Thread: Secrets And Superstitions (sharkfish1e & darkangel76)

It was late afternoon and Jillian Wheeler was sitting by herself on the hillside staring down at the forest on the other side. From where she was sitting, it looked peaceful and serene. Though the villagers all seemed to fear it for one reason or another, telling children horror stories about the nasty beings that lived within the darkness of the those trees. Jillian had heard the fairytales for as long as she could remember and could even recite some of the more popular ones verbatim, according to how the elders told the stories. Most of them dealt with fairy folk or werewolves or demonic creatures lurking and waiting to whisk away anyone who got too close. Most of these stories made Jillian chuckle to herself. Whether the villagers all truly believed these stories, she didnt know since the strongest of their men did venture into them every so often to get wood, hunt or gather some of the more rare herbs for medicines or cooking. Jillian personally, did not think such stories were true. She figured them to be the sort of thing to prevent the little ones from venturing too far from home. To keep them grounded and tamp down their sense of adventure. In a way, it saddened her that they forced such thoughts into young minds and she wondered if there was anyone like herself who secretly disbelieved. Shed never speak of it, not even with her family. For she did know that a fair number of the villagers were indeed superstitious at the very least and often afraid of things they didnt know or understand. They were all so very stubborn about such things. And she didnt see this way of thinking changing any time soon. Heaving a sigh, Jillian looked down to the forest longingly. For some reason, it was beckoning to her, calling out to her. She wanted to run down the hill and take a small stroll underneath the canopy of trees, take in the sounds, smells and sight of the forbidden forest. The wind blew, causing her to have to brush her long, dark hair away from her face. Blue eyes flashing suddenly, she got up and began making her way down the hill. As she approached the forest, Jillian could feel her heart racing. She knew that what she was about to do wouldnt go over well with her family or most of the villagers. But she honestly didnt care at the moment. When the wind blew, she caught the scent of flowers, flowers shed never smelled before and she needed to see what kind they were. Jillian was a curious sort and loved to learn about new things, things most didnt understand. She was scolded for such behavior fairly often, but given the kindness and compassion she showed others of the village, most of the villagers let such things slide. Sometimes. But this? This might not go over so well should something go wrong. Though Jillian was fairly confident that nothing would. So she continued on. The forest looked dark once Jillian approached the tree line. She swallowed lightly and took her first step beyond the trees. With that step, she felt a sense of freedom wash over her. It was wonderful and sweet. It made her smile. Again the wind blew and she caught the scent of those flowers, so she began walking in the direction in which the scent seemed to be coming from. Jillian walked for quite a while, the sky getting darker and darker. It was twilight and she was starting to have trouble seeing with the oncoming darkness. She looked around, trying to figure out which way shed come for she knew she had to head back. Even if she hadnt been able to find the flowers shed been searching for. Glancing all around, Jillian started to realize that she was lost. She didnt know where she was or which way to go to head back to her village. Immediately, she felt her heart begin to race, her body tremble. She was frightened. The wind blew, but on the wind she heard a menacing sound, like a demonic beast laughing at how it had found its prey and was about to snatch it up for itself in victory. Jillian began to whimper as the growling noise grew louder. She looked around, trying to see if she could make out a figure, anything. But she saw nothing until she caught sight of what appeared to be eyes staring back at her. She couldnt tell what it was. Beast or other. But no matter what it was, she knew that it meant her harm. Backing away slowly, her blue eyes filled with tears, her body shaking, she finally let out a shrill scream in terror.