RED GEM

There was a story about an old lady who looked young. She looks so young that no one can ever guess her real age. A rumor went around that says she's a vampire to a werewolf to even being witch but no one really knows her secret. She rarely gets sick and her children have been long gone, though they died because of illness (cancer) and accident. The only family she has now are her grandchildren. She has 6 grandchildren from 2 separate children and only one of them is male.

One day, she told her grandchildren that her tome was up and she has to pass down her secret to being young but this would be charge by a great sacrifice. She told them that once they find out what it is, they might not want take it and if they don't want to take it, they have to keep it a secret to avoid its curse. The grandchildren didn't mind this at all. They are just curious as to what the secret was so their grandmother invited them one night to hunt for the 'thing' that keeps her looking young.

So they got out one night and went to the cemetery. Before entering, the old lady said some kind of ritual. The ritual, as their grandmother explained, enables them to see the shadows wandering around the cemetery. The children then became more curious than ever as to why they need to see the shadows. Then the grandmother explained. "I feed the shadows of these souls to this living Red Gem so it will keep me young and active. I only feed it the shadows of the dead. If I don't feed it, then, it will eat my shadow and will look for a new host." The children were shocked from the things they heard. They got scared but, again, the old lady explained, "This is the price of being able to stay young. My mother passed it down to me when I was your age. The children then asked, "Who will inherit this, grandma?" "The one who is willing to do such sacrifice."

Many months passed and slowly the old lady showed great tiredness and weakness. She then pointed towards the youngest of her grandchildren. "Take this gem and swallow it." "But why me?" the youngster asked. "You are different from them. The only thing I'm afraid is that, I don't have enough time to teach you how to control yourself. You have to learn to it on your own. Remember to always be in control. Whenever you feel like you can't control it, just say these words 'yo tengo el control y tú no'. Say these three times to have control over your cravings" Then her grandmother died. She knew nothing as to what she should do at that time but swallowed the red gem that her grandmother gave her.

The others found out that she was the one who inherited it. They got scared because the very first night of being a shadow eater, the girl went crazy. She was craving for shadows, shadows that are still in people who are alive and active, and in particular to this craving are children's shadows. She tried her best to remember the words her grandmother said but something is blocking that memory. She went out into the darkness of the night and saw children playing. She tried to control herself but somehow she was not capable of doing so. She tried to run away from the fragrance of the children's shadows but the fragrance, it was so tempting and delicious to her. Within a second, she found herself killing a child. She then ate the child's shadows yet she was not yet satisfied. She was looking for more.

The next morning, her sisters and brother heard in the news that there was some kind of monster wandering around and taking children's lives. They thought it was just a serial killer but when they saw their precious sister, the one that inherited the secret, full of blood and satisfaction in her face, they knew that she did it and they need to figure out how to stop this.

The eldest, the only male in the family, knew how to stop this but he can't do it for he loved her sister very much. Before passing it down to the youngest, the old lady told the eldest that the only way to stop her is to get the gem from her throat. This would kill her but this would never bring back the shadows that she already took. There's another problem, the only way to take the gem is to use the knife that her grandmother gave him. This is the only knife that could pierce into her throat. The only knife that could kill her.

One night, the brother followed her sister wandering around the city. They both spotted a child. He was alone and has no idea that his life is in danger. Before the girl could reach the child, her brother took her by the neck but hesitated to strike her throat. "Kill me now! Kill me now before I take another life. I don't want to be this monster but I've got no choice. She chose me. I can't control this gem. I have no control over it. I can't remember grandma's words." "I can't. I love you my dear sister but I don't want others to be hurt or hurt you. I can't. I just can't." "Big mistake brother." Then the girl took the opportunity to escape. She ran as fast as she could but her brother just froze. She looked back but she knew that someday, her brother would have the courage to kill her. She needs to escape this town for other people are searching for her too. They're searching for her, hunting her for they found out that she's the one who took the lives of their precious children.

Many years passed and the brother didn't hear any news about his sister. He tried looking for her but got no luck. He was already worried that her sister might be in danger or she might have taken a lot of lives just to stay alive and feed the gem. He was already getting old so he intended to pass the knife down to his oldest son. He already found a family and settled in the same town. He told his son about the story and the son didn't believe it at first but soon realized what his father told him was true. His father is weak and is already begging him, he accepted it. "Beware, my son, for now she is still young and I'm afraid that she is also stronger than before." He said. "But how would I know it's her, dad?" "Here's a picture of her. I'm pretty sure she still looks the same for that picture was taken when she inherited the gem."

Days passed and slowly, his father showed weariness. He then knew that sooner or later, his father would die. Not very far from where they're standing, his sister, stood looking at them with sadness in her eyes. She's been visiting her brother ever since they separated. She could not bear not seeing her brother. Since they separated, she remembered her grandma's words and most of the time, she has control over her cravings but there are still times that she hunts for shadows. The son noticed her from afar and she hid from him.

She confronted her brother that night and her brother was surprised. They saw each other after so many years but they knew that she should die. Her nephew struck from behind her and pierced her throat. He tried to get the gem and was successful in doing so. Before she ran out of breath, she told them to throw away the gem for someone else is seeking for it. The girl's body vanished into thin air while her brother lay on the couch, breathless. The boy threw the gem into the deepest part of the river. He knew that in doing so no one will ever find it for that river has its own mystery.

THE END