Shirley's Short Stories

The Cursed Cave

This is a village legend from my home province in Gembogl. There are many sacred and frankly forbidden places in the mountainous regions of the province, where only those with special privileges are allowed to visit. But certainly not stay. This is a story of one such place.

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In the most remote places of Simbu Province, there was a small village. And the inhabitants of that village did everything together. They went to the garden together, they went to the river together, and all manner of activities together.

So it was one such time that the folks of the village decided that they should go hunting upon a new site, one where a village scout had reported seeing animals in copious amounts, simply waiting to be captured.

It was agreed that they would all go to the new hunting grounds, every man, woman and child. No one would be left behind.

When they reached the site, they came upon a great cave. It was fitted nicely into the mountain side and provided ample shade. It was the perfect spot for setting camp.

Moreover, a few dozen meters away there grew a lush collection of wild mountain greens. That all the women of the village were eager to get started on picking.

It was decided that the men would go hunting, and the women would go gathering. And they would leave the children here in the cave with a few older children to keep watch and cook some food.

As the older men and women of the village left, the children remained in the cave playing games, and telling stories. Awaiting their parents' return with all matter of foods.

The hunting and the gathering was so successful that the older villagers took so long out on the fields. They didn't return to the cave until almost nightfall.

And by that time, it was too late.

The cave, upon the last rays of sunset, mysteriously closed its jaws -a large boulder had dropped down suddenly, trapping the children inside. The children screamed for help inside the darkness of the cave, and the parents ran up towards it.

There was just enough space for the children to put a few of their fingers out, and the parents could only touch their children's small hands.

The men and women found huge sticks and tried to create a lever to lift the Boulder up, but it wouldn't even budge. The villagers camped outside of the cave mouth, offering pigs and food, even all that they have hunted for the day. The cave didn't open.

They tried everything, from dances to feasts to old songs sung in the cave's honor. The cave refused to give up the children. The children were growing hungry, and they were slowly dying inside the cave.

The village mourned for them, and they promised that they would never come trespassing on this side of the mountain ever again. When all the children were dead, and the mountainside was as still as a graveyard, the cave mouth opened.

All that was left inside were the bones of the children. The villagers declared it a Cursed ground, and they didn't retrieve the bones of the children which lay scattered on the cave floor.

It would serve as a reminder that this place was accursed and they would never visit it again.

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:)