𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐀 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨

𝟐𝟏

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭

𝐔𝐍𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐍

Lilura has always been more of a tiny village than a town, hidden among the depths of the green hill across the vast lake Sayuri.

The hill houses the forbidden forest that has given birth to many folktales and sorcery.

They say the grounds of the Forbidden Forest are haunted.

Haunted by ghosts or the witches that were burnt and sacrificed there, people ought not know.

They just know it's forbidden.

A maze that shouldn't be trespassed if one values their life enough, for anyone who had ever stepped foot wasn't ever seen coming out of that maze.

No one knows what might have happened.

May be they got lost.

May be the evil spirits of the witches stuck in trees ate them alive.

Or may be a mysterious demon ate them and now their restless soul haunts this lands.

So many tales but who knows what is the truth behind this forbidden forest.

Exactly ten years back a massive forest fire had set the whole hill ablaze, thick black smoke mingling with the thundering sky which had struck the forest causing the fire.

It was a gruesome sight.

Tall monsterous trees row after rows burning ferociously, howlings of animals and birds that fell prey to nature's rage.

There was once a house, none had seen it with their eyes.

House of the great Father Jethro.

He was the only bravest man who knew the forbidden forest like the back of his hand, he did know which path lead to what dark opening, he did know which tree bloomed the deadliest berries, he did know which bird would make its nest in which tree.

He knew the forest like no one else.

How he knew no one knows neither had anyone bothered to know.

Many believed he owned the forbidden forest.

They believed Jethro was not human, he was God, a blessing, a hope of ray to their cursed civilisation on the hill.

And may be that's why the forest respected the Father just as much the villagers did, that's why may be he did know his way through the forest.

Or so they thought.

The carcasses of the dead fallen trees still lies blocking paths, they said the fire has been so rapacious it almost swallowed the small village.

Many believing someone had awakened the curse the Black Death of Lilura had left on them.

When the rain had come, it was like hot black tar falling from the sky to flood them in its ultimate demise.

Even to this day not many people dare to cross pass the coppice gate.

Even if some of those teenagers might, they never wander more than five yards.

But none was bold enough to come even an inch near the forbidden forest at night.

Yet in the waning moonlight, the frail girl walks hunched, her frangible hands shakes as she holds the lantern, the oil furiously burning and the light feeble against the hailing winds.

But her bare muddy feet doesn't stop, they keep venturing into the forbidden forest as if they know where she needs to go.

Nocturnal creatures making weird noises as her feet finally comes to halt before the dark cave she heard all about.

A massive blackhole sucking in all the moonlight, that is if the monstrous trees doesn't gobble it in the first place.

She places down the lantern, her hand shaking, her delicate frame trembling with trepidation and evident fear.

Fear of both what might be inside the cave and what might she meet once she is outside the safety of this maze.

But she knows nothing could be much worse than what she had already met with.

"Raven," she whispers her voice holding a tremor as she falls to the ground. "Help me Raven. I can't.....I can't.....they are gonna....he is going to sell me....to them....they are gonna take me away.....he hurt me Raven.....he ruined me.....he violated me...."

Her voice breaks into sobs echoing like the winds.

"Please save me....." She sobs hard waiting for a response from the witch which she doesn't get.

She sniffs moving to the wooden ramshackle frame, black threads tied around the entire wooden frame like some kind of prayer waiting to be granted.

She ties a black thread overlapping the many black threads.

"His name is Elvis Thorif." She whispers to the wind, hopeful that they might carry her message to the witch. "He is a very bad man, he deals in selling girls to the society called Doñas de fuera. He sold my sister to them already and I am next."

Once she has tied it. She steps back bringing out a green bracelet placing it over the huge jaggered rock.

"I heard you have to offer something special of the person you want to kill, this is Elvis' precious bracelet, he wears it for protection of some sort."

What an irony.

"I stole it and ranaway.....I don't know what to do.....are you even real?" She calls out unsure and scared if she will be penalised for daring to ask such a blatant question, staring into the endless abyss.

No response comes to calm down the hammering of her heart.

"I am going to die."

Just then the wind wins the losing battle blowing out the lantern.

She gasps trembling like the leaves above her head.

A deep inhuman growl shakes her to her core as she steps back hurriedly, her frightened eyes pinned to the darkness of the cave she heard the inhuman noise come from.

Another growl much closer and she trips and falls crawling back.

"I knew this was bullshit." She mutters angry scared and heartbroken. "And now I am going to be eaten alive....oh god...."

A bat flies over her head cackling viciously scaring her more, a mad scream tears from her throat as she stands up on her wobbling legs and runs for her life.

And only the spirits knows if she would make it out of the maze alive.

And even if she did will her life be guaranteed?

From the dark curtains of the monsterous trees out comes the blue eyed raven, it's enormous wings claiming the night sky with grace and ease.

It comes charging with the speed of a hawk, it's crooked claws spread out to hunt its prey.

And its prey ends up being the green bracelet.

It snatches it from the rock before flying away with it looking down at the girl running towards the coppice gate.

She barely reaches the wooden broken gate before she crashes heaving and sobbing.

But little does she know her solicitation was heard.

She will live.

Raven will make sure she lives.