Nightfall – The Dream That Wasn't
Kael slept uneasily that night. His mind swirled with the day's strange events—the missing door, the voice from the forest, the whispers of the villagers.
Then, he dreamed.
Or at least, he thought he did.
He stood in the middle of the village, but everything was silent. No wind. No movement. No people.
The houses around him looked the same, yet… off. Their colors were muted, their edges blurred as if they weren't entirely real.
Then, he noticed it.
A figure stood at the village well.
It was facing away, unmoving.
Kael's throat tightened. Something about it felt wrong.
He took a step forward. The world around him pulsed.
Another step. The figure twitched.
A final step—
The figure turned.
Kael woke up with a sharp gasp, heart pounding against his ribs.
It was still dark.
But then, in the dim moonlight, he saw something.
A shadow moved past his window.
Morning – The Unanswered Questions
The next morning, Kael felt like a walking corpse. His head ached, and his body was sluggish, but more than anything, he felt… watched.
He left his house cautiously, scanning the streets. The village looked normal. Too normal.
But as he walked, he noticed something unsettling.
The villagers were staring at him.
Not openly. Not directly.
But whenever he turned a corner, he caught glimpses of quickly averted gazes. People whispering. Eyes lingering a little too long before turning away.
He clenched his fists.
They knew something.
And for the first time, he wondered—was he the only one who had forgotten something?
Midday – The Vanishing Name
Determined to shake the feeling, Kael headed to the market. Maybe working, talking to people, pretending things were normal would help.
He approached Mara's stall, forcing a casual tone.
"Mara, do you remember if Old Man Hagan had any repairs done to his house recently?"
Mara frowned, tilting her head. "Hagan?"
Kael blinked.
"…Old Man Hagan. You know, the one with the house near the well?"
Mara's frown deepened. "Kael, I don't know who you're talking about."
His stomach dropped.
That wasn't possible. Hagan had lived here for years. Kael had spoken to him just last week!
"You're joking, right?" Kael said, forcing a laugh. "Hagan. The old man with the limp? I helped fix his door."
Mara's expression didn't change.
"There's no one by that name here."
Kael's hands felt cold.
He turned to another villager. "Simon, you remember Old Man Hagan, right?"
Simon hesitated.
Then he shook his head.
"No, Kael. There's no one like that in Redbrook."
Kael felt his breath leave him. That wasn't possible.
Hagan's house still existed. He had seen it yesterday.
But what if it didn't?
What if it had never existed at all?
Afternoon – The Growing Fear
Kael's mind refused to stay still.
First, the door. Then, the whispers. Now, a person had vanished from memory entirely?
He had to see for himself.
He marched toward Hagan's house, heart pounding. He had to prove he wasn't crazy.
But when he got there—
The house was gone.
Not destroyed. Not abandoned.
Just gone. Like it had never been there to begin with.
Kael took a shaky step back, his chest tightening. His own memories were telling him one thing, but the world around him was telling another.
And then—
Someone was watching him.
He turned sharply.
Across the street, a hooded figure stood completely still. Too still.
Kael's pulse hammered.
The figure tilted its head slightly, as if studying him.
Then, before Kael could react, it vanished.
Not turned away. Not walked.
Just… disappeared.
Evening – The Village's Secret
Kael didn't go home immediately.
Instead, he wandered the village, listening.
And as the sun dipped below the horizon, he heard what he had been afraid of.
"—it's happening again."
"—just like last time."
"—does he remember yet?"
Kael's breath hitched.
They weren't just whispering about strange occurrences.
They were whispering about him.
What had he forgotten?
And why did it feel like the village was just waiting for him to remember?
To Be Continued…