Age Rewind: A Dark Fairy Tale of Summerville
Once upon a time, hidden deep within a forest where the moonlight barely touched the ground, there lay a village wrapped in secrets and sorrow. Travelers who passed through felt the weight of whispers clinging to the cold night air, stories of shadows that followed and trees that watched in silence.
In a small wooden cabin on the edge of this hidden village lived Johnny, his wife Mary, and their two children: nine-year-old Lily, with her curious, bright eyes, and her younger brother, Sam, who always clutched his carved wooden fox for comfort.
They had run far and fast, away from Summerville, a place once known for its warm riverbanks and laughter, now silent under a chilling curse.
“Papa, why did we leave the rivers?” Lily asked one cold evening, her voice soft but steady as the fire crackled low.
The room grew quiet, the shadows flickering like dark spirits against the log walls. Mary’s eyes glistened as she hugged Sam close. Johnny took a deep breath, staring into the flames as if they might swallow the truth he held.
“Because, Lily,” he whispered, “the mayor of Summerville did not want you or your brother to see what truly happens there.”
Lily’s eyes widened, and even little Sam looked up, sensing the heaviness in the room.
“In Summerville,” Johnny continued, “children are taken away by creatures who look like men but are demons in disguise. They take children when they turn nine, claiming they need them for a sacred mission.”
Mary closed her eyes, tears slipping down her cheeks. “They are looking for something,” she added, “a jewel that can give eternal youth, allowing one to become any age they wish with a single touch.”
The children of Summerville were forced into dark caves and thick forests, ordered to search for this legendary jewel. Only children could find it, the demons believed, for the jewel would only reveal itself to the pure of heart and the young of spirit.
But these demons were not merely monsters of shadows; they were warlocks, cloaked in false kindness during the day, lurking in Summerville’s council halls, hiding behind smiles and warm greetings.
When Johnny and Mary discovered the truth, they could not stand by and watch their children be taken. In the dead of night, they escaped, clutching their children close, running through cold streams and thorny paths, guided by the light of a thin, silver moon.
They found themselves in this quiet cabin, hoping the trees would shield them, that the darkness would hide them from those who sought to steal Lily and Sam away.
Yet even as they hid, rumors from travelers seeped through the woods. Some said the demons were getting closer, that they could smell the presence of children in the air. Others claimed that the jewel was just a myth, but Johnny and Mary had seen enough to know that the warlocks believed in its power—and would stop at nothing to possess it.
One night, as the wind howled outside, Lily touched her father’s arm gently.
“Papa,” she said softly, “will the demons find us?”
Johnny pulled her close, his heart heavy yet determined.
“Not if we keep moving, Lily. We will protect you and Sam, no matter what it takes.”
As the fire dimmed and the night wrapped around the cabin, the family held each other close, praying that the forest would keep them safe from Summerville’s curse.
And far away, in the darkened streets of Summerville, the warlocks prepared, their cloaks fluttering as they whispered incantations into the cold night air, determined to find the children who had escaped them, desperate to possess the jewel that could rewind time itself.
Moral of the Story
Greed for eternal youth can turn people into monsters. Protecting the innocence of children is more important than the empty promise of immortality.
