Hungry Crows
687 Words
As evening approached, Rose arrived at the outskirts of a village that seemed abandoned of all forms of life.
"Oh God, what is this?" The houses were built of stone and mud, their doors barred, and their windows obscured by fishnet, as if the eyes were ashamed to look at the passersby.
But what caught attention was not the silence, but the crows;
they were circling above the rooftops, screaming in a near harmony.
There were no sounds from the houses, only the rustling of the wind and the cawing of the crows, and the sound of hooves echoed on the dirt road, adding to the feeling of dread.
Every step felt unwelcome, and shadows watched from behind the nets.
She had lost her way... what is this hell? She must have taken a wrong turn. "Let’s go back, now!" And as Rose turned, a small child fell in front of her. She miraculously avoided him, shouting: "Are you blind or what? If you want to die, go somewhere else away from the road!"
From among the shadows, a thin woman appeared, her face pale, afraid to approach. She bent before Rose with great fear: "I beg your pardon... do not harm the child... I will punish him on his behalf."
Rose looked at her in complete astonishment and laughed a sarcastic laugh: "A punisher or what? Take that! Do you think you can stand in front of me!"
Then Rose looked around her and noticed eyes watching from among the shadows. She thought, "Why not ask her? There’s no harm in it." She said: "Excuse me, I want to ask you about something... do you know this emblem?" Then she showed her the emblem drawn in the message.
The woman froze for a moment, afraid to hear someone speak to her, then whispered in a trembling voice: "We do not talk about it... they have erased its existence from the earth."
"Wait... who is this?"
"It is the Castle of the... "
Time paused for a moment, and Rose felt a sense of sadness and fear creeping into her heart...."
"Can it be... what should I do? She said it was erased... what should I do?" After a moment of hesitation, she stepped back, despite the circumstances that did not allow for thinking, Rose decided to approach. "Please, guide me... I want to find her. I will give you food for your child, just say." The woman replied: "I do not want anything... just go on your way... do not bring us misfortune." Despite all of Rose's attempts, the woman stopped talking, until she realized that there was no hope from her. Rose took out a piece of bread and offered it to her: "This is compensation for the disturbance."
Then she turned her back towards the village gate. The woman looked at the horse in horror: "The brand on your horse is the mark of that cursed castle." Rose looked in astonishment towards the heart of the mountain: "What? A brand? Where?" "It is really... why didn't I notice it?" The woman whispered in her ear: "They have destroyed all the villages... this is not logical... I thought it was a misfortune from its old owner..." "It is truly a brand... is it a landmark? Was he from there?" "A landmark of a person who is cursed... it cannot be..." Rose mounted the horse in astonishment and confusion, heading towards the borders of the village. In shock, she noticed that the world was no longer as she thought,
even the sun began to move away. Suddenly, a familiar, fragile, and disturbed voice pierced the air: "Follow the sunset... it will guide you to your destination." Rose quickly turned towards the source of the voice, it was that woman, and in the midst of her astonishment, she disappeared from her sight. Rose glanced at the sun disc sinking towards the horizon, and felt something pulse in her heart again: "So... towards the sunset."
The "Heart of the Mountain" struck the ground with its hooves, and Rose rushed towards a burning sunset, like fire in the brittle.
- Writer
