Elara’s memory snapped into focus. She’d dreamed of this well every night for a month before her mother disappeared for good. In the dream, voices rose from the water—not screaming, not whispering. Singing. A low, harmonic thrum that felt like being held underwater.
The water was black. No reflection. No sky. Just depth. And then—a ripple, though there was no wind. Mother Village -Ch. 1- -Ch. 2 v1.0- By SHADOW...
The lullaby from her childhood surfaced in her mind. Her mother used to hum it while brushing her hair. Hush now, little bird, the Mother’s at the door. She’ll tuck you in the warm, dark earth, and you won’t cry no more. Elara’s memory snapped into focus
The old woman from before stepped forward. Her shawl had slipped, revealing a necklace of woven hair—gray, brown, black, and a few strands of bright red. Elara’s color. Singing
“I inherited the Hawthorne property,” Elara said, voice steadier than she felt.
And behind Elara, from the depths of the well, the singing began again—low, sweet, and endless.