I remember the day when I genuinely felt happy.

Every night I went with my sister to the Lumin forest. The trees sparkled like jewels, the water shined like stars, the ground was as clear as crystal. Gorano, a half human half beetle, was there to greet us.

“Welcome back girls!” He spoke in tones that only we could understand.

We bowed, “hello Guardian Gorano,” we said together.

“Ella, Anita, you both know that we are among friends here”

“I know, it’s just momma always taught us to bow to a guardian if we ever met one” my sister said. Her black long hair as sleek as night covering her face.

“You girls are my friends. So let the night…..begin!” As he opened the gate and we saw the beauty of the forest.

“Hey stop it” Anita said with a chuckle as a woodland spirit, an Animi, tapped her nose. We swung from the trees, we skated across the ground and we swam in the water. It was paradise.

But just like all stories, our paradise was broken by a curiosity.

As we were swimming, our thoughts focused on the here and now, Anita’s face, filled with life and joy, slowly began to change.

“Anita? What’s wrong?”

Anita began muttering something that I had to get closer to hear

“…….the darkness…….”

“Darkness? What darkness? Anita!” My pulse quickened and my hands shook. But she kept repeating

Repeating

Repeating

“Gorano!?” I could hear the fluttering of his wings and he grabbed me and took me away!

“What are you doing????”

“Saving your life, I’m so sorry little one,” he said as a blackness covered the forest with my sister inside it!

BTOOM

The trees turned black, the water was like mud, the ground as black as night. But what happened to my sister? I ran back inside once Gorano let me go and what I saw horrified me. In place of my sister, was a monster.

“They are called nightlings. Creatures that were once human but were tainted by night.”

“Anita?” I said, my lips trembling. Yellow eyes greeted me, but it wasn’t my sister’s eyes. It was a monster.

I screamed and bashed the ground.

“There only peace is death,” Gorano flew in and stabbed it right in the chest.

It wriggled and writhed until only the wisps of light remained.

“It is done, your sister is at peace now,” he said calmly but a rising flame was burning my chest. “Why did you save me and not her?” I asked with as much restraint as possible but Gorano was silent.

“Answer me!”

I heard rain falling from his faceless eyes.

Was he crying?

“I know when someone is touched by darkness they can only find peace in death. While it might be dark thinking, I wish I could have seen the darkness inside her. Prevented it somehow. I’m sorry,” as his knees buckled and fell to the ground.

10 years have passed and I still come to the lost forest to grieve. I will always miss my innocent sister and if this darkness has a face? Mark my words…….

I will burn it to the ground.