A girl and her frying pan

Prologue

A scream shattered the stillness of the cool night air. It echoed through the forest, sending animals scurrying away in fear. Several moments later, another scream just as, if not louder sounded. Prussia coughed and hacked violently, breaking off his scream as he breathed in the smoke from the fire. His breath came out raggard and strained as he hung limply, the thick ropes cutting painfully into his skin. Suddenly a red-hot pain shot up the side of his left leg and he sank his teeth into his bottom lip, supressing another scream. Dark spots danced across his vision and the black claws of unconciousness threatened to pull him into it's clutches. He gasped as his leg throbbed angrily and gritted his teeth in an attempt to withstand the pain. He choked again on the smothering black smoke, his eyes stinging and his chest heaving at the effort. He could faintly hear the cheers and jabs of the people that encircled him, their faces horribly distorted into eyeless, screaming ghosts.

"Burn him! Burn him! Burn him! Kill the hellspawn! Rid us of his evil and once again clear this land of his sins!"

One man stood out from the rest, his stare burning with hatred as he silently watched on. It was the mayor of the small town, the same man who had attacked him, knocked him out while he was still confused and tied him up onto the wooden pole. Prussia glared at the man, his stare unwavering as he thought up of every curse imaginable to throw at the man. He was suddenly distracted when a small stone cracked him on the side of his head. He whipped his head around to catch the eyes of a young girl, her skirt pockets spilling with stones and a look of triumph in her eyes. He felt a pang of sadness as he realised that by now, even the children that he had been playing with the other day had completely turned against him.

How did it come to this? He thought. How did it get this far?