A petal dropped from the tiny daisy that Laura held as she sat on the sand and watched the waves came and went. The breeze was lovely and it made her feel slightly dizzy. She looked at the horizon far away and saw the familiar bump on the straight line. It was an island very much like an ant on a road. Somehow it always seemed to be moving back and forth. At the beginning of every month, the island would be where the sun was setting, where it appeared bigger, and at the end of the months it would be where the sun was rising from, but lower into the sea, almost as if it was rocking on the sea like a ship.

There was a story behind that island; it was said that an icarus lived there. It was a creature with wings dark as coal, just like its eyes. And the stories never fail to mention how he always steals young women from villages by the sea; needless to say they were also beautiful. To Laura this seemed silly since no one would really want all those girls in a single island, would they? And how could the creature live with all of them? Because humans were very noisy as far as Laura knew. But no one seemed to be able to stop him whenever he would steal a girl since he comes so unexpectedly, leaving the village at a state of constant unrest. It was just four months ago that he was last seen carrying a beautiful girl in his arms. The girl was from around Laura’s neighborhood, the daughter of their neighbor’s friend. Her name was Marie. She was human. Marie was a very pretty girl indeed with her long auburn hair that touched her elbows and a heart-shaped face like an angel’s. She had a nice personality but she knew about her beauty and she never failed to use it when necessary. Laura had seen her use her charms full force on a chubby fellow in a market and she got him to buy her a pair of combs made of ivory. It looked as if the guy was dazed with her attentions he didn’t even notice the price of the combs.

Born as a spellcaster, Laura could always tell when people were attempting to use her. However, spellcasters were almost always born with a physical defect, for example a broken hip or a blind eye. That was why most of the humans did not like her race; they were deformed and had special abilities. But unlike most of the spellcasters, Laura was born healthy just like a normal human being, almost. Her jet black hair was the giveaway. Her hair had stopped growing for years now, and it only reached her ears. Her mother had said it would just grow eventually, but Laura no longer kept her hopes up. Within the village, hardly anyone could look at her and say she wasn’t human. Laura lived in a village near the sea, so understandably the main livelihood was fishing. She had been living there for almost seventeen years. Her mother died of a painful hunched back two years ago. And ever since, she never used her abilities unless it was completely necessary. She never used the invisibility spell anymore because she tried to conform with the humans nor did she use her healing spells on people anymore, just to avoid the attention it would surely bring. Now Laura only healed animals and plants. And she hardly needed her protection spells because the village was small and all the people knew each other and she kept to herself. And there wasn’t a lot of spellcasters anymore. In fact, she might well be the last one, as far as she knew.

An old woman named Mrs. Crimple, a friend of her mother’s, often visited Laura at home. Laura’s mother used to heal Mrs. Crimple’s arthritic pains and Laura thought her gossips were always funny. She was the one who told the story of the icarus. The story seemed funny to her in some way whenever the old woman would pretend and scream as if she was being taken by the creature herself. Mrs. Crimple presently lived with her husband not far away from Laura’s hut. Every Saturday she brings dinner with her and Laura was always grateful for the company. Laura returned the favor by giving them herbal teas from a tea plant that she grows in her garden and visiting them from time to time.

Today was Saturday and it was almost dinner time. Mrs. Crimple was bound to be walking along the bumpy road towards Laura’s cottage. So Laura got up and dusted off the sand on her skirt. Once more she looked at the island that had intrigued her for a long time. I wonder what the creature really looks like or the island, Laura thought. Then she turned away and headed towards her house.

Just as Laura was about to step into her home through the back door, she heard a familiar voice. “Dear, are you in there? I’ve brought you supper.” Laura quickly went straight to the front of the hut and greeted Mrs. Crimple. “Hello, Mrs. Crimple. Where you here for long?”

“No, no Laura. But where have you been, dear?” Mrs. Crimple asked. She held out a platter of fried fish to Laura.

Laura took it and smiled for thanks. “I was just out by the sea, Mrs. Crimple.”

“Out by the sea again, eh?” The old woman looked at her pointedly. “Still wondering about that island, are you?”

Laura sighed and said, “Yes, Mrs. Crimple. I’m just wondering about it, nothing more.” She smiled at the old woman and led her inside the tiny hut.

“You better be careful on what you wonder about, my dear. It might lead to obsession. Else, it might lead to something worse than that!” Mrs. Crimple laughed at her joke and Laura laughed too because the woman’s laughter was very contagious.

