"Elder, we've searched everywhere, but we still can't find the missing children!" one of the villagers cried out, his face pale with dread.
"What are we supposed to do now? Those poor kids..." another villager's voice broke, sobs spilling over as some of them began to weep openly for the lost children.
I stood in the corner, watching the village meeting unfold. The atmosphere was tense and thick with fear.
It had been a week since the first child went missing, and each day since, one more had disappeared. By now, seven children had vanished, and the village was in a state of panic.
The children who remained were terrified, barely able to sleep. They weren't allowed to leave the house without their designated caretakers, and even then, they stayed close, clinging to any sense of safety they could find.
The Elder, Ether's grandmother, sat slumped in her chair, her face drawn with worry.
