The sun hadn’t quite begun to set by the time children spilled into the dusty streets of Eubane Village. Older girls chatted in the shade of an apple tree, and boys chased each other around before being pulled to the side by their caretakers, who chided them as they pressed cheesecloths of soaked oatmeal against their sunburned faces.

  Perched on the low stone wall of the town square sat Aeris. Given the afternoon heat, her blonde hair was woven into neat braids, and she wore her white sandals from the capital. Aeris was disinterested in the doodles the other girls were drawing in the dirt, her glaucous eyes instead fixed on the boys playing. She smiled absently.

  Today, the village head’s adopted son was in the center of the small crowd, weaving and dodging as part of whatever game they'd come up with. He outpaced the others with ease.

  Mikaela was a rare presence amongst the village children when it was playtime. His appearance, too, was a rarity. Black hair was almost unheard of in the small village of Eubane. As such, Aeris seemed deeply interested in the dark-haired boy, a common sentiment among the village girls.

  Aeris snapped out of her reverie when Kimon approached her, regarding him with mild wariness.

  “Hmm? What do you want, Kimon? Did you get food from the vendors yet?” she asked, only mildly interested.

  Kimon’s rust colored hair shone a fiery red in the direct sunlight. Such a color was rare, just as rare as the fact that Kimon was an orphan, but that wasn’t as admirable a trait. But it wasn’t as if he was neglected, as Kimon was tended to by the villagers and received meals daily. Today, his pants were covered in grass stains.

  “Nope. Peltier gave me bread this morning, so I’m not hungry.”

  Kimon was close to that man on the edge of the village. He often spoke of Peltier as if he were a friendly man, despite the fact Kimon was the only child Peltier would spare a glance. Aeris shook her head disapprovingly.

  “You should wash your face before you come near people. You look like a wild dog.”

  Kimon laughed lightly, scratching the back of his head.

  “I cleaned Peltier’s hearth. I didn't want to wash up just to get dirty again.” He wiped at his face. “You look interested in what they're doing.” He pointed his chin towards the boys playing ball. “Do you wanna play too?”

  Aeris wrinkled her nose.

  “No way. I just washed my hair today. You can join and lose against Mikaela, too, though.” She smirked, then her brows furrowed in thought.

  “Did you hear? Apparently, the Forest River is drying up. That means if I get dirty, I won't be able to wash my hair properly for a while.”

  “The river? The well seems fine, though,” Kimon exclaimed. A drought wasn't unheard of this time of year, but the forest river drying up significantly had to be a sign of trouble.

  “Not for long. None of the uncles has checked yet. Everyone's busy with the grain harvest,” Aeris said. “Do you plan on checking it out? You love rolling in the dirt, don't you?” She mocked. “Apparently Mikaela spends time near the river bed too…”

  Kimon‘s lips twitched.

  “If you like him so much, maybe you should come with me so you can find him.”

  Aeris felt her face warm.

  “What!? No way! It's not like I'm someone who follows people around. And I said I wanted to keep clean, didn't I?”

  “Yeah, yeah…” Kimon retorted. He looked at the boys, who were wrapping up another round of play. He turned back to Aeris and found her watching Mikaela again, her cheeks still pink.

  Kimon tapped her perch lightly, his nail clicking on stone to catch her attention.

  “If you’re so curious about the river and him, maybe stop lurking and just ask him about it.”

  “I don't need your advice. Unlike you, I can handle myself quite well around others.” Aeris lifted her chin haughtily.

  “Wow,” Kimon chuckled. “Well, I'm gonna go see what's there later. Good luck to you.”

  Kimon turned back and gave Mikaela a fleeting glance.

  —

  It was later in the evening when Kimon went to check the lake. The other boys were chastised if they went into the forest at this late hour, but no one would run after Kimon if he did the same.

  In any case, miles south of Eubane was a knight outpost that handled magic beasts before they could get to the village. Perhaps there were stories of bogeymen and strange cults, but Kimon didn't believe them.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  He pushed past the brush, pausing when he noticed signs of a previous passerby. Kimon didn't hear the familiar rush of water as he approached, but as he broke through a thin screen of branches, he did see a small figure kneeling by the riverbed. Aeris was perched on a rock.

  All that remained of the river was a foot of water, and the previous waterline was only indicated by the thick layer of mud that marked its former glory. The water was a dark color, saturated with sediment.

  “Be careful! The muck looks really deep!” Aeris called out towards the river.

  Mikaela was shin-deep in the sluggish water, digging stones out of the mud as if it might miraculously increase the river flow. His skin was pale and unblemished despite days of blistering heat. Quiet as ever, the boy ignored them.

  Kimon stepped down into the mud, his shoes sinking in with a squelch. Aeris flinched, whipping her head back.

  “Oh, it’s you.” Her ears were pink. “Mikaela is unblocking the river, and we went to check it out together.”

  Kimon couldn't imagine Mikaela doing anything together with anyone, but smiled anyway. He squinted at Mikaela’s muddy hands.

  “That's not gonna help. The problem is probably a lot further upstream,” he said. Mikaela stopped, turning around to regard Kimon silently with dark eyes. His boyish features hardly twitched.

  “At least he's doing something to help…” Aeris called.

