A young girl’s long scream rang throughout the village. But this was no scream of fear, rather, it was one of grief. Grief in its purest, rawest form spread like a contagion through the village. The shoemaker’s daughter, who was the village dreamer, the village hoper, the village optimist, could be no longer, for she was gone.
Yet, the Elder’s daughter would not give in. She spent hours peering over the village’s old texts, trying to discover a way to revive her now gone love. But as hours faded into weeks, and weeks into months, there was nothing of use she had found. It seemed no such thing existed, until she was reminded of a legend one night. The legend of the Wishbringer. It was said to bring unlimited power for a price. Yet, the girl knows that there is no price she would not pay. So at dusk, she left home, leaving no note, because no words could express what she wanted to communicate.
A half-season’s worth of trekking through muddy swamps, crossing rapid rivers, and traversing lush meadows finally brought the girl forth to the mountain. And just to get up to the near-mythical cave just under the mountain’s peak was a journey of several days. But when the girl entered, frail and thin from her wearing adventure, she knew she’d found exactly what she sought out.
Traveler, said a voice that seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at once. So you seek me. No, I’m over here. To the left. The other left. And finally, the girl could see the infamous Wishbringer. It was a crown, a humble crown of gilded iron, with no gems bequeathed to it. Place me atop your head, dear girl, and you shall have powers unimagined, with which to do your bidding.
“Not so fast,” came a defiant reply. “I know what you are. I know what you do to your… your vessels.” She took a deep breath. “Yet, I will be your vessel anyways. But in exchange, I have a request.”
Wishbringer had never faced such audacity before. Most of its foolish victims had come, and within minutes, been horribly transformed into its pawns with which to wreak havoc. But it almost respected this girl’s courage. So it agreed. Tell me what you wish of, and it shall be granted once we are bonded.
“Bring her back. The shoemaker’s daughter.”
But surely you understand? She is gone. No magic can truly-
“Do we have a deal or not?” the girl snapped back, interrupting the warning. “I want you to bring her back.”
So be it, the exasperated voice answered. You shall have your lover back.
The girl does not bother to question how the voice knows this. Instead, she steps forward, and with no hesitation, places the aged crown upon her head. As soon as there is contact between the hairs upon her head and the Wishbringer itself, a guttural scream of agony is released into the wild. She’s changing, losing her humanity, growing taller and stronger, as the scream changes into an animalistic roar. What emerges from the cave is a fusion of human and beast beyond you or me. And both sides want just one thing- to reach the village.
It’s been a full season now since the Elder’s daughter disappeared. He has his suspicions, yes, but he dares not speak them out of fear. But everyone in the village has felt something off. A new presence, so to speak, throughout the village, first noticed midway through the harvest season. Yet it is not quite tangible. Nobody is quite sure who… or what it is. Yet it has been benign so far, so the villagers keep on living, going on with their lives. Until a new presence, much less benign, disrupts the once peaceful village.
It roars. It’s terrifying. Some say it’s a wolf; others say it’s a bear. But one thing is sure- it wants nothing but blood. The blood of the animals grazing, the blood of the son hiding beneath the table crying out one last time for his elder sister, and the blood of the village itself. It takes down houses, destroys the freshly planted seed, everything the village needs to survive, gone. What misfortune, which deadly sins have brought this monster upon the village?
The Elder knows. The Elder knew from the start what was happening. Had he spoken, perhaps this was avoidable. Perhaps not. But no matter. It is his job, his sworn duty, to save this village. So standing in the village square, at the shoemaker’s home, the last standing structure of the village, he waits for the monster. And she comes.
“Daughter, please,” he said softly, his wise eyes saddened, yet firm as her red, bestial eyes narrow at him. This mortal- who was he to stop her? She took a step toward him, ready to kill. But a blue light appears between the two before she can get any closer. It burns brighter and brighter, the presence finally revealing itself. The shoemaker’s daughter. But not quite. She is not fully there- she is a ghost, cursed to be undead. And finally, the monster recognizes someone. It stops, eyes widened.
I do not know who or what you seek, but you will leave this village. Now. Her mouth is not open. Only the young girl turned monster can understand. And she does. Falling to the ground, her humanity is restored. Remorse. Remorse is the one thing that frees from the Wishbringer. And nothing strikes remorse than the disappointment of the shoemaker’s daughter. The Elder’s suspicions are confirmed as she slowly transforms back, the crown falling onto the soft dirt with a thud.
The spirit stares down, completely taken by surprise . After a minute of silence, she speaks up. Why? How could you do this?
“I… I needed to see you again,” responded the girl. “How could I go on without you?”
You should have known the dead cannot truly come back. The spirit smiled. Because we never truly leave. Rarely are we visible, but trust me- we are always there. And now, to fix all this… The spirit’s aura became brighter until all were forced to close their eyes, and once they opened them, the village was fixed, the spirit of the shoemaker’s daughter was nearly transparent, and fading.
bloodyawfulusername t1_j24t1d7 wrote
Reply to [WP] An ancient, cursed artifact that turns people into monsters to do its evil bidding. A human approaches now. A frail, stick-thin girl. "I will be your vessel... but in exchange, I have a request..." by reallygoodbee
A young girl’s long scream rang throughout the village. But this was no scream of fear, rather, it was one of grief. Grief in its purest, rawest form spread like a contagion through the village. The shoemaker’s daughter, who was the village dreamer, the village hoper, the village optimist, could be no longer, for she was gone.
