Nightshade: A SimLit | Epilogue

 

"Once Upon a Time...

A terrible plague befell the world. A plague of terrible, evil creatures that preyed upon humanity. For centuries, they hid around every corner, waiting for the opportunity to strike.

 Vampires, vile beings that sucked the life from human veins to sustain their own. 

Werewolves, an untamable beast that ripped their victims' flesh from bone every full moon. 

Witches and wizards, who cast hexes on innocent people and sacrificed their blood to mythical higher powers to strengthen their magic.

Fairies, mischievous creatures that lured children into the woods; only to devour their souls.

Aliens, who used their technology from far-off planets to terrorize and torment the humans they abducted.

And Mermaids, half fish, half human, that lurked in the depths of the ocean, waiting for the next unfortunate sailor that they would capture and drown.

According to legend, humans lived in fear of the monsters all around them. Until, one day, a brave heroine rose up to defeat them. With the power of her near invincible army, she is said to have exterminated every last one. 

But some say they still linger.

There are many tales of fanged foes encountered in dark alleys in the dead of night, of beastly creatures somewhere between man and animal in the woods, of flying saucers high up in the sky that are there one moment and gone the next..."

"This book is a collection of many of these sightings and legends. Are they real, or figments of someone's imagination? We may never know the answer..."

"M-Maybe you were right, mom," the young girl said, "maybe this book was a bad idea..."

"I tried to tell you," her mother laughed. "If you're scared, we don't have to read it."

She shook her head. "I-I'm not scared! But... are the legends really true? Are there... real monsters?"

"Of course not." Her mother closed the book, setting it aside. "Legends are just legends. People had to come up with something to explain the things they couldn't. Those strange beasts in the woods at night? Probably just... bears with mange, or something like that."

"I-I guess that makes sense..." The girl fidgeted nervously. "But are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Now get some sleep."

As her mother tucked her into bed, she couldn't shake the spine-chilling feeling. Okay, so maybe she was scared, but that would be a stupid thing to admit. 

Legends were just legends.

It wasn't real.

The monsters in the book were no different than the monsters under her bed and the shapely dark shadows in the corners of her room; illusions of an fearful mind.

If monsters weren't real, maybe humans were the only thing to fear. Or maybe the monsters were humans all along.

She fell asleep pondering the question, listening to the cicadas sing outside the open window.