Papa won’t look at me and Mama’s so quiet. I wonder if I did something wrong. We’re walking away from home and the whole village is walking with us. I wonder if it’s a festival day and I didn’t know it. That would be nice. Papa and Mama work hard on the farm and I like to help but sometimes its hard not to want to go play.

I want to go play now, but Mama won’t let me. She’s holding my hand tight and making me walk with her and everyone. She never does that. I don’t think it’s a festival day, or she’d let me run away to watch the big black birds like I want to.

The reverend is walking at the front of the people, reading out of a big black book in the talk I don’t understand. He’s never done that before, but it’s the talk I hear at church. I like church. I like it when the sisters tell me stories of the angels. I wonder where we’re going that the reverend would go too.

Papa won’t look at me, but everyone else is. I get looked at a lot, though. The only other kids in the village are years and years older than me and don’t play anymore. Its okay, though, because Mama’s going to have a baby again, and the blacksmith’s wife is for the first time. There will be more kids in the village then. I want to help teach the babies when they get bigger.

Mama’s so quiet, but everyone else is whispering. They sound like a beehive, buzzing and buzzing. I don’t know what they’re talking about, but the looking makes me think it is about me. I hope I didn’t do anything bad. I don’t think I did anything bad.

I look up at the sky and try to stop walking, but Mama pulls me and I have to keep going. It’s going to get dark soon. I hope we go home by then. I don’t like the dark. I wonder if Mama knows the sun’s going down. She knows I don’t like the dark.

Everyone keeps walking and walking. When I’m about to ask Papa where everyone’s going, we stop. I look around and then I know where we are. We’re in the spot where the new town is going to be built. The low brick square wall of where they say there will be a new church is the only thing that is here.

The reverend walks inside the square and everyone follows. They gather around in a circle. I want to push through the circle to see what they’re looking at, but I don’t have to. Mama and Papa are let through and I am pulled with.

It looks like there’s a door in the ground. That’s funny. I wonder what lives in a house in the ground. I look up at Mama, to ask what she thinks. Mama’s eyes are wet. She’s crying. I wonder why she’s crying.

“Mama?” I tug on her skirt. “Mama, what’s wrong? Why are you sad?” Mama won’t talk and she lets go of my hand. The reverend pats her on the shoulder, his book shut, and then he takes my hand. He pulls me away from her. I don’t want him to.

“Don’t cry, dear child. Your boy shall bring good fortune to this entire town for generations to come.” Mama still doesn’t say anything. I wonder why.

“Mama, its okay. Reverend says I’m helping people.” I don’t know what he’s talking about, but I like to help. I like to help, so it will be okay. I don’t want Mama to cry. Papa still won’t look at me. He won’t look at the reverend either. “Papa, tell Mama not to cry.” He takes her hand and she holds onto his arm, but he won’t look at her anymore either.

The blacksmith kneels down and opens the door in the ground. His wife is starting to cry too. Why is everyone sad? The reverend pulls me over and I peer into the hole the door hid. It’s dark down there. Very, very dark. I try to walk away, but the reverend won’t let me. I don’t like the dark.

“Don’t be scared, son. You will be helping people.” The reverend smiles at me. I don’t like that smile. I don’t think I want to help him right now. I want to help Mama and Papa, because he’s crying now and Papa doesn’t cry. Something’s really wrong.

I try and pull away from him, but he picks me up. I kick and hit, and I know I shouldn’t but I want him to let me go. I want to help Mama and Papa.

I look down as I try to get away and I see the dark below me. He’s trying to put me into the dark! I kick harder and scream that I don’t like the dark. It doesn’t work. The blacksmith helps the reverend. They drop me into the dark. They shut the door.

I hit the floor and run up the dirt ramp. I start to pound on the wood, screaming for Mama and Papa. They know I don’t like the dark. They’ll help me. They have to. Mama and Papa love me.

I hit the door harder and it won’t open. Its too dark in here. I don’t like the dark. My hands hurt really bad and the door is starting to feel wet. My hands do too. I yell for Mama again and I don’t hear anything. No one’s going to help me.

I lean against the door and I start to cry, still trying to hit the door. I don’t like the dark. I curl up in a ball. I rub my eyes with my hands. My hands hurt and my eyes hurt, and my face and my hands are all wet.

I don’t like the dark. I want my Mama and my Papa. I want out of here. I don’t want to help. I don’t like the reverend anymore. I just want to go home. I want the door to open and I want there to be light. I just want there to be light.

There’s light in the corner. There’s a face there too. He looks nice. Maybe he’s an angel like the sisters told me about. Maybe he’ll help me. I get up and walk to him. He looks like he’ll help me. He’s smiling nice, not like the reverend at all. I wonder if it’s a bad thing that his halo is black.

---

Author's Note: It's rare when I can just sit down and write something, no matter how short, without a plan. Since that's how this little thing came to be, I'm rather proud of it.