They sat in the tiny kitchen table in the corner of the room and Laura put the plate onto the table. Mrs. Crimple sobered up and looked at her for a long moment. She was silent for a while and finally said, “Laura, you know it’s been months now since the creature ventured to our village.”

“I do know that, Mrs. Crimple. And I’ve being very careful not to roam around by myself, just like you said,” Laura teased.

“Well, you just came out wandering about from the sea, and I am assuming you were by yourself,” the old woman replied.

“I was by myself, but you see, there is still light outside.” Laura looked at the window to prove her point. The woman also looked but shook her head slightly as she said, “Dear, the creature isn’t nocturnal, you know. It can come whenever it pleases.” Mrs. Crimple looked at her almost pleadingly. “And I don’t want to lose you to such a wicked creature as that. I love you just as if you were my own.”

“I understand Mrs. Crimple. But I can take care of myself. I’ve been very careful, really.” She smiled reassuringly at the old woman.

“Just be very sure about that, dear. I’ve been having a bad feeling lately.” Mrs. Crimple looked at her again for the longest time and sighed. “Oh well. I must be off now. My husband must be getting restless alone in the house.” She stood up and Laura did as well.

“I must give you more tea, Mrs. Crimple,” Laura said as she reached into a cupboard and drew out a big bag of herbal teas.

“Oh no, dear. You’ve given us half a year’s supply already. Maybe next time.” Mrs. Crimple and Laura walked outside and bade each other goodbye more than once before the old woman actually walked away. Laura watched as the old woman reached her home and once again she waved.

A cold breeze blew and she shivered. She turned and went into the hut. She moved to put the fried fish onto a smaller plate and she heaped rice on it after. While she sat down and started to eat, she looked around the hut. Maybe a few protection spells would be good… but did she really expect the creature to come into her house? It was not likely since she couldn’t say that she was a beautiful girl even if she was only being modest about it. Her face was not of a princess’ nor was it of a horrible countenance. Only her dark brown eyes were probably the most noticed asset on her face. Everyone who looked at her seem to be held in that gaze by something she herself didn’t even know. And those who commented would say they were a very pretty set of eyes, and the creature wasn’t interested in eyes. It was interested in beautiful women. So Laura decided it was not necessary to use any protection spells, telling herself that she couldn’t remember most of them anyway.

After Laura finished eating, she did the dishes and moved towards the back of the room where the windows and the back door were still open. She looked out towards the sea once and closed the windows and door shut. She quickly turned off the single light bulb in the center of the room, took off her clothes in the dark and went to bed. She fell asleep as soon as her eyes closed.

The next morning Laura woke up groggily to a loud commotion outside by the shore. She tried to think of why that was. Sunday. The fishermen must have arrived from yesterday’s departure. Laura got dressed as fast as she could, remembering that the village would be in a frenzy trying to get the biggest and freshest catch. She didn’t need the biggest catch since she was living by herself, but if she took too long to get there, the only fishes she would get would be the shabby little fishes. Laura fetched a bucket hanging on the wall and quickly got out of the house.

She reached the area just in time to see a fairly young fisherman haul off his catch only the shore where the waves came. It was Raul. He was the son of old man Domingo. Raul had wanted to be a fisherman since he was a kid. Every time Laura and her mother would go swimming, he was always somewhere close to the water making a net or a fishing rod. One time he even gave her a net. It was pretty small but when she mentioned the fact to him, he had said that it was only for tiny jellyfishes. The ones that didn’t sting and were always by the shore. Laura remembered being very ecstatic about her net that she used for catching almost anything that would fit, like a seashell or a pebble or seaweed.
Now, whenever she looked at him, she was reminded of her childhood days with her mother. And she almost always cried. But recently, she had been able to keep her emotions at bay.

Laura walked over to Raul. “You’ve got quite a catch here, Raul,” she said, smiling.

“Oh Laura. Yeah. It was pretty slow going back to shore with all this.” Raul smiled back at her. “Why don’t you get some fish before all the villagers take home a bucketful of them.”

Laura laughed and moved closer to see which kinds were there. She saw a couple of puffer fishes, clown fish and anglers. There were also the odd dog sharks that the little boys usually take as pets. She finally saw what she wanted, yellow fins. They were quite small but she only needed a few to dry up. Laura put down her bucket and grabbed the biggest one in the batch. It reeled and bucked in her hands and Raul had to help her put it in the bucket. She took a few smaller ones to smoke-out for later. After she finished, she thanked Raul and told him to say hello to his father for her. She walked back home and dried most of the small fishes to smoke for later. She came back out to look at the villagers still at it with Raul’s catch. There was Lydia, the market lady, who was always shouting and was now a bit deaf. Mr. Ginonne was leaning on his crutch, with a bucketful of tilapia on his side, while his youngest daughter was poking the body of a dying jellyfish with a stick. Mr. Crimple was just arriving, and Laura made a note to herself to give them some of the smoked fish that she was going to make later. She went back into the house and took her straw basket and went to the village market.

