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The Story:
I love sitting by the moat, but I never look into its waters. My father had a witch cast a spell on it. Anyone who looks into their reflection will have their soul stolen and imprisoned beneath the water.
Sometimes at night, it’s quiet enough to hear the cries of the souls that float along the surface. A woman’s soul once asked me, “Please, tell my son I’m sorry,” as she bobbed past. But no one can help them.
The sun is almost behind the horizon, when I am startled by a sound. I hop to my feet as a man emerges from behind an oak tree. He’s carving his fingernails with a polished silver knife and smiling at me.
“You shouldn’t come out here without protection, you know? Something might happen to you.”
Two more men reveal themselves from behind other trees. I am surrounded.
“I’m the princess. You don’t want to hurt me.”
“Oh, but we do. Don’t worry… You’ll enjoy it.”
They encircle me. I search for a rescuer, one of my father’s knights, anyone. But I am alone. Making the first move is my best chance.
I grab the tunic of the man on my right and shove him at the moat. He falls into the grass with his face hanging over the water. He screams as his soul is removed from his body.
The other two men grab my arms.
“Ralik, get up and help us!”
The one by the moat stands up and stares at us blankly. His eyes are flat black. He turns and walks away in a trance.
I pull and pull until my arms pop loose from theirs, but the force is too much. Swinging my arms, I try to maintain my balance. They reach out to save me but miss, and I fall backwards into the moat.
The souls swarm me and fill my lungs until I think I’m going to explode. The burning pain behind my eyes is unlike anything I’ve ever felt. All I can do is thrash in the water. Finally, they stop.
I slowly stand up and look down, but the moat has dried up. I look at the men that attacked me. It is nearly dark, but everything looks as bright as the day. The men stumble back as if they are terrified of what they see.
I scream and hear the sound of a thousand voices coming out of me.
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