Mother Village -ch. 1- -ch. 2 V1.0- By Shadow... -

Her name, spoken from the water. Not a voice, exactly. More like a vibration that traveled up through the stones, into her bones.

When she reached the stone rim, she looked inside. Mother Village -Ch. 1- -Ch. 2 v1.0- By SHADOW...

Elara spun. An old woman stood in a doorway, shawl pulled tight. Her face was a map of wrinkles, but her eyes—those eyes were too young. Too clear. They held the same unsettling light as the village’s lone streetlamp, flickering though it was midday. Her name, spoken from the water

“Welcome home, little bird,” the old woman said. “The Mother’s been hungry.” When she reached the stone rim, she looked inside

By SHADOW...

The old woman from before stepped forward. Her shawl had slipped, revealing a necklace of woven hair—gray, brown, black, and a few strands of bright red. Elara’s color.

The old woman smiled. It didn’t reach her eyes. “Oh, we know. The Mother doesn’t forget her daughters.”