A legend. A witch. A curse. A deadly demon and an artefact.

In the ancient town of Fenlock lived the Fen people, in the fear of a demon made

of blazing fire, who had been haunting them for the past seven years.

There was a time when the Fen people lived happily together, sang merry songs

while working in the fields, shared each other's sorrows and happiness and at

nightfall, they would dance around the bonfire which they lit every night but those

blissful days were long gone. All it took was a curse to wreck their lives.

Every year, one person from their town was chosen by the evil powers to be

served to the demon. Benben, a massive crow, would sit on the house of the person who was supposed to be sacrificed to the demon and give out raucous cries. A death number would appear on the wrist of the person who was to become the scapegoat.

All other villagers would rush to that person's house, drag him out and would throw him in a well from where the demon would devour him. There was no warmth among the Fen people anymore.

"Granny, why don't we leave this town and settle elsewhere?" Robbin, a ten year

old kid, asked his grandmother.

"We can't son," said his grandmother "the demon would still hunt us down. All

others who have tried to do so have been brutally murdered by the fiery demon."

"My mum and dad are already dead because of him. He wouldn't dare to choose another from our family, would he?"Robbin asked tentatively.

"He shouldn't." his granny sighed.

"That's no answer." he said frowning.

Robbin's grandma was his only living relative. He couldn't afford to lose her too.

"Cheer up, my son" said his granny "maybe we won't be chosen at all." She

plastered a fake smile on her face. Robbin fell for that trick and went to work in

the field. They owned a small yard where Robbin worked day and night to fill his

family's needs. He couldn't remember the last time he had bought anything for

himself. All of his clothes were ragged, torn and short for his frame. He didn't mind

it at all. Most of all he needed shoes. He couldn't work without shoes in the field

as there were stones, thorns, worms and all other kind of stuff in there. His feet

would get stuck to the sweaty base of his worn out shoes and he often got blisters

from it. Having witnessed vicious brutalities, Robbin knew that the key to live a

happy life is to adapt and be satisfied in what you have. Robbin never complained of anything but how he wished that his life would return to normal! He always

dreamed of living in a world where you don't have to dread the death of your loved ones.

All of this started with a trivial mistake but so do the gravest of all wars. Seven

years ago the Fen people considered themselves to be the most happy and blessed

creatures on earth. Robbin lived happily in his small hut with his parents and

grandmother. His father was a cobbler. He didn't earn much but it was enough to

afford meal for his family at least twice a day. One day a witch had visited his

father while he was at work. His father did not know what she was. He had

considered her a normal customer. She had asked him to mend her son's shoe who

was to be married the next day. She had warned him to do it at the latest by the

coming dawn. He had agreed to do it. As soon as she had gone, Robbin's mother

had rushed to the shop and told her husband that Robbin was really sick so he

needed to go to the neighbouring village and get medicine for him. His father had

left without another word. He was least worried about the witch's warning. He had

returned with the medicine by next evening. The witch was fuming with anger. Her

son's wedding had been spoiled because he had no proper pair of shoes. All the

guests had mocked her son.

The witch could not tolerate it. She had gone to Robbin's house while all of them

were at home. The witch had revealed her true identity. All of them were terrified.

They had no way out. She had muttered a curse which killed his father right in

front of his eyes. Then she had turned to the rest of them and said "You will not

even get to bury his body." She had muttered another curse and his father's body

had vanished. She was still not satisfied. She had set fiery demon on their village

and cursed their whole village to sacrifice a person to that demon every year. An

year later the witch too had withered away.

The first person to be chosen by that demon was Robbin's mother itself. He had

expected her grandmother to be next but thankfully it wasn't so.

Robbin did not realize that he had spaced out. He heard someone call his name. It

was John another orphan of his town. He was his only friend. Their fields were next

to each other, so they often chatted while working.

"What's up with you?" John asked Robbin.

"Nothing. Just pondering over our-"

"-doomed life?" John suggested.

"No" said Robbin "I don't think our life is doomed. I still have hope."

"Don't tell me you believe the crazy old woman's tale." said John scrunching up his

nose in disgust.

"Of course not" said Robbin placing his spade aside and plopping down on the grass "but I don't think that she is wise enough to make it up on her own either."

There was an old lady in their village who had hit century but didn't show signs of

dying anytime soon. She was not of sound mind. She always parroted about a

legend which would save them from the fiery demon. According to this legend, only a special artefact could kill the demon and that artefact could be used only by the demon's heir. This queer puzzle made sense to nobody. Why would the demon's heir kill his own kin? Moreover they had no clue about the artefact. Naturally no one believed tale. Everyone had lost all hope of being free ever again.

The raucous cry of a creature made both of them look up. Robbin turned stark pale.

He quickly got up.

"NO!" he shouted and made a dash for his hut. Benben was sitting on top of his

hut. His grandmother was at home. Benben gave out another shrill cry before flying away.

All the Fen people came out of their huts. All of them were carrying sticks,

spades and sickles in their hands. They were shouting something but Robbin couldn't make out what they were saying. All he cared about was reaching his hut before them. He swiftly opened the door of his hut and shut it after him. He bolted it , not that it would keep the villagers at bay for long.

