In the morning Elifero stormed out of the house, scowl locked in place.
Behind him where his two twin sisters Bloom and Raim and they were bickering again, voices overlapping in a mess of blame. Their mother sighed, rubbing her temples.
"Elifero," she said, gentle but firm, "please. Let them come with you today."
"I said no," he muttered, ignoring her. "They'll just get in the way."
"Don't come home late," she called after him, but he was already gone.
He was heading to a hideout, which is located in a forest, a forest which had been forbidden from anyone to enter. Though it was forbidden, the children of this village used. The secret hideout lay hidden beneath twisted roots and thick vines .Elifero skipped into the clearing.
"Guys! I'm here!"
Silence.
Then a voice rang out.
"Look upwards, citizen, and be amazed!"
High above, Keith stood atop the hideout, striking a pose. Shades covered his eyes; a cape flared behind him. In Keith's mind, he looked heroic. In reality, he looked ridiculous.
Elifero laughed. Keith froze.
"You laugh now," he said, "but one day you'll regret it."
The others weren't coming. Busy, Keith said.
Elifero shrugged. "Oh."
They played anyway, leaping, imagining villains, collapsing into laughter. Keith asked about Bloom and Raim. Elifero glared. "They're not for grabs." Keith grinned. "Worth asking."
Eventually, they rested in the forbidden garden.
Tall, pale flowers clustered around a massive tree. Its branches spread wide, forming shade even as the sun lowered .Elifero and Keith stretched out under the tree, letting warmth seep into their bones. A nap came easily in the soft light, the garden beautiful yet faintly strange.
Hours passed. When the sun began its descent toward noon, Keith stirred. "I'll be visiting relatives tomorrow," he said. "Tell your sisters I said hi."
Elifero snorted. "I won't"
They left the garden together, heading home.
The next day ,Elifero ran to the hideout again.
No one was there. He sighed, the wandered to the great tree in the forbidden garden. He sank onto its roots, looking around the forest." This place is truly amazing ," he whispered. "I should bring Bloom and Raim tomorrow to see it. Before I forget, I should pick flowers for them as an apology."
The afternoon stretched lazily. He drifted into a nap, sunlight filtering through leaves.
When he woke, the sun was already dipping towards the horizon.Quickly , he picked the flowers, their petals delicate and soft. On he walked back home through the forest, the flowers held loosely in his hand.
As he moved deeper between the trees, the petals began to glow.
Soft at first. Faint.
A color so strange it didn't feel real.
Elifero glanced at them, frowned, then looked away.
"Huh…weird," he muttered. Flowers from the forbidden garden were always strange. This was probably nothing.
He kept walking.
Then he noticed the air.
It felt wrong.
Each breath tasted heavier, thicker, like something had shifted without his permission. The warmth of the forest faded, replaced by a chill that crept along his skin.
Then the smell hit him.
Metallic. Wet.
Blood.
Elifero slowed. His footstep became cautious as the scent grew stronger.
Did something die here?
A faint rustling came from the bushes ahead.
The flowers in his hand glowed brighter, almost pulsing.
"That's …creapy," he whispered, forcing a nervous laugh.
He stepped closer.
Another sound. Wet. Heavy.
Elifero reached out and pushed the bushes aside.
Something smeared against his palm.
He pulled his hand back.
Red.
Blood.
"What….?" His heart raced as he stared at his hand."Did I get scratched earlier? Maybe… from picking the flowers?"
He wiped his palm against his shirt, forcing himself to breath.
Yeah. Just a scratch.
That explanation had to be enough.
Slowly, he pushed the bushes aside again.
A deer lay sprawled on the ground.
Its body was torn open, flesh ripped apart, blood speaking into the soil beneath it. Its lifeless eyes stared into nothing.
Elifero staggered back.
Then he felt it.
He wasn't alone.
Something moved beside it. Tall, bent unnaturally.
It turned toward him.
Elifero's breath froze. His legs moved before his mind did. He stumbled, scraped. his palm against a rock, pain flaring, and ran.
Branches whipped at him, knees scraped raw, but he didn't stop. Not until the lights of home shimmered through the trees.