The Unborn Children

No one is certain where these children came from. All at once they began to appear, just like the mist creeping out of the trees into a moon lit field. They were frail, and starved. Many more had not made it this far, and they all were missing the sign of birth on their stomach. The people of Chalt were immediately taken aback by a trance that was slowly overtaken by a nauscious feeling in the pit of their stomach. When the children spotted the villagers, they all froze as fear glazed their eyes. Silence was only challenged by the airy howl of the wind through the trees. This moment seemed to go on for days, no one moved.

It took the courage of a young girl to bring us all back to reality. With a small voice she looked up at her father and pleaded, “We have to help them!” Our first efforts were unfruitful. They scurried back into the trees any time we approached. It was decided that food would be brought out to the tree line and left there for the children. Maybe in time they would come around.

Months had passed and the children had broken past the barrier of the tree line and begun wondering parts of the village, though never letting anyone too close. The children had become a welcome part of everyday life, well, apart from a little mischief. Unfortunately, our time time with the children was cut too short.

The watch came to me in the middle of the night and reported a hooded figure moving around in the shadows just South of the village. Even though he knew he had been seen but he refused to come out into the open, he just waited, and watched.

It was nearly day break, and near where they were watching the stranger another figure began to appear in the first light. Whatever it was, it was huge, twice as high as any hut in the village with a human like figure and horns covering its eyes. As men rushed toward the village to warn everyone the beast sprung into action. From out of nowhere fire sprung from the ground and scorched the men. Before they could gather themselves up the beast was upon, a few from its claws and it was all over.

By this time the village was astir, every man at arms, positioning themselves between the beast and the village. The source of the fires became evident as we watched the stranger raise his arms in command of the flames. Once again the beast reached the men as they were recovering from the impact of the fires. The children ran out of the woods and did just as the stranger had, raising their arms and consuming the beast in flames. This was obviously why the stranger was here, he was here for the children. The strangers attention was now focused souly on them. Once again he raised his arms, this time vines sprung form the ground and began entangling everyone in the village as well as the children. We all watched helplessly as more beasts came from the woods and carried the children away never to be seen again.

Signed

Elder Masious of the Chalt Village