After buying the necessary ingredients she needed, Laura went home and went to dry the fishes. She cut them open, carefully cleaning out the guts and sprinkling salt on it. She took the fishes on a wire mesh and put them out in the afternoon sun. she looked out at the sea, saw the sun still bright and decided to go for a swim. She walked slowly but purposefully toward the waves in her clothes, getting rid of only her sandals at the shore. When the water was up to her hip, she looked around to see if anyone else was taking a dip. As usual she saw little kids on the far end of the shore. She walked more into deeper waters and dove into the green salty water. As she swam, Laura opened her eyes, being able to see enough in the clear water. Her short hair was very efficient as to not going into her eyes as she surfaced. Then she looked towards the horizon and saw the island far away. Laura gazed at it for a while and finally turned back to shore. She walked slowly and leisurely until she bent down and picked up her sandals. She headed to the drying fishes and sat back down on the sand. She then looked over to the island. It had moved, although slightly. Laura closed her eyes lying on the sand with her arms behind her head.
While Laura slept, the wind picked up slightly from the west.

Laura woke up feeling cold as the breeze played with her hair. It went over her eyes for a moment and lifted on the next. She listened to the waves for a long while before she sat up. The sun was setting and a small lump was on its side. Laura looked at the dried fishes and started to stand when she heard a slight whooshing sound. It was barely audible under normal circumstances, but she was a spellcaster after all, so she trained her ear and listened. She tried to find where it came from and looked around warily. There, not far from the horizon, a dark spot was getting bigger and it was headed towards her. She watched as it grew bigger and bigger with every second. It was pretty big for a bird, she thought, when she realized what it was. It was close now. She could see the shape of its face already. Laura stepped backwards, unable to take her eyes away from the flying creature. Its wings were very long, almost like a whole human by its size and truly very black. Its skin was pale, grayish even. It continued to come, with a cold unreadable expression in its eyes, and Laura thought she heard a harsh laughter echoing in the air. This frightened her more than anything and it made her turn back and run with all her might towards the house. The fishes, she thought, as she stopped for a moment. Laura felt a breath like cold wind brush her neck and she rushed into the house forgetting about the fishes altogether as she locked the door. The harsh wind rushed in through the window, but the whooshing sound of the wings was way above the house now and it was getting farther away. While her heart was beating so fast, she only heard the laughter ringing in her ears and was oblivious to the scream that erupted from a girl from the other side of the village.

Ryniel looked at the girl crying by the bed. She never stopped howling ever since he snatched her from the village. Even when he told her to sleep, she still sobbed. It was getting him angry. Ryniel stood up and walked out of the room, but not before screaming at the girl, which only made her wailing worse. His palace was very spacious and large, so he decided the sound should be out of range on the other levels. His wings were tucked neatly behind him as he climbed the stairs up to the fifth level, the attic. Then Ryniel spread his wings wide and flexed it for a while before flying towards the roof. The bat was hanging from a pillar as usual. “Spix, wake up!” the icarus commanded the bat.

“Non dubium est I am awake.” The tiny eyes of the bat winked twice and flapped its wings. “What is the matter? It is the girl, is it not?”

“Yes, and make her shut up or I will personally permit the witch to kill her,” said the icarus angrily.

“Without a doubt she would, too,” replied the bat. “But remember, you swore never to do that, especially since that would mean helping the witch more. Go against your word, and your life goes to nihil.”

“But she has been the worst yet. She won’t even look at me!”

“Ah, so the charm cannot work.” The bat moved closer to the pillar where the icarus was standing by. His eyes were directed towards the shore of the girl’s village. “Pretty little thing, too… Why don’t you force her to look, eh? Curas habes?”

Ryniel did not reply but instead, he kept staring at the faint twinkling lights of the village.

“Let me remind you again. How many times have you done this, hmm?”

The icarus turned at him, frustration setting in his eyes. “Since I can recall, Spix!” he shouted, “So stop reminding me, will you!” The bat flinched from Ryniel’s voice.

The icarus turned once more towards the sea, breathing heavily. His fists were clenched by his side. “Just make her shut up,” he said once more, softly this time.

Spix looked at Ryniel once more and fluttered away before saying softly, “I worry about you, my boy. I worry.”

