Now as you've probably already deduced, Charlie's after school tutoring sessions didn't really last until eight o'clock at night. That was a lie she told to cover up the fact that right after tutoring, she would go with Vaggie over the bridge to visit Mystique Hollow. Lucky thing Stolas never went to public school other wise he'd know that no after school tutoring program is that late. And lucky thing that Vaggie's mother always worked a late shift that ended around ten to midnight. So neither Stolas or Inez suspected a thing.
Each visit to Mystique Hollow was more exciting and enticing than the last. The two girls would be treated to a wonderful feast, then Charlie would play around in her garden while Vaggie would paint countless murals, and afterward they would participate in festive dances or incredible shows like a concert or a play. Levana seemed to always know exactly what the two of them wanted and always provided it without question or hesitation.
"I only want to make you happy." She would say. "You appear so sad. Like you have no one to talk to or listen to. No one who understands you or ever thinks about what you want. I know how painful that feels and I never want anyone to feel the same."
And the girls believed her, and the longer they spent time in Mystique Hollow, the more they didn't want to leave. They began to dread having to go back to reality where nothing was fair, adults don't listen to you, and your peers bully you. They wanted nothing more than to just run away from all their problems at home and stay here where it appeared there were no troubles at all. But truth be told, if you run away from your old problems you'll be just heading straight for a whole new mess of problems. Though Charlie and Vaggie had yet to discover that.
Meanwhile Octavia spent her evenings that week being babysat by Gina. Now at first Octavia behaved very shyly around the old woman because she had only known her through names and passing glances, but after Gina got Octavia talking about her day, she grew to like her. She liked to sip tea with Gina, draw and color, and to listen to music with her, but what she found that liked best was that Gina happened to be a wonderful story-teller and the little girl found herself enthralled by everything she had told her.
"They say that Baba Yaga tales flies around in a mortar, wields a pestle, and dwells deep in the forest in a house that stands on chicken legs." Gina told her one afternoon as the child was drawing a picture with crayons.
"Chicken legs?" Octavia said in disbelief. "I don't believe it! What kind of house has legs like a chicken?"
"Baba Yaga's apparently." Gina chuckled. "Some legends say that she's just a mean and nasty old crone who likes to cause trouble, but others say that if you do her a favor, she'll use magic to reward you."
"How do you know all this stuff Gina?"
"Well my grandparents were from Italy but they traveled all over Europe and Asia in their youth and they listened to many story-tellers of many cultures and countries." She said to Octavia. "They told these stories to me when I was a little girl, then I told them to my children when they were little, and to my grandchildren and my nephew when they were little, and now I am telling them to you."
"Are they all true stories Gina?" Octavia asked.
"Some are, some aren't, and some I'm not entirely sure. But I do know for certain that they're are intelligent creatures in this world who are not human. Now some are just merely mischievous and relatively harmless, and in some cases beneficial if you know how to handle them."
"What does that mean?"
"Well in England and Scotland there are creatures who will help you keep house if you give them a bowl of cream or a loaf of bread. But never criticize them, because they can very easily undo all that cleaning and house work with just the snap of their fingers."
"Really? What are these creatures?"
"Can't say for certain because they go by many names. Fairies, elves, imps, spirits, no one ever really knows what they are because they never allow themselves to be seen."
"They don't?"
"No. They always wait until the members of the house hold are asleep before they perform their task, provided of course, you leave out a little treat for them before you go to bed. Then in the morning, you wake up to find your entire house clean and organized."
"I wish there were creatures like that here. They could clean my room."
Gina laughed at the girl's innocent intrigue in her stories. It reminded her so much of her grandchildren and how they loved to listen to her stories. How she missed having an audience for storytelling.
"Can you tell me a true story?" Octavia asked.
"I'd like to but you might not believe me and think that I'm just crazy. My own grandson is that way now, even though he used to love my stories. More so than any other child I told them too. But now he can't stand them."
"How come?"
Then suddenly Gina's old, wrinkled lips shut right as a pair of tongs and her hands which held the tea pot began to tremble. She didn't look at Octavia and she didn't speak. It was like she was completely shut off. But her mind was not, Octavia could tell by Gina's facial expression that the old woman was deep in thought about something. Something very personal and sad. She could tell because she had seen Charlie make the same expression whenever she thought of her deceased parents.
