charlie could swear he saw eyes in the far corner's shadow watching him. For a second, he thought he could almost make out a smile. The shadows were dangerous according to legend, but he remembered a shadow protecting him the night he was attacked. He just couldn't remember all the details or tell anyone about it.

He feared that the girls would just get hurt or that Avery would think he could handle it by himself too. Charlie was the oldest and he knew he had to protect the rest of the kids. They had protected him when he needed from getting kicked out the village. He wanted to go home, but he knew his mom would be super disappointed because he needed to learn the trades. How else would his family survive?