Yet, the Elder’s daughter would not give in. She spent hours peering over the village’s old texts, trying to discover a way to revive her now gone love. But as hours faded into weeks, and weeks into months, there was nothing of use she had found. It seemed no such thing existed, until she was reminded of a legend one night. The legend of the Wishbringer. It was said to bring unlimited power for a price. Yet, the girl knows that there is no price she would not pay. So at dusk, she left home, leaving no note, because no words could express what she wanted to communicate.
A half-season’s worth of trekking through muddy swamps, crossing rapid rivers, and traversing lush meadows finally brought the girl forth to the mountain. And just to get up to the near-mythical cave just under the mountain’s peak was a journey of several days. But when the girl entered, frail and thin from her wearing adventure, she knew she’d found exactly what she sought out.
Traveler, said a voice that seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at once. So you seek me. No, I’m over here. To the left. The other left. And finally, the girl could see the infamous Wishbringer. It was a crown, a humble crown of gilded iron, with no gems bequeathed to it. Place me atop your head, dear girl, and you shall have powers unimagined, with which to do your bidding.
“Not so fast,” came a defiant reply. “I know what you are. I know what you do to your… your vessels.” She took a deep breath. “Yet, I will be your vessel anyways. But in exchange, I have a request.”
Wishbringer had never faced such audacity before. Most of its foolish victims had come, and within minutes, been horribly transformed into its pawns with which to wreak havoc. But it almost respected this girl’s courage. So it agreed. Tell me what you wish of, and it shall be granted once we are bonded.
“Bring her back. The shoemaker’s daughter.”
But surely you understand? She is gone. No magic can truly-
“Do we have a deal or not?” the girl snapped back, interrupting the warning. “I want you to bring her back.”
So be it, the exasperated voice answered. You shall have your lover back.
The girl does not bother to question how the voice knows this. Instead, she steps forward, and with no hesitation, places the aged crown upon her head. As soon as there is contact between the hairs upon her head and the Wishbringer itself, a guttural scream of agony is released into the wild. She’s changing, losing her humanity, growing taller and stronger, as the scream changes into an animalistic roar. What emerges from the cave is a fusion of human and beast beyond you or me. And both sides want just one thing- to reach the village.
It’s been a full season now since the Elder’s daughter disappeared. He has his suspicions, yes, but he dares not speak them out of fear. But everyone in the village has felt something off. A new presence, so to speak, throughout the village, first noticed midway through the harvest season. Yet it is not quite tangible. Nobody is quite sure who… or what it is. Yet it has been benign so far, so the villagers keep on living, going on with their lives. Until a new presence, much less benign, disrupts the once peaceful village.
It roars. It’s terrifying. Some say it’s a wolf; others say it’s a bear. But one thing is sure- it wants nothing but blood. The blood of the animals grazing, the blood of the son hiding beneath the table crying out one last time for his elder sister, and the blood of the village itself. It takes down houses, destroys the freshly planted seed, everything the village needs to survive, gone. What misfortune, which deadly sins have brought this monster upon the village?
The Elder knows. The Elder knew from the start what was happening. Had he spoken, perhaps this was avoidable. Perhaps not. But no matter. It is his job, his sworn duty, to save this village. So standing in the village square, at the shoemaker’s home, the last standing structure of the village, he waits for the monster. And she comes.
“Daughter, please,” he said softly, his wise eyes saddened, yet firm as her red, bestial eyes narrow at him. This mortal- who was he to stop her? She took a step toward him, ready to kill. But a blue light appears between the two before she can get any closer. It burns brighter and brighter, the presence finally revealing itself. The shoemaker’s daughter. But not quite. She is not fully there- she is a ghost, cursed to be undead. And finally, the monster recognizes someone. It stops, eyes widened.
I do not know who or what you seek, but you will leave this village. Now. Her mouth is not open. Only the young girl turned monster can understand. And she does. Falling to the ground, her humanity is restored. Remorse. Remorse is the one thing that frees from the Wishbringer. And nothing strikes remorse than the disappointment of the shoemaker’s daughter. The Elder’s suspicions are confirmed as she slowly transforms back, the crown falling onto the soft dirt with a thud.
The spirit stares down, completely taken by surprise . After a minute of silence, she speaks up. Why? How could you do this?
“I… I needed to see you again,” responded the girl. “How could I go on without you?”
You should have known the dead cannot truly come back. The spirit smiled. Because we never truly leave. Rarely are we visible, but trust me- we are always there. And now, to fix all this… The spirit’s aura became brighter until all were forced to close their eyes, and once they opened them, the village was fixed, the spirit of the shoemaker’s daughter was nearly transparent, and fading.
Remember that I’m always here.