Inside the cabin, the warmth of the hearth still lingered from the night before. The fire in the fireplace had dwindled to a handful of embers, and a thin trail of smoke drifted lazily upward toward the age-blackened ceiling.
A small body stirred under the blankets. Then another.
-Mmm... I don't want to get up..." a sleepy little voice murmured.
-But we have to go to town! -replied a sharper, more alert voice.
The first to get up was Lucian. He woke with a deep yawn, running a hand through his messy hair before pulling the blanket away from his bed. He sat for a moment on the edge of the bed, watching the light dance across the wooden floor.
He could still hear in his mind his mother's voice narrating that story the night before.
He shook his head. "It was just a story," he said to himself. But something inside him didn't quite believe it.
-Brother! -His younger sister's voice brought him out of his thoughts. The girl was in the bed next to him, her head barely peeking out from under the blanket. You said you'd take us to the village!
He sighed with a smile and stood up.
-Yes, yes, but first we must get dressed and have breakfast.
The cabin soon came to life.
Edwin jumped out of bed energetically, still in his pajamas, and began rummaging through his clothes looking for something to wear. Seraphina, calmer but just as excited, began combing her hair with her fingers as she looked out the window, anxious to get out.
The mother was already awake. Her slender figure moved about the kitchen with a natural grace as she prepared breakfast. The aroma of freshly baked bread filled the air, mingling with the unmistakable smell of hot broth boiling in an iron pot over the fire.
-Are they going to be long? -he asked without turning around, with a smile that hinted he knew the answer well.
-No!" the two little ones answered in unison.
Lucian rolled his eyes in amusement and went over to help the mother.
-Anything you need from the village?
-Just the usual. Fruit, flour, some herbs. And stay out of trouble.
Lucian smiled with a hint of mischief.
-Have we ever done that?
The mother raised an eyebrow without needing to answer.
Breakfast passed amid laughter and hurried bites. The children ate eagerly, anxious to get out. The eldest, on the other hand, took his time, his mind still caught up in the story of the night before.
Finally, they were on their way.
The three brothers walked out of the cabin, feeling the cool morning air on their faces. The grass was still covered with dew, and the sun, just peeking over the horizon, cast long shadows on the dirt path that would lead them to the village.
The road descended gently between green-covered hills. To one side, a stream meandered, reflecting the blue sky as if it were a broken mirror. In the distance, the sound of horses' hooves and the murmur of daily life in the village could already be heard.
-Do you think there will be carnies today? -asked Seraphina, jumping through the puddles on the road.
-Maybe," answered Lucian. It depends on whether there is a market.
Edwin looked up at the sky, thoughtfully.
-Do you think the angels are watching us from up there?
Lucian looked at him sideways.
-Why do you ask that?
-I don't know..." The boy frowned. Mom said God didn't destroy Lucifer because he had free will... but if he was so strong, couldn't he come back someday?
Lucian didn't know what to answer right away.
-That was just a story.
-But... what if he didn't?
The wind blew with a rustle through the trees.
Lucian felt a shiver run down his spine. Something inside him told him that the story of the night before wasn't just a bedtime story.
Nevertheless, he forced a smile and ruffled the little boy's hair with his hand.
-Stop thinking about it. Today is a good day. Let's go buy some candy.
The child smiled and nodded, momentarily forgetting his questions.
But Lucian couldn't help but cast one last glance at the sky.
And, for an instant, he swore that a star had just disappeared. The three siblings walked briskly, enjoying the morning freshness. Seraphina hummed a nameless tune as she skipped from stone to stone along the path. The middle brother, more pensive, was walking with his eyes fixed on the sky, as if searching the clouds for answers.
The town lay beyond the hills, and from their position they could already see the first signs of activity: plumes of smoke rising from the bakers' ovens, the tinkling of blacksmiths working metal, and the murmur of merchants preparing their stalls in the square.
Edwin quickened his pace, excited.
-Let's go, let's go! If we get there early, maybe we'll catch a glimpse of the puppeteer.
Seraphina smiled and followed him.
-I hope there are carnies!
Lucian let them run a few yards ahead, allowing himself a moment of calm. He breathed in deeply the scent of damp earth, of bread baking in the distance, of wood burning in the hearths.
By the time they reached the entrance to the village, the main square was already bustling with life. Merchants shouted offers of fruits, spices and exotic fabrics, while villagers wandered to and fro, carrying baskets and sacks.
A group of children ran among the stalls, laughing and playing with small wooden figurines. A blind old man played the flute in one corner, with a bowl at his feet where some coins tinkled every now and then.
Seraphina stopped excitedly at the sight of a candy stall.
-Look, look, look, strawberry honey!
Lucian smiled and rummaged through the pockets of his leather bag.
-I'll buy some, but don't eat it all at once.
-I wouldn't do that! -Seraphina protested with a mischievous smile.
The shopkeeper, a stout man with a curly beard and a big smile, served them a jar of honey wrapped in grape leaves.
-Good eye, young lady," he said in a kindly voice. This honey comes from the southern fields, they say it's the sweetest honey there is.
Edwin looked at the jar with fascination.