His grandmother was sitting on the floor and staring blankly at her wrist.

"No Granny! Not you!" cried Robbin rushing to her.

He took her wrist in his hand. The number 7 was imprinted on her wrist in bold

black colour. His grandmother blinked slowly. A tear fell on Robbin's hand. She

turned to him. Her eyes were glistening with tears. This was the first time Robbin

had seen his grandma cry. She had always been his strength in hard times. Her tears did not reflect her fear of death but they reflected her sadness.

"I'm sorry son" said his grandma "that I won't be there for you anymore. I am sorry

for leaving you all alone in this spiteful world. I won't be there to cook food for you

when you return from the fields or sing bed time lullaby to you. I won't get to hold

you in my lap anymore" she said. Robbin sobbed helplessly.

"Let me hug you one last time." she said.

"No!" said Robbin "I won't let you go anywhere."

"Can you hear that?" she asked giving him a sad smile.

There was loud banging of sticks on their door. Someone was kicking it. People were shouting at them to open the door.

"You have to be strong, my son. Promise me that you will continue on with your life as you did before. You must become the epitome of kindness and generosity."

"Granny, you have always taught me not to bow down in front of problems. I refuse to back down today either. I'll get you out of this situation too. Let's escape

through the back window!" he said resolutely.

His grandma hesitated.

"We must fight for our survival. If you don't want to live then it's up to you but

mark that I won't be able to live without you either. I'll follow you to your grave."

said Robbin persistently.

Robbin's decision was unwavering, ultimately grandma yielded to his request.

"We might stand a chance if we hide out in the dark forest." His granny suggested.

They quietly moved to the window. Robbin helped his grandma jump through the

window and was about to follow her when the door to their hut flew right of its

hinges.

"After them!" shouted a man.

Robbin quickly jumped and shut the window. His grandma was nowhere in sight.

"In here." she whispered. She had covered herself in hay which was lying right

beside their house. Robbin quickly hid under it too. The other Fen people came a

moment later.

"Where did they go?"

"They must've turned left. It would leave them away from the well."

"Alright. Let's go without wasting much time."

"If we don't throw her in that well by nightfall, the demon would set fire to the

whole of our village."

"Let's hurry!"

The sound of their footsteps died away. Robbin and his grandma stepped out and

brushed off the hay. They turned right.

"Wouldn't it lead us to the well?" asked Robbin .

"It would, but no one would search for us there." replied his grandma.

It took them nearly half an hour to reach there but to their utter disbelief all the

Fen people were already gathered there.

"Do you consider us to be fools?" asked a bald man.

"We knew you must have heard us heading for the opposite direction and would

definitely come here." said another.

"All of us have to suffer because of you. Our town got cursed because of your son.

If it wasn't for him all of us would be living tranquilly."

"Don't blame my dad" said Robbin furiously "All of you are selfish, mean and cruel."

"David, why don't you beat some sense into this lad?" said the bald man "It would

serve as a lesson for others not to disobey the rules."

"Don't hurt my son" his grandma screamed.

"Throw the woman into the well!" the bald man ordered.

Two men dragged his grandma. They heaved her over the boundary of the well and she fell into the water with a splash.

Few other men stepped forward. Two of them held each of Robbin's arm while

David beat him ruthlessly with a thick log of wood. Robbin could not even muster

up the strength to scream. He felt numb. He took all the blows without making a

sound.

Two years had passed since that terrific night. Robbin didn't dare to recall the night

he had lost his grandma. He was 12 years old now. Last year David had been

chosen to be sacrificed to the demon. However no one had been chosen this year.

Yet.

Robbin was digging a huge pit beside his hut to store grains. Suddenly, his spade hit something metallic. Robbin dug carefully and found that there was a box hidden in the soil. He took it out and opened it. It contained a shoe. It was shining and looked all new. He could recall his mother hiding precious items in soil so that they could use it when they had its dire need. Robbin tried to find other one of the pair but in vain.

"Something's better than nothing." he muttered to himself.

He put it on. It was a bit large on him. His other shoe was totally worn out. It

would have been so much better if he could find a similar shoe for his left foot too.

He sighed sadly. Another shoe popped out of the blue on the ground.

"Wow! How did this happen?" he muttered to himself.

He immediately put on the other shoe too. He was delirious. He went home singing merrily. It would be so cool if his food could cook of its own accord and be served in front of him. No sooner did he think so than his pot began to shake violently and a moment later there was a bowl filled with porridge floating in mid-air in front of him.

"Amazing!" he exclaimed.

Soon he found out that whenever he wore the shoe all his wishes came true. He

was over the moon. The felicity of finding the magical shoe was almost unbearable

for him. He had even wished to get back his family but then nothing had happened.

It didn't dampen his spirits as he had kind of expected it. He didn't have to work in

the field anymore. Everything was perfect. Robbin did not want others to know

about it. He was worried that they might steal it from him. He became the happiest man in the village but it didn't last for long.

