Crooked Man

F O R T Y O N E

Deep in the lake, it's dark. Very dark at first. Then I see light. But very little.
"Breathe" the soft voice of the lake says.
I breathe. And I can. Underwater.

"You've come so far, my dear." A pause. "If you are seeking answers, you might as well get them. "

"But how? How can a lake help?" I ask. My voice sounds deeper. I like it.

"You should've thought of that BEFORE YOU DIVED IN! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU JUMPED INTO!"

I have no words for that. "W-what do you mean?" I asked. Terrified.

"I WARNED YOU TO STAY AWAY! NOW YOU MUST EARN YOUR DEATH"

I swim. I swim to where the little light is coming from. There's an edge that opens to a cave. And under it, it's darkness. I walk into the cave.

There's a man. He's standing right next to a wall and there's an empty hallway behind him.
I gasp, shaking.

The man has a very pale face. And no emotion shows from his eyes, nor his mouth. He looks...soulless.

"Who are you?" I ask, trying to sound as foreign and not interested as possible so that he, maybe shows some interest.
He doesn't answer.

I look around. There are carvings. All over the walls. Like numbers. Like someone was counting.

"Girl" a throaty man voice says. It's like he's whispering but he actually is not. "Girl" he says again.

I turn my face to him. Still shaking, "Y-yes?" I say.

"You know, there's too many people claiming the title "villain" these days."
He looks at me expectantly. I guess he wants me to nod to show that I agree.
I just stand.
He takes a slow and noisy breath.
"One has only to kidnap a princess or destroy a town and their names are suddenly spoken in hushed whispers." He whispers the last part.
"Ridiculous." He slams his hand on the wall. "There are some of us who actually WORK for our title."