The Wretched Beings

Chapter 1: Forbidden Play

"Mother has always been a gentle women" Dad would tell me. " She could never bear things such as yelling or fighting. That is why we all must get along." He said. So I would always do exactly as my mother told me. I would feed the chickens, wash my hands in the creek before supper, and trade some of our eggs for some of the bread at Mr. Huffle's bakery. In return, My mother would never get upset. She would laugh, smile, and tell my brother and I stories of the kingdom thousands of miles away from our little village. Like any other child, I loved my mother. She was like a princess with grace and beauty. Her golden hair waving in the wind as we would dance in the meadow to father's flute. Just like Dad had said, she was a gentle woman.

I never thought my mother could ever yell or scream at me until the day I saw the path. My brother and I were fighting over my favorite doll.

"Give Cindy back!" I said "Daddy!" My brother's eyes lite up mischievously.

"Dad's not here." he said " He went to Teller's village until dark. Who's gonna save you now?" He stuck his tongue out at me, laughing. I crossed my arms, accepting defeat. I knew my five-year-old self was no match for my older brother until my eyes lied upon the shovel on the ground. An idea popped into my head. I had ran, picked up the shovel, glaring at my brother.

" Give Cindy back." I screamed squaring my shoulders to make myself look taller.

" You wouldn't," said my Brother. I then ran towards him with a shovel. I chased him around the yard, over the gate, and pass the shops in town. Most of the people in town laughed or tried to scowl us. However, I was content with getting my doll back, no matter the cost. I chased him to the very end of town until we stopped in front of a path. Both huffing out of breath.

My Brother screamed. " You love your doll more than me!" He looked at the doll with disgust.

"My doll is nice. She is not like you!" I yelled.

My Brother glared. "Fine. Then go get her." He said throwing the doll far into the forest path. I had dropped the shovel, ready to retrieve my doll. However, Something had made me hesitate. There was something not right about the path. The dark trees towered above it, the trees colliding into one another, and the small dirt road eventually faded into a blinding pitch black darkness. My doll had lied at the spot right before the path disappeared into the unknown. The fear had consumed me. My instincts told me to run away from the path. To leave the unsafe place but something seemed to whisper in the wind to come closer. My brother must have heard and felt the same.

He grabbed my hand. "Don't go down there," he said. His touch triggered my forgotten rage. I shook his hand from mine, starting down the path. Something grabbed me by the waist, just as my body took the first step on the dusty road. My mother's golden hair swirled around me. Her blue eyes held an unmistakable fury. She took me in her arms and held firmly to my brother's hand. Only when we reached town she put us down.

She had slapped both of our hands, yelling violently. " You are never to go to the path! You are bad children! Both of you to the house now!" I had shaken at the time, crying. I had not understood my mother's rage at the time. I had not seen the fear in her eyes. I quickly ran home with my brother.

That was the only time my mother had yelled at me. Yet, she had never told us why. Dinner had been silent that night, even with my father's return. I wanted to ask about the path or to ask how we were going to get my doll back but something in my parents' expressions told me not to ask about it.

The next day I snuck off alone to the path. Despite mother's warning, I wanted to save Cindy, my one, and favorite doll friend. However, when I looked down the path that day. She was gone and in her place were fresh crawl marks on the ground.