Everyone knew this “myth” where I used to live. If you go to the lake on the night of a full moon, you’ll see her standing on the beach staring at the lake—the girl who was sacrificed to an ancient God, and her name’s Luna.
Luna wears a white dress. She has a black ribbon around her neck and has a deep crimson red ribbon that covers her eyes. Her hair is jet black that’s long in the front and short in the back. Her skin is as pale as the moon.
You can speak and ask her questions. When she speaks, it’s calm and kind but with a hint of sadness. You can give her offerings. She loves blue flowers and sour candy. She also loves to dance and sing if you ask her to perform. She’ll do it happily.
There are rules to follow so as not to make her angry or to upset her. You mustn’t bring up her death. You’ll scare her away, and she may not show up to the next full moon. You mustn’t get angry with her if she refuses to talk to you. And the most critical rule you MUST follow. DO NOT remove the ribbon from her eyes. If you do, you will lose your life, and your family will meet the same fate.
Nevertheless, that last rule was broken a lot by people. Mostly by the higher-ups. People in town “didn’t” like doing it, but how else could they keep our small town safe and perfect? How else could they keep the drug user/dealers, and the prostitution out, and keep the crime rate so low? Plus, if anyone stepped out of line or if someone does something the town didn’t like, they’d be executed by Luna.
How? Someone like the mayor (it was mostly the mayor), the fire chief or the police chief would stand behind Luna as two other people held the criminal in front of her. The person standing behind Luna would remove the ribbon from her eyes as the two other people wear blindfolds, and the criminal is forced to see her eyes. No one has seen them and the ones who do never live long enough to tell anyone what they look like.
One time a guy was trying to sell meth and few other narcotics; he got busted. A group of friends and I went to watch his execution. We hid in the bushes. I remember the man’s screams, pure horror. I also remember Luna backing away before disappearing. The man had a wife. After his death on the beach, she was found dead the next day, unknown causes.
Over the years, I never overthought it. I didn’t really care about the people who were being executed until… it was my girlfriend’s life that was lost. Her father was the fire chief, and he couldn’t take it anymore!
“This is mad! We’ve gone insane! We have killed innocent people! KIDS! WE HAVE KILLED KIDS, you heartless bastards! Just because one person f****d up in their family!” he snapped one time in a town meeting. He went on saying how he was done being the town’s puppet, and that he and his family were going to move.
The whole town feared he was going to leak the secret of Luna and their dirty secrets. The next full moon he was executed. My girlfriend, her mom, and her little brother were found dead… Unknown causes…
I went to the beach with a gun the day after. I was a bit drunk, screaming her name. Surprisingly, Luna showed up. Pointing the gun at her, she cocked her head at me. “Do you love killing people?!” I yelled.
She smiled, “When they’re innocent, no. However, there’s no such thing as innocent anymore. Also, I didn’t kill them, the townspeople did. I’m only an instrument in their fun game of Perfect Town Life! I’ve watched this town grow. So much greed, pride, and hatred coming from you ants. It’s pathetic to even THINK you’re all innocent when in reality you’re not,” I grit my teeth feeling the hot tears forming. She started to giggle.
“Why did he start to feel guilty now? For how long that man has lived here, why now? OH! Maybe because his daughter was expecting a child? His grandchild? Your child?” she began to laugh, putting a hand on her head while shaking it, “it still never stopped him from murdering many other mothers to be!” I fired my gun Luna disappeared. She was still laughing. “Humans never cease to amaze me! It’s fine to harm others, but if it’s someone they love, don’t you dare lay one finger on them!” Before I knew it, she had me pinned to the ground. She was grinning.
“This girl, this body? I felt bad for her. Just a young thing, but her worthless village honestly thought if they killed her in my name. A God of Darkness, of all things! Hoping I’d give them perfect crops, healthy animals, blah, blah, blah! But when her soul sat in front of me, just crying away and asking me what she did wrong to be killed by her family and friends, people she loved! I couldn’t accept it. So you know what I did? I took her soul, and her body brought her back to life and becoming a part of her, my host, my doll. We burned her village to the ground! Killing everyone that was quote on quote innocent!”
