"Stay close, Eve." Her mother's voice called out to her as she kept going forward with her tiny feet. "Don't wander too far."
"Okay, mommy!" The little girl replied, looking back with a wide smile, exposing her baby teeth that reflected the pleasant glow of the full moon in a bright white hue.
It was midnight. The mother and the five-year-old were the only ones still out in the forest rumored to be haunted by a wailing ghost. Eve wasn't scared, for she knew that ghosts weren't real. Her mother had assured her that they were mere stories told by the senile elders of the village to keep the children out of the forest.
But she had observed that the story not only managed to keep the children but also the elders out of it. The forest was at a distance of a few miles' walk from their village. It did not tire her little feet to walk that far. She had walked many a time to the edge of the forest and back with her mother, who she knew hated the sleepy life in the village.
There was nothing to like about it anyway- not the village nor the house they were living in. Nobody seemed to like the two of them. Her father never missed a chance to beat her up, and her mother, who would already have been unconscious and bloody by that time, wouldn't be of much help.
No one in the village helped them. Her grandmother made sure of it. She had no friends. Not even the priest at their local church who preached of kindness and love every Sunday. She wasn't even allowed to sit in Sunday classes. The priest said something about her being filthy. She didn't understand what they were talking about.
Her mother made sure that she took bath twice a day and that her hair and clothes were prim and proper, even though they didn't have much of the luxury that the Cavanoughs and Tarletons had. Her only relief was going to the forest with her mother, away from the disdaining looks and the murmurs of the village.
Meredith knew exactly where to find the medicinal herbs. Eve was proud of her mother's skills. So what if the entire village hated them? They had each other. Eve thought as she watched her mother's bent back protruding from the patch of tall grasses.
As a gentle breeze swept through the grass-filled clearing, the little girl chuckled, ducking under the tall grass to make her way forward. Though they had come many a time to the edge of the forest, this was the first time that they had entered it. The herbs growing at their usual place were fully exhausted.
It was her lucky day, she thought as she trudged forward with her small feet and bright sparkling eyes. Her long dark hair swayed with the wind, sliding through the blades of grass and at times getting entangled with them. Eve stopped every time to untangle it with a playful chuckle. She felt like the whole forest was playing with her.
"Eve, honey, where are you?" Her mother's voice called out from afar.
Eve stopped in her tracks, raising her little hands to wave to her mother.
"Here I am, mother!" She shouted at the top of her lungs.
"I can't see you, honey!" Meredith's voice echoed through the clearing.
The little girl frowned, narrowing her eyes at the tall blades of grass that reached a few good inches above her outstretched fingers. No wonder that her mother wasn't able to see her. She needed to grow taller as soon as possible, Eve thought as she looked around her surroundings.
The wind blew again, making the blades sway towards the sides. With a sigh, Eve started walking back, parting the grass as she kept going towards where her mother's voice had come from. With nothing else than the full moon's light and the sense of direction of a five-year-old, she walked ahead with much determination, confident in her own skills.
"Eve!" Her mother's voice called out for her again.
But this time, it was much farther than before. Eve paused, her brows knitting together in confusion. Was she walking in the wrong direction? She thought, looking around suspiciously. There was nothing to indicate that she had taken a wrong turn, but there was nothing to indicate that she hadn't as well. She was surrounded by the forest.
For the first time after she had entered it for what seemed like a few hours ago, Eve felt fear creeping into her heart. Her stomach clenched and unclenched as her heartbeat rose. Suddenly she heard a sound to her right. Startled, she jumped back, only to lean against the thick stalks of wild grass.
"Meredith, is that you?" Eve called out in a squeaky voice, addressing her mother by her name.
No sound came from the direction to which her wide eyes were now glued. The little girl gulped, trying to ignore the raging sound of her pulse in her head. Eve closed her eyes shut, praying to god that whatever it was would go away when she opened them.
"Eve?!" Her mother's voice echoed through the clearing once again.
Eve's eyes flew open at the sound. It seemed to be much closer now, she thought, relief flooding through her veins. Without thinking too much, she ran towards the direction of the voice, ignoring the fact that it came from the same direction as the sound that came earlier.
"It could have been the sound of a fruit falling from a tree." She whispered under her breath, trying to reassure herself as she pushed through the endless maze of grass.
She ignored the pain as her naked feet pressed against an occasional pebble or two. The wind blew again, this time, carrying with it a metallic scent. Eve ignored it, aiming for the place where the grass seemed to thin out. Through the widening gaps in the grass, she could now see the small frame of her mother, the lines on her forehead deep with concern.
"Mother!" Eve called out, relieved as she willed her aching feet to move faster.
"Eve!" Her mother called, this time with a relieved smile.
Eve laughed, raising her hands to wave as she concentrated on her mother's smile- that smile that kept her whole world going. But before she knew it, she was already falling. Her eyes widened as she was fast moving towards a bloodied pile of fur.