Glades of Darkness

&nbsp "Don't go out after dark!"

-Old proverb (And another stolen quote by Setouq)

Children often have the inbuilt sense to do things they shouldn't. Sometimes it doesn't matter, like when they say rude things or pinch some lollies.

But other times, they can leave a devastating impact on their family and friends. One such child did about as much damage as humanely possible.

It was another fine day out over the beautiful forests of Evendor. The sun was shining brilliantly over the lush grass and tree's, creating a magnificent green glow. Down in a peaceful part of the firest, there lived a family with two kids, one 15, one 5. They were very happy living there, as the beautiful surroundings had made them all feel content with life. It seemed as though they had the perfect life.

There was one catch. The very forest they lived in was haunted. Every day it was a peaceful as ever, but come night, the darkness was more dense and ominous than it usually is. No one ever knew why this was so. Other things had happened there too. Most nights, unearthly howls were heard, specteral figures were seen erupting from the trees and a strange light always seemed to glow over the distant glades.

Now our little five year old called Mary, was as naive as anything could get. As well as innocent as anyone could get. She had often wondered what caused the light and noises, but lacking any understanding of what could possibly make them, her curiosity was as massive as ever.

Her parents of course knew about this and became worried for her safety, as no earthbound creature was capable of making such demonic noises and shapes. Her curiosity had led her to try and sneak out more than once. Of course parents being parents got her back before she did anything she might regret.

Of course, this only strengthened her curiosity even more. She desperately wanted to know what was causing all these lights and noises.

So one night, she snuck out just as everyone started to fall asleep. She made sure not tos step in anything that would make a noise

And with a quick step, she ran off towards the glades, and unknowingly, to her own doom

The Quick Descent
Mary made quick pace towards the towering forest. She was a little frightened, but her curiosity burned as strong as ever. She was so close to the source of this mysterious noise, she could hardly contain herself.

"I wonder what's making those lights?" she often asked herself. The first answer that always popped into her head was faries. She absolutely loved faries, making her even more excited, which quickened her pace even more.

She eventually reached an undergrowth the went below a large selection of particularly tall and scary trees. The roots coming off them were incredibly tendrilous and large, almost like pythons.

she suppressed a shudder at the thought of them coming alive and grabbing her. Almost as if on demand, the roots came alive and reached out to her. she screamed, but the trees were so dense around her that the scream did not travel far at all. Her parents would never know what happened to their child.



It was roughly midnight.

Mary;s parents were fast asleep in their bed. They had no idea that theri daughter was in the hands of untold peril. They slept on and on through their peaceful sleep, unbroken by any troubles.

"How sad" came a shadowy voice from the ceiling.

The father [real name witheld, we'll call him Rupert] woke up with an immediate reaction to the voice. All of a sudden, he became very worried. Panic overtook his mind, preventing him from rationallty thinking over things.

It wasn't until an eternal minute passed when he realised something dire: He forgot to lock Mary's door!

"Honey, quickly get up! I think Mary's gone!"

"Oh you ae too paranoid!" the wife [real name witheld, we'll call her Fiona] mumbled in her sleep.

"No, I forgot to lock her door!"

At the mention of the last syllable, she too sat bolt upright with a panicked look in her eye.

"This is bad! Real bad!" she said in panicked tones.

"We have to go find her!" Rupert said in distress, "Anything could be out there!"

"Or anyone!" his wife hinted darkly.



Mary had never been so scared.

The evil tendrils had curled around her legs, preventing an escape. She could not move, but she was far too frightened to scream. She began to choke from the withled screams.

When suddenly...

"Do stop! The poor girl is distressed!" came a rather unnaturally sweet voice.

At once the roots retracted into the trees leaving the ground as smooth as ever. And then suddenly, out of the darkness came a glowing light

"I don't believe it! It's a fairy!" Mary screamed in delight

"I am a Erynaithus. But human mythology calls my kind 'fairies'. So yes, technically I am a fairy"

"What's an Ematus?"

"Erynaithus. Say it slowly"

"Eari-tai-cus"

"Never mind"

Despite the smalltalk, Mary was absolutely lost for words. Here right in front of her was a real live fairy. All those stories she imagined were true.

"Can I see your city?" she asked inquisitively.

The Erynaithus smiled, "Sure. But it's not necessarily a city... more of a ceremonial glade"

"I had some of that last night for dinner!" Mary blurted out

The Erynaithus groaned...

To be continued