-Is it true that in the south the moon shines blue?
The shopkeeper laughed.
-That's what travelers say. But who knows... the world is full of mysteries.
The older man paid and thanked him, but that last sentence kept echoing in his mind.
"The world is full of mysteries."
Perhaps too many.
As they walked through the square, the brothers noticed something unusual happening. A group of villagers had gathered around a disheveled-looking man, dressed in dirty rags and disheveled hair. His bloodshot eyes were darting from side to side in an unhinged frenzy.
-Who is that? -Edwin asked in a low voice.
Lucian frowned, watching the man warily.
-A madman, surely.
The man raised his arms to the sky and began to shout in a trembling voice:
-The stars are falling! The sky is opening and shadows are walking among us! Can't you see! Can't you see!
The villagers exchanged nervous glances. Some laughed scornfully, others shook their heads and walked away, muttering about the man's madness.
-The war is not over! -The angels have fallen, and with them their curse! They watch us from the shadows! They seek us!
-Shut your mouth, drunkard! -someone shouted from the crowd, provoking laughter.
A villager stepped forward and shoved him with contempt.
-Enough of your nonsense! No one wants to listen to your ravings.
The man staggered, but did not stop talking. His voice trembled, but in his eyes there was no trace of drunkenness, but a deep, almost tangible terror.
The older brother felt a shiver run down his spine.
-What is he saying? -Seraphina whispered.
-I don't know," he muttered, unable to look away from the man.
Then the madman turned his head sharply and his eyes met those of the older brother. A spark of recognition crossed his gaze, as if he knew something about him, something he himself did not understand.
The madman smiled, and in a low voice, with an icy tone, whispered:
-He's here!
Lucian felt his breath catch. The story he had heard the night before?
It couldn't be a coincidence.
The villagers, fed up with his presence, pushed him out of the square and soon the daily bustle filled the air again. But Lucian could not get the man's words out of his head.
As they walked home, with the sunlight fading behind the hills, he couldn't help but look up at the sky again.
There was something strange about the stars.
He couldn't explain it... but he felt like one was missing.
The drive home felt different. The excitement of the visit to the village had faded a bit, replaced by the uneasiness of what they had just witnessed. However, the younger sister soon broke the silence.
-Mom won't believe what we saw today! -she exclaimed excitedly as she jumped over a puddle.
-Don't yell," Lucian growled, still deep in thought.
Edwin, ignoring him, raised his arms as if he were a prophet.
-The end is near, the stars are falling and the angels are watching us!
Seraphina burst out laughing, imitating him.
-They're looking for us! They're looking for us!
Lucian sighed, holding a hand to his face.
-You shouldn't mock... the man was not well.
-But he was talking funny," Seraphina said, grimacing. As if he really believed what he was saying.
Edwin, not missing the opportunity, turned suddenly to his sister with wide eyes and whispered in a mournful voice:
-Maybe he was right....
The girl shrieked and threw a handful of dry leaves at him.
-Don't do that, you fool!
The laughter continued as they approached the cabin, though Lucian still had a knot in his stomach. There was something about the way the madman had looked at him... No, it must have been his imagination.
As they stepped through the door, the aroma of stew filled the air. Their mother was waiting for them by the fire, stirring the pot with a large wooden spoon.
-It took longer than usual," she commented without taking her eyes off the food. Did they linger and play on the road?
Seraphina ran to the table and proudly put down the honey jar.
-Mom, something weird happened in the village!
Her mother raised an eyebrow curiously.
-Strange?
The younger brother climbed onto a chair and spread his arms dramatically.
-A madman was saying that the sky is falling and that angels are watching over us!
-And that the war is not over! -added Seraphina.
-And that something is looking for us!
The mother stared at them for a moment, then let out a giggle and continued stirring the pot.
-And what else? Does the sun go out and the rivers run backwards?
The children laughed with her, but the older brother didn't join in.
-Mom, he was serious.
She noticed his tone and put the spoon aside.
-Son, in the village there's always someone telling strange stories. Remember the old man who said there were dragons in the mountains?
-But..." Lucian folded his arms. He looked at me. Right into my eyes.
His mother smiled tenderly and ruffled his hair.
-Maybe he thought he recognized you. Maybe he saw your worried face and thought you would understand his madness.
The younger children exchanged glances before returning their own verdict.
-Maybe our brother is a fallen angel," said the youngest with narrowed eyes.
-Yes, that's why the madman recognized him! -He looks like he's hiding something!
The older brother sighed.
-Can you stop making this weirder than it already is?
-Never! -they both shouted in unison, running away before the older brother could catch them.
The mother laughed and patted his shoulder.
-Don't worry so much. If the stars start falling for real, then we'll worry. In the meantime..." She leaned into the pot, taking a deep breath. Eat, before it gets cold.
Lucian nodded, though a strange feeling still hovered in his chest.
That night, after dinner and when everyone had gone to bed, he went back outside for a moment. He looked up at the sky, searching for the constellation that was always familiar to him.
But there, where there should be a star, was only a dark void.
He swallowed hard.
The madman... what if he wasn't so wrong after all?