The Forgotten Children Part 1

Right! Here we go! It has been an interesting day so far, spent brainstorming pieces of a story called "The Forgotten Children" that I hope will be written during this month. As promised, I will post each daily entry onto this blog and will certainly welcome any comments anyone wishes to make. I began this morning, by asking myself:  "Who are the children? Why are they forgotten?" The idea that kept coming back to me over and over again was linked to the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, so I spent an hour or so doing some research on its legend before I began. I have no idea whether my story will remain linked to the Piper, but you may seem some similarities, at least in the beginning.

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It was night. The silence enveloped the town like a blanket. All the doors were shut, all the lamps dimmed. Nothing stirred, except for a few stray cats who were wandering the deserted streets looking for scraps of food. Asleep in their beds, dreaming deeply of pleasant things to come, the people were oblivious to the tragedy that was about to befall them. No one could have suspected that their lives were about to change. It was already too late. They could not stop it, even if they knew. Nothing would ever be the same again. For on the hillside above, he waited.



Emerging from his hiding place, the man stood and stretched his long limbs. How long had he been sitting there, hidden amongst the trees? He wasn’t sure. Time had ceased to have any real meaning, ever since the angry mist had descended and clouded his reason. How dare they, he thought. They broke their promise to me. Without my help, they would surely have perished. I was the only one who agreed to save them, but once I had, they turned their backs. Suddenly they wanted rid of me, as if I were nothing but a nuisance, a reminder of the debt they owed me but refused to pay. But pay they will, in a way that they least expect and will forever regret.



There was a rustling behind him. An owl hooted above his head and he turned to regard it, looking up into the branches of the nearest tree. The bird looked back at him, its eyes illuminated in the moonlight. The man smiled grimly in the darkness and his own eyes flashed. “Welcome, night wanderer,” he said, softly. “I have been waiting for you. Have you found our prey?” His voice sounded almost musical - deep and mesmerising. The owl blinked solemnly, as if captivated by the noise. But then the man held out his arm and the owl flew to him, landing on the edge of his outstretched cloak. With a menacing chuckle and a flourish like a magician performing a magic trick, the man seemed to disappear within the trees. The owl took to the skies, its haunting screech breaking the silence. It too, was on the prowl. It was beginning…



Charlotte sat up in bed. What had awakened her? She shook her head and rubbed her eyes, in an attempt to clear her mind from the grogginess of sleep. Was someone there?

“Hello?” she whispered, but no one replied. Yet somehow, she knew she was not alone.

“Is there anyone there?” she asked again. Still, there was no reply.

The moonlight peeped through the wooden shutters of her bedroom window. Shafts of light made faint patterned lines on the floor. But as Charlotte stared at them, a shadow disturbed their pattern. She frowned. There was something there. But what?



She pushed aside the woollen blanket and placed her bare feet onto the floor. Shivering in the sudden cold night air, she pulled the blanket from her small bed and wrapped herself up in it. Quietly, she moved towards the window, avoiding the beams of light that still lay reflected on the floor. The shadow was still there and she did not wish to disturb it.



She became aware of a dull thumping sound. It seemed to be getting louder and faster. As she reached the window sill, she realised what it was – the beating of her own heart.

Foolish girl, she said to herself. Making such a fuss over nothing.

If that is true, said another voice in her mind, then what are you doing out of bed, jumping at shadows on the floor?

Unsure of which voice to pay attention to, Charlotte put out her hand and pushed open the shutter.



Moonlight streamed into the room. Charlotte looked out into the night and stifled a scream. There, on the fencepost opposite her window sat a large owl. It gazed intently at her and Charlotte remembered a warning that her grandmother had given her. “To see an owl is a sign of death or destruction,” the old woman had said. “Owls are symbols of demons and ghosts. You must never look them in the eye.”



Charlotte knew that she needed to look away, close the window and to return to bed. But on trying, she discovered that she could not move. Her eyes were locked with those of the owl. She was trapped. Who are you? she asked. Why are you here? What do you want with me?



And then the answer came. A voice, deep and rich, like liquid honey, flowed into her thoughts. You are mine, it said. You will come to me. When I call for you, you will come.



But who are you? Charlotte asked again. She realised she was no longer afraid. The owl’s eyes seemed to be warming her from the inside out and she dropped the blanket to the floor.



You will know soon enough, said the voice. By the next moon’s light, I will return for you.



There was a sudden hiss and a black cat leapt onto the fencepost. It advanced towards the owl, its fur standing on end and its own green eyes flashing in warning. The owl blinked and abruptly, the connection was broken. Charlotte shook her head, as with a screech, the owl took to the sky once more. The cat padded back along the fencepost and jumped down, disappearing into the dark.



Charlotte stood for a moment longer at the window, gazing out at the night. What had happened? She felt strange. Had she been sleepwalking? Why was she out of bed? And what was her blanket doing on the floor? She bent down and picked it up. Turning back to the window, she pulled the shutter closed, after one final glance out into the blackness. There was nothing there. She walked back over to her bed and lay down, pulling the blanket up to her chin. She closed her eyes and was instantly asleep.