Whispering Dusk

Prologue

A great wail pierced the night. A woman, hunched in on herself, stumbled through the orchard. Her only daughter, Niamph, was gone. An arrow in the dark was all it took.

Walking without seeing, hearing without listening, Agatha stumbled from tree to tree before stopping before one tree in particular. It's branches loomed tall above her, almost seeming to greet the moonlight gleaming through the leaves.

Unable to support herself any longer, she fell facedown upon the earth. Alone, she wept and screamed her agony to the sky. For hours, she wailed, refusing to rest, until finally, in the early hours of the morning, she sat back on her heels, fatigued.

Emptiness was all she could feel. And then, a surge of anger passed through Agatha. Why? Why her daughter? Death could've taken any other person, but it had chosen her ONLY child! She hunched over, clutching handfuls of grass. Although her voice was hoarse, she shouted, pleaded with Death, though she knew it was not listening. She knew deep down that no matter how much she plead, there would be no miraculous homecoming. However, despite this knowledge, she would have no peace, no requiescence, until her child was returned! She would scream until the heavens themselves opened up for her.

It was a while longer before Agatha allowed her now nearly nonexistent voice to rest once again. Dawn would be breaking in just about half an hour. It was in that moment that her and her husband's lives would change forever.

A different cry pierced the cool morning air. Not a cry of despair or grief, but one of need. A baby's cry. 

Concerned, Agatha approached the base of the tree, where the cry originated from. She peered cautiously into a nook among the roots. There, lying amongst the leaves, was a tiny bundle. A baby, no more than a few weeks old. Agatha stared in a trance before slowly pulling the child out from the roots.

She wouldn't replace Niamph. No amount of new children could. But, Agatha recognized a blessing from her divine when she received one. It wasn't the answer she had been praying for, but it was the one she had received. Pulling the child close, Agatha stood, leaving the giant tree behind. 

.•° ✿ °•.

Author's note

Thank you so much for reading the beginning of my book. I hope this has piqued your interest. If you have any pointers, please let me know! I am very new to actually writing recreationally.

-Hana