Evangeline sat quietly in the church, her head bowed in shame and guilt.
She was with her grandmother, who was also crying silently for the young girl who had died.
A village lady sat nearby, also weeping silently.
Evangeline couldn't bring herself to say anything to the family of Malena. She felt responsible for their loss, and the weight of her guilt was almost too much to bear.
The middle-aged lady sitting next to Evangeline was a woman named Sarah.
She was a kind lady who had known Malena since she was a little girl, and her face was lined with grief and sadness from the tragedy.
Sarah: "It's just so tragic. Malena was such a sweet, kind girl. She was always helping others, and never spoke ill of anyone."
Evangeline nodded, her own guilt and shame heavy in her chest.
The mood in the graveyard was solemn and grave. The villagers stood around the freshly dug grave, their heads bowed in sadness and sorrow.
The sun was hidden behind thick clouds, casting a grey pall over the graveyard.
The priest stood at the head of the grave, reading a passage from the holy book.
The sound of weeping and sniffling was interrupted by the sound of dirt being shoveled into the grave, filling the air with an almost deafening silence.
The family of Malena had dressed the dead girl in her finest clothes, a simple dress sewn by the girl herself.
Her blonde hair was braided and laid out over her shoulders, and a small white rose was tucked behind her ear.
She looked so peaceful and beautiful, it was almost like she was asleep.
They gently placed the coffin into the grave, the wood cold and damp.
The villagers watched in morbid fascination as the grave was filled with dirt, shovelful by shovelful.
As the last shovelful filled the grave, a sense of finality settled over everyone. The family of Malena wailed and cried, their grief and pain almost unbearable.
The other villagers stared at the grave, their eyes red and their faces pale.
They felt a sense of dread and fear wash over them, as they realized that this could happen to anyone they loved.
As the villagers began to disperse and make their way home, Evangeline noticed that the mother of Malena was still sitting next to the grave, weeping and wailing in grief. The father was also quietly sitting next yo his wife with a grim face.
The sight of her broken heart was almost too much too bear, and Evangeline couldn't bring herself to look any longer.
Evangeline left with her family, but she didn't go home directly.
Instead, she made her way to a quiet spot near the graveyard, a secluded spot surrounded by trees where she could be alone with her thoughts.
Evangeline sat on a fallen tree trunk, surrounded by trees and undergrowth. The air was cool and crisp, with a hint of the coming winter.
The sound of birds chirping and the rustle of leaves echoed through the peaceful glade, providing a strange contrast to the recent tragedy that had occurred.
The ground was covered in fallen leaves and twigs, and the scent of decaying vegetation was overpowering.
Evangeline felt small and insignificant in the shadows of the trees, her worries and fears seeming all-consuming.
The sky was overcast and dreary, filled with thick, gray clouds that blocked out the sun. The clouds hung low in the sky, almost visible from the treetops, making the day feel even more somber and cold.
There was no sign of rain, but the ominous clouds seemed to press down on the entire landscape.
Evangeline on the fallen tree trunk, her legs curling up underneath her. She fidgeted with the hem of her dress, twisting and pulling at the fabric in a nervous gesture.
Her head was bowed, her eyes fixed on the ground, as if she was trying to avoid looking at anything around her.
Her face was pale and solemn, the weight of her guilt and fear weighing heavily on her young shoulders.
She looked like a small, lost girl, struggling to find her way through the darkness.
Evangeline was lost in her own thoughts when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.
She turned to look, but before she could see anything, a strong hand was clapped over her mouth, and she felt a cloth being pressed over her nose and mouth.
The sound was muted and distorted, like a stifled scream. The cloth pressed against Evangeline's mouth was too thick for her to bite through, and the strong hand across her nose and mouth made it impossible to breathe through either
Panic rose within her as her vision began to blur, the world swimming into darkness. She tried to struggle, to scream, but it was too late. She slumped forward, unconscious.
The last thing she saw was the silhouette of her attacker, looming over her in the shadows. And then everything went black.
When Evangeline came to, she found herself in a dark and cramped place.
Her head was throbbing and her mouth felt dry and sticky. She tried to move, but her limbs were bound tightly with rope.
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