Curse of the 12 HedgeHogs

Curse of 12 hedgehogs (1)

Once upon a time, in the land of Aukerdale, there lay a small town in the vast horizon of valleys. It was well-known for its good harvest of rice crops and for its delicious hedgehog delicacies. However what lay behind the serenity and reaps of harvest was the horrendous festive of the "12 hedgehogs". It was held annually on the 12th of December, whereby the tribe chief would offer 12 sacrificed adult hedgehogs in the town square in exchange for the following year for prosperity.

In the secluded corner of the valley, there lived a woman - in her mid 70s, also nicknamed the 'old betty', titled after her black silky hair that cascade down her thin fragile looking figure and tattered black dress; she wore portrays a menace image and set an eerie aura wherever she went. She visited the town once every week to replenish her food supplies, and usually she had her trusty hedgehog tailing her. The hedgehog was her only companion and whom she bestowed upon her tender love.

One week, Old Betty was doing her weekly errands in the town when she noticed that the hedgehog was not following her. She shrugged it off thinking that the hedgehog was probably sleeping at her yard. When she completed her errands and was on her way home, she heard familiar distinct grunts of her darling hedgehog. Steadily she walked towards the source of the noise, which led her to the hunter's hut. Taking a peek into the shabby hut, a heartbreaking scenario played before her very eyes. The blood of her dear hedgehog spurted on the slaughter table as a knife landed on its chest. Soon, the continuous grunting of the hedgehog was silenced with a crack of its neck. This marked the death of the hedgehog. Old Betty uttered a short prayer and swore to seek revenge for the lost of her only friend. She scampered back to her hut and stood in her magic circle, mumbled some words under her breath. Afterwards she went on doing her daily routine.

A week after the death of Old Betty's hedgehog, it was the day of the festive-"12 hedgehogs". The hunter was searching for the last 12th hedgehog before sunset. He felt his eyelid twitch, but he brushed it off, picked up his axe and ventured into the dark forest. As he walked through the thick forest, nothing could be seen due to the pitch darkness. Nevertheless, he continued walking and suddenly he spotted a chink of light shining upon a hedgehog. This hedgehog was different from any other animal that the hunter caught. This hedgehog was larger in terms of its size and has some sort of a captivating feel. As soon as the hedgehog took notice of the hunter, it did not try to escape; instead it walked towards the hunter. The soft rhythmic thudding of the hedgehog hooves on the stone pavement sent a chill down his spine.

"What enormous eyes you have", the hunter tried to sound calm. However when the hedgehog's deep bloodied red eyes stared right into his eyes, crushing the hunter in its dark embrace.

"All the better to see your body lying in a pool of blood", howled the hedgehog.

"What pointy claws you have", the hunter eyes filled with fear, as he scanned the appearance of the giant hedgehog.

"All the better to scrape out that cold-hearted heart u have", grunted the hedgehog.

"What razor-like teeth you have", the hunter trembled as he spoke.

'All the better to rip that heartless soul of yours into bits and pieces", the hedgehog smirked and growled fiercely at its victim.

As the hedgehog traipses slowly towards him, the tension mounted and there was a tingling numb sensation in his limps. The hunter struggled to get on his feet but instead fell into a puddle of mud, which turned blood red when he looked. The hedgehog firmly pranced onto the hunter.

"AND NOW, YOU'RE A SACRIFICAL ITEM!" The hedgehog pierced his sharp claws deeply into the flesh of the hunter and lifted his off the ground. Shaft of sheer pain penetrated the hunter's gut, making him contort with pain. Subsequently, the hedgehog ruthlessly skinned the hunter alive, the raw muscles were seen and the atmosphere filled up with the smell of fresh human blood. The hunter's blood rolled down and dripped onto the ground making the grass underneath turn ruby red. The hunter struggled but his life flashed before his very eyes. The hunter's scream for help was silent with a crack of his neck- exactly how the hedgehog was killed.

Shortly after, the tribal chief went down to the town square in preparation for the evening's event. But what he saw startled him- there was the hunter, his skin separated from his body hanging from the branches of the town square big tree along with the 11 other hedgehogs. And on the hunter's torso, blood was still oozing out and if one looked closely at the words carved into his chest, it read 'I am the 12th sacrifice'...