Come Little Children

A young ghost wandered around the forest, an axe in his hands as he ran around. He laughed, hiding behind trees then jumping out, swinging his axe around. Thankfully no one was around. Otherwise, the little ghost boy would've hurt someone with that axe of his. The spirit wandered through the trees, smiling as he played his game by himself. Whatever that game was, it surely entertained the young soul well enough.

Without looking as where he was going, the ghost arrived upon a pile of stones against a tree. There was a symbol carved into the wood that resembled a crescent moon. He tripped over something and fell to the floor. Despite being ghost, there were certain things in the natural elements that could touch them. Things that hold magic or something that humans can not hope to understand.

Pulling himself up, the ghost frowned and looked around, spotting the tree with the moon carving on it. Cocking his head, the spirit floated himself up on to his feet and went over, curiously inspecting the pile of rocks against the wood, making sure not to accidentally have the arrow through his forehead stab the tree and getting it stuck. That happened once before and he didn't want that to happen again.

He then froze when hearing it.

A hum that was enchanting and alluring to the senses; a voice soon following afterwards and it astounded the boy's mind by how beautiful and lovely the voice sounded. No doubt, it was a woman singing.

"Come little Children

I'll take thee away

Into a land of enchantment

Come little children

The times come to play

Here in my garden of shadows"

Almost immediately, the boy stood up and began to walk away in the direction the voice was coming from. Going around the tree and going further and further away. The voice echoing throughout his mind, ringing in his ears as he went forth in a dazed state, barely paying any attention to the axe he had in his hand drop to the ground. All he could really think of was the voice and how the song lulled him like a lullaby.

"Follow sweet children

I'll show thee the way

Through all the pain and the sorrows

Weep not poor children

For life is this way

Murdering beauty and passions"

The young spirit hardly noticed another child coming next to him, followed by another and another. Each one seeming to be under the spell of the one singing as they walked forth in a pack through the forest; all ranging from different sizes and age.

"Hush now dear children

It must be this way

To weary of life and deceptions

Rest now my children

For soon we'll away

Into the calm and the quiet"

They all arrived at a meadow filled with sweet, beautiful flowers, green grass, moonlight that cast a glow of the place in a dreamlike state, and a small creak that flowed through underneath a bridge. There was a small cottage on the other side where a young, alluring, and lovely enchanting woman stood with a plant in her hands. Golden locks of hair fell down on either side of her heart shaped face as her green eyes lit up with wonder. She wore a dress that was most likely seen in the 1700s. Walking forward, she opened her mouth and sang, calling the children forth towards her

"Come little children

I'll take thee away

Into a land of enchantment

Come little children

The times come to play

Here in my garden of shadows…"

All of the children stood, caught in between sleep and awake.

The woman smiled, dancing around as she inspected all of the young children. Upon reaching the spirit, however, she stopped and stared. Bending down to his level, she smiled at him and poked the arrow coming out of his head.

"You poor thing, so young, so innocent…" her voice was but a whisper, petting the young boy's hair while looking at him long and hard.

"What is your name, dear child?"

"…Billy…but a man once called me the First Born Son."

A surprised expression came upon the woman's face but soon calmed. Closing her eyes, she chuckled and stood right back up, patting the young spirit's head.

"Well, Billy. Would you like to play with the other children?"

"…Yes."

Clapping her hands, she smiled.

"Good!"

Then, with a snap of her fingers, every child blinked and looked around. Billy snapped out of his trance and wondered where he was. The woman spoke in a calm and sweet voice that drew every child's attention.

"Now, children, I have brought you all here because I've heard what your heart desires most and have led you hear to grant them; you wish to have friends." The woman smiled down at every little young soul, dead and alive, as they were awed by the woman's beauty. None of them thought of questioning her. Not even those who were said to be naughty or do bad things. They once again under her spell and they smiled.

"You all may play here. Do as you like. This is my garden of where all your dreams shall come true." The woman said, gesturing for them to go ahead and play with the toys and other such devices only a child would love that appeared suddenly in the meadow. They weren't there before but none of them cared. They were all under the woman's spell still and did as they were told.

Billy went along with the others and played with them. He met a girl in a white dress who was a spirit like him only her dress had blood stains on it with gashes over her chest. There were others like her as well but no one seemed to give a thought about it. The children who were alive did not seem to notice the dead spirits amongst them and vice versa. All they know is that they were all brought here to play and make friends. They did not pay any attention to the woman as she went back into her little cottage or the green smoke puffing out of the chimney from the potion she was making. They had no idea that the woman's actual plans for them were quite sinister and terrible. And they most certainly didn't know she was a Witch or was making a spell to use their souls for her own dark intentions. And if Billy had known she was going to use him in order to lure the other Black Zodiac, he would've high tailed it out of there and warned the others.

But alas, the spell upon him was powerful and he played with the others in ignorance to all of these events. His innocent mind stuck in a dream that was all but an illusion.

Forever will he be trapped in the blissful dream, here, in her garden for all eternity; what a tragic fate has befallen upon him.