"Are you alright Gina?" Octavia asked after about five minutes of silence had passed.
"Oh..." Gina said coming to herself. "Yes dear, I'm fine. I'm sorry, I did not mean to worry you, I was just...Troubled by old memories and I was wondering if I should tell you about something...I don't want to frighten you. You might be too young, but then again perhaps no child is too young to learn."
"Learn about what?"
She paused and took a moment to pour herself a cup of tea and drink before continuing.
"Octavia, your mother and father have warned you about strangers but only about the strangers who have no special powers. Only about the strangers who murder with knives or guns. Only about the strangers who are human."
"You're saying that there are strangers that aren't human?"
"Yes little one. They're called demons and they're everywhere in the world. Now most of them can't go after you as long as you put your faith in God or anything spiritual. But there are rare exceptions, like in this town I believe."
"What do you mean?"
Gina poured Octavia a cup of tea and handed her lemon cookie to eat with it, all the while hoping that she was doing the right thing by telling her this.
"For as long as I have lived in this town. I have noticed that every few years, around the Autumn season, at least one child from this town has disappeared without a trace. Vanished. Gone with the wind. As if the poor boy or girl had never lived in this town to begin with."
"And nobody knows what happened to them?"
"Nobody, but I have a good idea on what happened to them all. I believe that they were stolen away by a demon."
"Why do you think that?"
"I just do and we'll leave it at that for now."
"But my Sunday School teacher once said that demons can't get children. They're too innocent for evil to touch them."
"In most cases, your Sunday School teacher would be correct. The demons from Hell can do a child no harm. But these demons do not come from Hell little one."
"They don't?"
"No. They come from earth, and they're horrible, appalling, and disgraceful monstrosities who were once human but let their own sins combined with magic corrupt them."
"But why go after children?"
"I don't know. They all have their own reasons. For example, in fairy tales these demons target children to eat them like in Hansel and Gretel."
"That wasn't a demon, that was a witch."
"They're all the same thing Octavia, they just go by different names."
"And there's one in town?"
"I'm certain of it. But this demon is not ugly and scary like in fairy tales. Well at least, not when you first see them. These demons hide what they really look like by disguising themselves as very pretty or very handsome. This demon in particular is said to have a sweet and smiling face, with a charming tongue. But it's all an illusion to draw in the naive child."
"What exactly does it do to the child?"
"Well first the demon chooses a victim, then it stalks the child like a hunter stalks a bird in the forest, setting up traps with a very special bait. The demon makes itself look very attractive so the child is not frightened off and with each gradual encounter, the demon gets closer and closer, gaining its victim's trust. Then before you realize it, the child disappears. Never to be seen again."
Octavia started to tremble with fear.
"But you have nothing to be afraid of." Gina assured her.
"I don't?"
"No. Because these demons can only reach in a certain place."
"What kind of place?"
"Do you recall that old bridge down in the field?"
"Yes."
"That's where the demon lives and it can't ever leave that place. Never ever. So as long as you never cross that bridge, especially at night, you'll be perfectly safe."
Octavia let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness." She said. "I'm never going to cross that old bridge."
"I don't worry about you. You're much too young to be left walking about outside by yourself during the day, let alone at night." Gina said. "But I do wonder about Charlie. She's been walking home late at night recently."
"But she's not a child."
"Oh yes she is. Until she's twenty years old, she is considered a child by that creature and therefore a potential victim. In fact teenagers make perfect victims."
"They do?"
"Yes. All children of all ages are naive Octavia, but young children around your age are normally very obedient to their parents. Teenagers on the other hand will rebel, they'll think that they're old enough to know how the world works and that they can take care of themselves. They don't instantly go running home screaming to Mom and Dad if something doesn't feel right."
That made Octavia remember the time Charlie and Vaggie were messing around on that old bridge. Now she knew that Charlie was normally a well-behaved girl and that she had never really disobeyed Stolas. Well that is, at least not over anything big like driving his car or going to a wild party without telling him. But there was the that time she sneaked out the other night when she was supposed to be babysitting her. It started to make the girl wonder.
"Is everything alright sweetie?" Gina asked noticing the worried look on her face.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
But Octavia would be wondering all night.