A decrepit old hag sat on the side of the road. Her thin, weak body was covered with dirty rags and rugged cloth that were messily stitched together. Two glowing, yellow eyes penetrate from the darkness of her hood covering her face.
"Old hag, can you really tell the future?" A young man walked up to her with a sneer.
"The question is, do you want to know the future?" A faint voice came from her dry lips.
"Do I want to know the future? Of course! Why do you think I even bothered to talk to you?" He snorted.
The hag did not reply instead she reached out with a bowl that contained a few copper coins.
The man frowned as he muttered some insults to the hag. He hesitantly tossed a few coins in her bowl and stepped back. The man did not know if it was just his eyes playing tricks but he swore he saw the hag's eyes turned red for a split second.
She placed the bowl inside her cloak and brought her two hands together with interlaced fingers. She slightly bowed as she began singing a song with an unsettling tune.
"One for sorrow" Her once coarse and deep voice now seemed like the voice of an angel.
"Two for mirth" The faint laughter of children echoed throughout the street.
"Three for a wedding" He heard the cheers of celebration and joy.
"I told you tell the future! Not sing a damn song!" The man's voice cracked as a shiver ran down his spine.
"And four for a birth" Her once angelic voice slowly began to grow deeper.
"Five for silver" A faint clinking of coins rang out.
"Six for gold" A deep and almost demonic chuckle was heard from behind him.
He quickly turned around, raising his fist. His eyes widened seeing nothing but the bellowing wind.
"Seven for a secret that must never be told" Thoughts about his deepest, darkest secret buried deep within the confines of his mind were brought to surface.
"Eight for a kiss" A whisper of sweet seductive temptation entered the man's ears.
"Stop! Stop this at once!" He screamed, he looked around the street to find that he was alone.
"Nine for a wish" His eyes widened as he heard the voice of his beloved mother that passed away crying for help.
"Ten for an omen that you must not miss" The man ran with all his strength.
He turned to the corner, running for dear life to the temple. Sweat ran down his face, fear filled his eyes and his beating heart seemed like it was about to explode. His eyes darted around to find no one, not one person in this once bustling city.
"Eleven for health" The hag's demonic voice was heard all throughout the city.
His skin turned pale, his eyes grew hazy as he stumbled and fell to the ground with a loud thud. He pushed his body to move but no matter what he did, it was all futile.
"Twelve for wealth" The temple which was hundreds of meters away suddenly appeared before him.
It shone a golden light as the church bells rang. The doors opened on its own, it seemed as if the building itself was welcoming him. He gained a renewed strength as he began to crawl with all his power.
"Thirteen beware," He heard the hag's voice behind him as the feeling of dread crept up his body.
"It's the Devil himself"
The church's door closed with a loud bang, the golden glow it once had faded away. The building seemed as if it was moving on its own as it slowly grew farther and farther away from him. He glanced back to see a sea of darkness, almost touching his feet.
A deep and demonic laughter came from inside the darkness as a large and shadowy hand reached out from the dark and grabbed him by his feet.
His mouth opened and as he was about to scream, his words was caught by his throat as he saw the old hag standing before him, smiling. Thirteen black crows with blood red eyes were perched on her extended hands like a tree branch.
The demonic hand clamping down his feet like a vice suddenly yanked him into the darkness, swallowing him whole. He screamed for help but no one came. The darkness slowly receded into nothingness, leaving nothing but a single leather boot.