As Luna was laughing more, it sounded like a distorted male’s laugh. She grinned more, putting her hand on the red ribbon about to take it off, but she paused. The grinned faded before she sighed, sounding a bit annoyed. Luna stood up, holding her hand out to me.
“I’m sorry… You need to leave,” she spoke lightly. I didn’t take her hand but stood up fast, backing away from her. “If you and your family wish to live another day, you need to leave now. Your town won’t be standing for long.” Luna turned away from me, “when the moon and stars can no longer be seen in the night. He will play and cleanse it and the people who there once more. Heed my warning,” she warned, walking away as the sun was setting.
It was just my younger brother and me. Our mom took off after my brother was born, and our dad died of cancer when I was still in High school.
We were packing as fast as we could, the night was cloudy out, no stars could be seen, and soon the clouds covered the moon. It was eerily quiet until screams filled the night.
“Hurry up!” I shouted. My brother started to weep a little. Throwing our bags into the back until he stopped, I glanced at him.
“Dylan…” my younger brother choked out, pointing behind me. I turned to see Luna wandering down the road with an evil smile playing on her lips. She had the red ribbon off as she held it in her right hand. Her dress was stained in blood with black smoke following behind her.
“Don’t look at her eyes!” I ordered. My younger brother looked away, but Luna heard me. She smiled, turning her head to the side away from us as she walked by.
“I’m happy you took her warning! Smart little boys, you are!” she called, then started to laugh.
The black smoke ran across the street, going into a neighbor’s house and shattering the windows. Blood-curdling screams soon followed. I yelled at my brother to get in the truck he did as I got in the driver’s side. Luna started to sing as she twists her hands, controlling that black smoke, which moved like snakes.
We began to back out of the driveway but slammed on the breaks quickly because the mayor ran into the middle of the road as he started to yell at Luna about how she had no right doing what she was doing! He shouted that she was the property of the town! That he and everyone else here had the rights over her! Luna laughed, cutting the mayor down like he was nothing…!
I didn’t think she would let us go since she was stopping other people from leaving by destroying their vehicle. That black smoke would swallow it, and nothing would be left when the smoke rolled off of it.
But she let us go. Why us? We were the only ones she let go, why?
We drove in silence for a few miles until my brother broke down in tears. Pulling over, I held him. He asked me what happened. What could I tell him? I couldn’t even understand what happened…
We moved to a large city and never told anyone where we came from. We didn’t have much and had to stay in a few ratty apartments until I got a great job. We’re doing better now.
It has been roughly five years. My younger brother has blocked out the events and refuses to speak about it. It’s probably for the best.
I’ve tried looking up our old town, but nothing comes up. It’s like the place never existed, the same with the people who lived there. I tried finding the God that’s responsible for everything and the deaths, but there’s too many. Just know it’s one of the Gods of Darkness. I’m still at a loss.
My brother still has nightmares, and so do I. I would be sitting on the beach at night. Luna is kneeling in front of me with a dark figure standing behind her. She would cup my face smiling. Her eyes were still covered. As the clouds would move away from the moon, it’s always full and bright. She would stand up, pulling me up with her and take me towards the lake.
In the lake were the dead bodies of the townspeople, all the people they have been executed, and other people that I’ve never seen before. “Innocence doesn’t exist anymore. Those who claim to be innocent are the ones who take away the most,” a male voice spoke from behind us. The moon and water would turn blood red. That’s when I’d see my girlfriend’s body float by holding an infant in her arms. I would start to scream and drop to my knees.
My brother had to shake me awake a few times, saying I’d be screaming in sleep. After I’m awake, I would be in cold sweats and be crying. I’ve asked him about his nightmares, but he never tells me.
I thought about going back, but when I think about it some more. It feels like I won’t come back. Luna spared me once. I don’t think she’ll do it again. I hope nobody finds her, and if they do. Don’t talk or ask her questions, don’t give her anything, don’t ask her to sing or dance, and for the love of your family’s life and your own. DO NOT REMOVE THE RIBBON FROM HER EYES!