  Kimon pointed upstream.

  “Why don’t we check where it’s getting stuck? I bet it’s blocked further up.”

  Kimon had never gotten a good look at Mikaela's face. From afar, he looked average save for the hair. But up close, his eyes were sharp, and his face was prettier.

  “Let's go.”

  Mikaela was already climbing up the riverbank. He shook the water off himself and wiped his arms on his shirt, disgruntled. He began walking upstream without a word towards Kimon and Aeris, who followed a few paces behind.

  “How did you two end up going together? I didn't know Mikaela was interested in the river.” Kimon asked.

  “Well, I think he wanted to wash up at the river after playing like usual, but it dried up,” Aeris replied.

  She caught Kimon’s glance and frowned.

  “Don’t look at me like that. I was just curious! I didn’t follow him on purpose.”

  “Sure,” Kimon said. Ahead of them, Mikaela didn’t acknowledge their conversation, moving easily along the uneven bank.

  They walked in silence for a while, the evening light filtering through the canopy.

  Kimon sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose.

  “Aeris, I think an animal carcass might be blocking the river. I hope you don't faint when you see it.”

  Aeris whipped her head back with a challenging smile.

  “You think I'm some sort of coward? I've helped out at the butcher's before. I hope you don't run away crying.” She retorted. Up ahead, Mikaela was already leaning over the riverbank, inspecting the water. Kimon followed suit.

  Perhaps it might've looked like normal murky river water from afar, but up close, it was clear something was afoot. Minerals shimmered in the dark liquid, and the further upstream they went, the more rotten and sludgy the water.

  “Mmm… I think once we discover the source of this, we should tell the adults.” Aeris refused to come closer. “I think that could make someone seriously ill…”

  Kimon nodded.

  “But if there's a carcass in the water, we should move it with sticks. If it gets in our well water, we're gonna get sick.”

  Mikaela hardly acknowledged them and trudged closer without a hint of hesitation. Aeris coughed as the smell got stronger, covering her nose with her sleeve.

  “There… ” Kimon's voice was quiet. He pointed past Mikaela’s shoulder. Just ahead, wedged behind a wide boulder, something massive and bloated dammed the sluggish flow.

  “A… a boar?” Aeris whispered. Kimon shook his head. It was far too large, dark, and misshapen to be a boar.

  Mikaela stood deathly still. But after a moment, he trudged closer, eyes wide. Aeris opened her mouth to protest, but closed it silently as Kimon too followed suit to get a better look.

  Something akin to a carcass, but not quite.

  It seemed to be a beast that had slipped past the outpost. Its limbs were twisted unnaturally, its thick fur greasy and foul. A pool had flooded behind the carcass, a disgusting mockery of a dam.

  But it was not a regular forest creature. Nor was it a regular beast.

  Poking out of its rotting flesh were human limbs.

  “What… the hell…” Mikaela muttered. His brow was furrowed. “This is…”

  A face was half-melted into the creature’s hide, like an improper weld. One pale leg protruded from the mass, mottled with purple. More hints of white protruded from the mass, tiny bones.

  Aeris made a choking sound, clutching Kimon’s sleeve hard enough to leave crescents.

  “We have to—” Kimon started, apprehension striking him suddenly. But Mikaela had already stepped closer, trying to pick his way down the riverbank.

  “Mikaela, wait!” Kimon hissed, reaching for him. He grabbed Mikaela’s collar just as the greasy earth beneath his feet gave out.

  “Ahh!” Aeris, who'd still been clutching Kimon’s sleeve, yelped as she was taken with them both. The three tumbled down the wet riverbank like dominoes, landing hard in the shallow sludge.

  Their knees immediately sank low. Aeris shrieked, sputtering as liquid slapped her in the face. She scrambled to get up, but her palm pressed into the muck, and a sharp, burning cold sank into her bones.

  Aeris had anticipated the cold, and certainly the smell. But what she didn't expect was the searing pain that shot up her arms and legs. Every point of contact burned her from the inside out, and groans from either side of her confirmed they were all feeling it.

  Never once had she experienced such a blistering agony that set her nerves alight, and she floundered around uselessly, unable to gather herself.

  Kimon, his face splattered by mud, ignored his tears and grabbed Aeris’ arm, fighting to drag them up the riverbank. Aeris’s glassy eyes hardly caught his distressed expression, her legs kicking out randomly to assist in their shared endeavor.

  Mikaela had managed to prevent himself from falling headfirst like Kimon, but he, too, was gasping in pain. He grasped Aeris’ other arm and did the same. They half-crawled, half-dragged themselves up the slick incline, black rivulets dripping off their hair and clothes.

  Kimon hauled himself onto the nearest patch of grass off the riverbed, shaking uncontrollably. He collapsed on his side and groaned lowly. Mikaela staggered a few steps before he too collapsed on all fours.

  Aeris was sobbing now. She dared not look down at herself. The horrible pain atop her skin left her afraid of what she might find. Instead, she scrambled to her feet, intending to run back to the village before she died from something she had no name for.

  She rushed forward tearfully, only making it a few steps before she hit something hard. Aeris stumbled and fell back on her knees.

  Peltier stood above her, holding a lantern with wide eyes.