The bat flew in the girl’s room through an open window and clutched at the bedpost where he hung upside down. The girl didn’t seem to notice him since she was crying too much and her head was in her hands. Spix sighed a long sigh before clearing his throat. “You should not be so saddened by this, puella.”

The girl gasped and looked around. “Who’s there?”

Spix opened his wings wide and she saw him. “It is I, an old bat of the name Spix.”

“What do you want?” her voice rising. The girl had never seen a talking bat in her whole life, and as one was now looking at her from the bedpost, she was just about to faint.

“Well, I would be grateful if you would stop crying. My master would appreciate it so very much. But first, what is your name?”

The girl did not answer. Instead her eyes darted towards the door. She was contemplating whether or not to escape. It was only a bat that she was up against. Unfortunately, the bat must have read her thoughts for he made a tsk-tsk-ing sound.

“Oh, my. You should not think about escaping, girl.” Spix spoke in his calm, quiet voice, “Do you not see that you are important in all that is happening? It is useless to fight. Why not just accept your fate? It shall be fairly honorable.”

The girl quickly looked at him, her eyes wary. “What do you mean? I know what happens to those girls that he snatches from our village! You lie! You’re nothing but a wretched liar!”

Her face was contorted in anger and hopelessness. “I’d rather kill myself than be here, you—you fiend!” she screamed.

Spix shielded his ears from her voice, but he appeared unruffled by her outrage. “Ah, so tell me what you know.”

The girl’s fear was peaked by this time. She could hear her blood pounding madly in her ears. “Your master, that—that brute, kills those girls he takes! It’s always been like that!

That’s why they never come back. And I know, oh I know about the draining of their blood and—and their souls. So don’t tell me to accept that!” The girl stood up from where she was sitting. “Tell me, is that what keeps him alive? Is it?” Spittle came from her mouth as she shouted the question at the small bat.

It seemed like she knew about the ritual, but had the wrong suspect, Spix thought. “So you think you have it all sorted out, puella?” The girl frowned at the word he spoke but did not say anything. She does not know, Spix thought as he chuckled. “Hm, it is not exactly like how you said it. One more factor has to be added into the equation.” He looked at her more closely as if forgetting something. The girl glared at him. Although she looked defiant, she was visibly trembling from head to toe.

Finally the bat asked, “Did you tell me your name?”

“Why should I? You wouldn’t care.”

“Ah, but I do care. That is why I want to know it in the first place.” Still the girl did not comply.

“Girl, would you tell me if I promise my master will not hurt you?”

The girl still looked unsure. “Are you telling the truth?” Spix nodded in reply.

Tears once more shone in her eyes. “Oh please, be true to your word and I’ll tell you my name. Please.”

“Of course, puella.” Spix smiled a smile that hid something in his eyes. The girl hesitated for a moment and said, “It’s Josie.” Silence filled the air. But the girl was still whimpering very quietly even though the bat could hardly hear it.

“Ah, Josie; a good name.” The bat sighed although Josie never heard it, and spread out his wings. “Thank you, Josie.”

As Spix headed out towards the window, Josie looked at him with pleading eyes. She was trying not to cry.

“Do not worry. All will be…soon. For now, sleep, Josie.”

Josie turned and looked at the door immediately after the bat left. All will be… soon. The words rang in her head like she herself was under a huge bell that was being rung as a signal. She walked hurriedly towards it and tied the knob. It was locked. Typical, she thought. She looked at the window but sighed heavily. She checked earlier but only sharp rocks and huge waves were waiting for her down below.

She looked at the horizon but saw no twinkling of the gas lamps that the villagers light every night time. The darkness seemed so hopeless that Josie was sure they gave up on hoping for her return. That was what always happened.

Her tears threatened to spill on her cheeks, so she brushed them away with the back of her hand. She sniffed twice and look at the sky. Even the sky gave up hope. No stars were out to give her the tiniest comfort. Everything was engulfed in darkness.

Defeated, she sighed while dragging herself towards the lavish bed with sheer curtains on the sides. Beside it was a small oblong table. There was food on it. That’s strange, those weren’t there the last time I looked, Josie frowned in thought. She went closer and smelled the sweet aroma of stewed beef. Almost immediately, her mouth began to water, but Josie restrained herself. It might be poisoned. Well if it was, it should be better than what the icarus, and the bat, had planned for her.

So Josie helped herself to the food, and not long after her meal, she felt sleepy. When her head touched the pillows, one thought came to her before she was completely asleep.
Don’t let me die yet, please…