Forbidden

Arabella Lindsay

The Castle of the Vladamirs stood atop the mountain, casting a dark looming shadow over the forest below. The village elders said that no one lived there anymore, but for sometimes I would see lights up in the highest tower in the middle of the night. When I was a little girl, I remember my grandmother would tell me stories of the family that once lived there, The Vladamirs.

One day they all just vanished and where never seen again and I always wondered what happened to them even though no one was really sure. I looked down at the jug of water I was filling.

My eyes fell upon the castle again. A very faint light was visible in the highest tower.

"Kalysta." I turned around to see my dad calling my name. He seemed to be angry because his face was bright red and the vein in this forehead looked like it was about the burst. "What has taken you so long? How long does it take to fill a jug of water," he yelled "It is almost dark, what are you thinking?"

I really wish he wouldn't throw such a fit. I mean the sun was just beginning to set and I had only been gone fifteen minutes. Stella stood behind him in the doorway. She had a large smirk painted on her face. How I wanted to smack that smirk right off her pretty little face. Even though she was my sister I still didn't feel the affection for her that my father believed I should have for her. The main reason was because she was always trying to find a way to get into some sort of trouble with dad. But when it came down to it I still really loved her.

I readjusted to jug, blew a strand of hair out of my face and started to walk back to the house.

"Kalysta, Stella tells me that today you have failed to complete any of your chores. And that instead of doing you duties you were outside all day, daydreaming. You are lucky she was nice enough to do them for you. ," My father lectured. The vein in his forehead was still throbbing, causing him to look incredible comedic.

The list of things I had done wrong kept going on and on. This happened almost everyday. I learned not to object, even though I had in reality done all my chores and even some of Stella's. I just tuned him out. He really couldn't tell that I wasn't paying a single bit of attention, because he kept on rambling on about how I never do what I'm suppose to do and how Stella does everything, when Stella was really the one who does the least. She would just sit there most of the day.

A typical day consisted of Stella and I doing chores all day. My dad would go to council in the morning and then go back council in the afternoon.

My father was Jeremiah Calvin and he was the closest thing our village to a mayor. Lately he had been very busy with the pressure to have everything ready before the Iker. I could tell that he was extremely anxious because of the Iker arriving in less than a month. I wonder…..

"Kalysta", my dad said waving his hand in front of my face. I snapped back into reality. "Did you hear anything of what I just said to you", questioned my father. I looked at him and nodded.

"Good, then go helped Stella finish setting the table," he said pointing to the table. I grabbed the meal and brought it to the table.

Stella lit the final candles as the last few rays fell behind the mountain.

As we ate dinner, the usually talk came up, how crops were, the town gossip, business, and just random stuff that I had no interest in. The thought of the Iker kept resurfacing in my head. As dad and Stella kept talking about random things I kept trying to force the thought into the back of my brain. But it would keep pushing its way to the front of my mind, until suddenly it came out.

"Dad, what happened with Farmer Blake's goat?" I blurted out. An unusual silence fell over the dinner table. Stella and Dad looked at me in utter horror.

"Kalysta Lynne Calvin, You know that we do not speak of something like that ever. Do you understand me? Never." My dad looked angrier than I had ever seen him. The vein was visible again. Stella remained in silence as she gazed down at her dinner.

"Dad, I think I should be aloud know why it happened. I knew I was entering into dangerous ground now. I could see he was becoming mad.

"Kalysta you are only seventeen and are to young know about adult matters." he snapped.

"Dad, my whole life you have refused to tell us the truth about what is really going when things like this happen. I just want to know what the hell happened to the stupid goat and if it has any thing to do with the Iker."

"Kalysta, for the last time, you are to young and have no need to know of such things. And if I hear of this matter again you will be punished. Do you understand me?" There was anger in his voice.

I felt my emotions become fiery. I didn't want to continue to fight with him knowing that no matter what I would say I would just lose. With that I got up and stormed out of the room before he could do say anything else. I walked swiftly through the hall and out the back door. I was half way down the hill when Stella came to the backdoor and called me. "Kalysta, where are you going?"

"I don't know. I need to cool down and think some things out. I will be back later," I called without looking back. Dad was going to kill me for being out after dark especially with the Iker so close, but I didn't really care.

Eventually I came to the place where my mother had brought Stella and me to play when we were little. It was where the creek flowed through a small field of flowers. A large stone stood in the way of the creek and caused it to bend to the left and keep flowing.

I sat down on top of the rock and pulled my knees to my chest, my blonde hair fell over my shoulders as rested my head on my knees.

I didn't see why it was so taboo to talk about the Iker. I mean all I had asked about was the Farmer Blake's goat.

I had heard rumors that the poor goat's throat had been slit and the rest of the body had been completely mutilated. Normally this would have been thought to be some sick teenage prank, but the letter is what really caused the fear. The letter had been tied about the neck of the goat and written it the poor goats own blood. All the read was "We are coming soon. You know what to do."

All I knew was that on the night of the Iker every house locks up and puts some sort of animal meat at the foot of the door. No one is supposed to wander the streets once the sunsets on the night of the Iker. Whoever does is never seen alive again. It is very rare for someone not to be in a safe place during the Iker. The only ones that normally vanish are young children, who stayed out to long, or their parents didn't keep a close enough eye on them, the village idiot who didn't know any better, and sadly, at times it is those who longed for death.

Another part of the preparations for the Iker are so dark that almost no one in the village knows about anything it. I only knew about it because I over heard my dad mention it once. I personally didn't even agree with it. I thought it was the cruelest form of punishment there was.

Three criminals were chosen out of all those condemned to death. They were normally the ones that had committed the most hay ness crimes. The prisoners were stripped of their clothes and tied to a stake. Then they were just left there all night. By morning all that was left was a pool of blood where the prisoners had once been. About a month later the bodies of the prisoners and any other unfortunate souls were found in the woods.

Sometimes though not all the bodies were found. Our village elders tell us that the wild animals probably take away the missed bodies. What no one else realizes is that there are no animals big enough to take them. So what really happens to them is a mystery.

For the second time tonight my gaze went up to the castle. The light in the highest tower was still there. I gazed up wondering if anyone was gazing down right back at me, who or what was up there.