To his grave horror, it was him who had been chosen this year to be served to the

demon. The Fen people rushed to his hut to take him. He wished that the villagers

should turn lame so that he could easily escape but nothing happened this time. He wished that they should turn blind so that he could run away but again no result was seen. Robbin realized that he had never used the magic of the shoe on a

person before. It did not work on humans. Robbin worked out another plan. He

wished that his house should become impenetrable for all creatures except him. His house rattled for a moment before coming to a standstill. He looked at his wrist.

The number 9 was imprinted on it. He sighed. How long would it be before the

demon came?

At nightfall, Robbin could hear the roaring of the demon and screams of the Fen

people. He pitied them but he was more worried about his own survival. Something huge banged against his house but nothing happened to it.

"If you do not come out I'll destroy the whole town. I'll turn this place into a

graveyard." growled the demon.

Robbin remembered his grandmother's words. "If the sacrifice of a single person can save the lives of hundred others then he shouldn't hesitate from doing it. Even if you die in saving others, you'll always be alive in their hearts but if you live at the

cost of others' lives, you'll be a living dead."

Robbin took a deep calming breath. He got up and opened the door stepping out.

He braced himself for the demon's fire to engulf him. The demon loomed in front of him. All the Fen people were huddled in one corner. The demon opened his huge mouth. Robbin closed his eyes. His grandmother's face flashed in front of his eyes.

He prayed that the demon must die so that other people could live happily ever

after.

The demon roared. Robbin opened his eyes frowning.

Robbin's shoe poofed into air.

The demon fell with a thud on the ground. People screamed. The demon shrinked

into a fiery ball and after a moment the ball exploded. There was a very huge heap

of ash on the ground. There was an eerie silence. Robbin blinked.

"What was that?" someone asked.

"Robbin killed the demon!" John shouted merrily

"How did it happen?"

"What does it matter? We are free! Hurray!"

The shoe! It must have killed the demon but why did it vanish? Robbin thought to

himself.

All of a sudden there was some movement under the huge heap of ash. A figure

stepped out of it. Everyone gasped. It was a human covered in ash from head to

toe. He staggered and stumbled before falling face first on the ground. He got up

and steadied himself. He brought a trembling hand to his face and brushed off the

dust. Robbin nearly fainted but he steadied himself against the wall. He had been

three years old when he last saw that face but he had never forgotten it.

"Dad?" Robbin called out.

The man covered in ash nodded. Robbin rushed to him and hugged him hard. His

dad hugged him right back.

Robbin looked up and asked "How?"

"I have no idea son. It felt like I was in an abyss for the past nine years. I don't

remember anything but blackness all around me."

"But I know what actually happened." The mad old woman stepped forward. She

was the one who always kept muttering about the legend.

"You were the demon." she said pointing at Robbin's father "The witch did not kill

you. She turned you into a demon. Did you ever wonder why she did not let you

cremate his body?"

Everybody looked shocked but they could see reason in it.

"You have no memory of what you have done" she continued "You were not

yourself. You engulfed everyone and they?"

The pile of ash shook again and eight people stepped out of it. Robbin's

grandmother and mother were also in them. These were the people who had been

chosen over the years. All of them rushed to their families. Everyone was laughing

merrily.

"It's a miracle."

"Mum? Granny? I can't believe it. How?", Robbin voice was brimmed with emotion.

They simply smiled and hugged each other.

"None you must remember what happened over the years" the old woman began

again "The lagend was true. You" she pointed at Robbin "were the demon's heir

because the demon was actually your father. The magical shoe which you must have found by now was the artefact and only you could use it to kill the demon. It killed the demonic essence in your father. He'll be weak for months but he'll recover over time."

"How's the shoe magical?" asked Robbin.

"It wasn't any normal shoe. It was the shoe which the witch had given to your

father to mend."

"Was it the shoe of the witch's son?"

"Yes" replied the old woman "The witch had transferred all of her fury into this

shoe and accidentally her powers too, due to which she withered away."

"Why did she hide the shoe near my house?"

"Because your father's shop was at that spot. She was blinded by her fury. She

didn't bother to find a distant secret spot to hide it."

"If she was that powerful why didn't she use her powers to mend the shoe? Why

create so much fuss over such a small issue?" asked Robbin.

"The shoe was small but held an important place in the witch's heart. It was her

first gift to her son on his engagement. The witch was powerful but evil. She had evil powers only. She could not heal or mend anything. She could only curse and

destroy things." she explained.

"Why didn't you tell us about this before?" a man accused.

"I signalled you but you called me a crazy woman." said the woman calmly.

"How do you know about all this?" asked a man.

"I am the witch's sister but I am not a witch. I do not support what my sister did."

she said.

"Why did the shoe vanish?" asked Robbin.

"It had served its purpose." she replied smiling.

Everything was hunky dory in Fenlock once again. Robbin lived happily with his

family. The Fen people nurtured good qualities in themselves. They started helping

out each other again. The Fen people became the happiest creatures on this Earth.

***