The Tenth Virgin- Part 1
This is only a story i wrote for fun, my language and grammar command not that good.Please forgive me. This is only the first part, please enjoy and leave a comment if you like it, constructive criticism is welcomed.
The Tenth Virgin
I never asked why my help is not needed while living in the small cottage for 12 years of my life. I never questioned why I only allowed wearing white dress nor did I ask why I am not allowed to play with other children. And I never ask why mother cried every time she visited me every month. I did not ask why I am not living with my own family.
But I asked why, when father tied me to the old tree in the forest in a dark winter night. I asked the others why and I screamed at them for chanting those prayers which I never understood. Father muttered an apology but never once look in my eyes. He left, all the men left. Leaving me in the forest alone, facing cold bitter wind with nothing but the white dress on my back and endless tears.
I died a slow, cold and lonely death. I closed my eyes, weary from silent tears, numbed by the bitter cold and I thought this is the end. I am wrong. I woke up from my deadly slumber not as human and not alone. They surrounded me, looking at me with their woeful eyes expressionless face. I am not the first to die in this manner; I am the tenth virgin to be sacrificed every twelve years for the ghost of Cold Heart Forest. The ghost of the man who believed his daughter is killed by the men from my village. He died broken hearted, unable to find the killer and cursed the village of terrible plague that will kill every twelve years. And it happened, exactly twelve years since he died. Young boys dying from unknown illness, panic spread. A ‘wise’ man was consulted; a sacrifice shall be offer he said. And so a girl age twelve was sacrificed, the ritual carried out. Indeed, the boys stop dying everything returned to usual, another girl was chosen this time at birth, groomed and readied for the next sacrifice.
The irony however, the ghost left after the second virgin was offered. On a full moon night, the dead daughter descended in a brilliant light beckoned him.He left, lead by his dead daughter, finally reunited. Yet, girls like me were sacrificed every twelve years and bound to the forest by the spell the men chanted. For us, there is no heaven or hell, only eternal roam in the forest called Cold Heart. We never grow old, with the body of twelve years old but the mind of bitter woman. I watched my own mortal remains rot until nothing more but bones. Still I stared and stared, wondered why it must be this way.
It was almost the twelve anniversary of my death when to my surprise, my brothers came, four of them, they were carrying a small coffin. I watched as they approached my remains, Samuel my oldest brother untied the ropes binding my remains to the tree while others watched like me without expression. The others joined me and watched the slow process of extraction of my remains. I saw how expressionless they were when they put my remains in the small coffin, not a sign of sadness or even repulse from touching the bones of their youngest sister. The others shook their head when my brothers left. I asked why they do so; they replied that I will know the answer later.
I was sad when I saw, what unfold in front of me once again. They were carrying the rituals out again on the day of my death anniversary. My sorrow turned to determination as I watched how mercilessly and unemotionally they were while carrying out the ritual. After they left, I begged the others to help me, help me free the girl from her impending death. My ability to touch mortal things was limited but theirs was better than me.
‘She will die in the end, they will kill her again if she goes back to the village,’ Rose the third virgin said while others nodded their head.‘There is another village at the other end of the forest, we let her go and let heaven decide her fate, please!’ I begged. ‘Don’t you think ten of us are enough in this forsaken place?’ I screamed at them when they began to float away.
They said nothing and I thought I lost the battle but I was surprised when the oldest girl reached out and untied the rope. The girl tied to the tree opened her eyes in surprised as she thought she will perish in this cold hearted place. Melissa, the second virgin showed herself and took the bewildered girl’s hand, without a word leading her to the other end of the forest. ‘Go and live your life, never mouth a word who you are and where you are from,’ Melissa warned and we watched as the girl ran into the village with tears not of sorrow but joy.
The villagers were baffled when they found no remains of the young girl twelve years later; foolishly thinking the ghost ate the remains and become so fearful that they never bothered to return for the remains again before carrying out the rituals. And so every twelve years we save and lead those young girls to freedom, while Mary the first girl we saved always waited at the other end of the forest to take in the newly freed girls under her wing without fail. We saw her every twelve years, from a young girl we saw her aged every time we released a new girl until her daughter took over the duty when she died.
We roamed the forest for what seems to be eternity saving young girls until it stopped no more sacrificial ritual anymore. For what we never know, perhaps they finally realized the foolishness of the beliefs and stopped. Yet, we are bound to the forest perhaps for eternity.
