The silver moon's curse

's

never my fav

h one earbud in, half-listening to music, half-listening to the teacher drone on about wars and revolutions and treaties that never touched me. But here in Moonvale, history di

with a scho

nd white photographs gaunt, hollow-cheeked, eyes like he saw through centuries. He stood at t

avel and smoke, "on a research presentation about Moonva

m. I shrank lower in my seat, hoping I'd vanis

ooking straight at me. "Yo

through the

ways sat in the back row, sketching in his n

too-cool-for-everything aura: dark hoodie, headphones around his neck, and eyes that di

t. He gave

g harder than necessary. Som

, we met in

ol building like a forgotten secret. Shelves rose to the ceiling, packed with books that sm

sat at one of the long oak tables, "Moo

is the town ledger," he murmured. "It goes back to

ed. "Di

oaned. Pages flipped until he st

und dead near Black Hollow. No blood. Skin torn but no beast tracks. Unnatural. Th

was smudged, but the words w

ilt on... sacred

's cradle.' The valley was considered cursed by the lo

ered. "And the sett

e ever

ated, reports of howling at night even before wolves were known to roam the area. The deeper w

alk about this?" I as

t not out loud. In Moon

archives that afternoon. Loga

ong the larger stone structures. Inside, it smelled of mold and secrets.

cords – Moonvale Township. We opened it and

ad them on the table while Logan u

entical to modern Moonva

section labeled "Lupinia" in scrawled ink. It had bee

a?" I w

ogan said. "Fro

an down my spine."And someone

ent's foundation. The names of the original famil

glade, for it is forbidden ground. Moon's rise mu

act?" I

e. "That's the qu

t, I coul

st be met in silence echoing like a prayer or a warning. I stoo