In the previous life, during this day of festivity, what once a merry atmosphere had turned into a solemn and somber moment. In the midst of the Egg Hunt, three kids of one family has been reported missing, with none of the people knew their whereabouts as the sky gradually darkens and the festival will about to end. Their parents were asking almost all the people they encounter, if they saw three young boys who were participating in the egg hunt. To the couple’s despair, none could give them a satisfactorily of an answer, nor a bit of a clue.

Then as it almost struck to midnight, two boys had gone home to the couple’s house, shivering badly. Their clothes heavily messed up, arms and faces were filled with scratches, their hair tangled up with pieces of twigs and leaves. And what was most disturbing of all, as the couple reported among the village folks, were their expressions, eyes devoid of their usual mischievousness but of horror and hopelessness instead. When the couple hastily approached them, they asked what happened and where is the other one, why there were only two of them. With great difficulty, all they could got to the two’s mumbles was that the boys went to the forest. The father decided to look for their missing son, and recruited for help from his neighbors while the mother decided to look after their two sons who were in daze states, waiting with anxious breath.

The next morning, a distressing news spread all over the village. Three boys who went to the forest, but only two of them came back. The group who went to look for the missing one, had unable to find the boy, but was met with an alarming scene as they ventured the forest. Just near the outskirts of the forest, a pool of blood was seen by the group, seeping on the ground and to the plants nearby. Few pieces of cloth and a dagger were soaked in the pool of blood and identified as part of the clothing of the missing boy, much to the agony of the couples. The group of men who were with the boy’s father tried to locate if the big creature is still lingering in the forest but cannot find its trail. The family of the boys mourned in grief that entire day, and the atmosphere in the village enshrouded in fear and sadness. From that day onward, the boy was never seen again. The two who had returned, drastically had changed from being lively kids into forlorn ones, their eyes dull, lacking in brightness. The couple had seemed to aged faster, expressions became weary and full of sadness.

This is what Athenilda had remembered during her previous life. And what happened afterwards to the family was unknown to her as she became focused on other matters, especially in pursuing romance.

“Truly, a tragedy that was.” I sighed as I finish recalling that piece of memory. During the week of the preparations, I was able to recall what happened after I heard the news of a roaming creature in the forest. So it was during this year that incident happened.

Is this one of the reasons why I came back in time? I continued musing as I walk towards the woods. As I got further away from the village, the path became rocky and uneven, dust swirled around the feet as one stepped on the ground, which were made of dry and crumbly soil.

After a quarter of an hour, I already saw the tall mass of trees, indication that I was almost at the entrance of the forest.

Finally seeing the clump of trees and bushes, I scanned the surroundings as my steps halted just a few feet away from entering the woods. Taking out the rope, I picked out a group of six trees that seemed to be the nearest to each other and what I estimated can be seen easily should people decided to enter the forest if they came from the road I previously travelled. After a careful selection, I tied the rope around their barks and pulled out the wooden board and hang it on the rope between the third and fourth tree, with a sign saying that the woods area is not part of the egg hunt and is off-limits. Clapping my hands to get rid of dirt, I looked deeper into the woods, contemplating to explore a bit as I waited for the time to pass.

From what I recall, the other side of the forest is a series of small hills, and located in the innermost is a clear lake filled with clean and cool water. The lake was also brimming with fishes during this season and in autumn. At winter, it would freeze up and kids would sneakily play and slide the icy surface using wooden sleds. Rick and I would oftentimes join in the fun as well.

Shaking my head sadly, I lean against a tree and sit in a comfortable position, deciding to exercise caution this time as the rumors of the wild creature are still recent and the village men still cannot confirm if it could cause harm to the people in the village.

Looking up in the sky, the clouds have dispersed and the sun is shining brightly, seeming that it was already past lunchtime. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, inhaling the mixed fresh scent of leaves and earthy scent of the woods, my body relaxing from its tensioned state.

My head leaned back further as my eyes remained close. I let myself rest for a while as the minutes ticked by.

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More than an hour passed, and my eyes opened as I hear voices getting nearer to where I am.

I stood up and peered at where the voices came from. Three silhouettes are approaching the forest. As they got closer, three familiar boys came into view, the ones who almost bumped into me earlier at the plaza. The boys walked while playing rowdily with each other, their voices loud and merry.

I observed the boys as they stop and stared at the ropes around the trees and the signage I hung moments earlier. I was resting a few trees away where the area was obscure but I could easily see anyone who approaches the entrance. The boys looked at each other and nodded. The oldest one of them was about to reached out to the signage when I decided to approach.

“Hello there, kids. What are you up to?”

The three of them got completely startled, their heads quickly jerked up in my direction.

“Does Mrs. Mason know you’re here?” I inquired as I saw them darting their eyes from left to right.

“W-we were j-just looking for eggs. M-mom allowed us to join the egg hunt.” One of them excused, not meeting my gaze.

“Is that so? But as you can see, the woods are off-limits. There’s even that sign hanging that everyone can easily see.” I said, amused as the boys squirmed uncomfortably.

“B-but, w-what if there were some hidden eggs in the woods?” another one of them stammered.

“Y-Yeah, big sister! Besides, they said a mysterious creature is roaming around the forest! We would like to see how it looks like!” said another. Then he clamped his mouth using both hands, his eyes widening as he realized what he blurted. His other brothers groaned.

“Uh-huh. So that was your real purpose.” I clucked my tongue, giving them a stern gaze. The three bowed their heads, their body posture screaming with guilt and nervousness.

“W-we’re sorry, big sister. P-please don’t tell our mom.” The three pleaded, their wide and glistening eyes looked at me pitifully.

I stared at them silently for a moment and sighed.

“Just this once. But you must promise not to venture again in this woods for the time being, and always inform your parents to where you’re going if they’re not with you. Your parents would be deeply worried if they don’t know where you three are. Understand?” I said in a soft voice, gently scolding them.

“Yes, big sister. We promised.” Said the oldest while the other two nodded obediently. As they turned around to leave, I briefly stopped them.

“Wait, since you three are good boys, here, take these and exchange them for a prize.” I said as I handed a painted “egg” to each one of them. Their eyes instantly brightened with happiness.

“Wow! Thank you very much, big sister!” they said in unison. I patted each of them on the head before urging them to return to the village. I watched their backs getting further away from the forest, towards where the festival is currently going.

I exhaled a huge sigh of relief. Thank goodness it went smoothly.

Leaving the rope and the board as it is, I picked up my bag and other things and patted my dress that was now wrinkled and a bit dirty.

Then I opened my mouth.

“Okay, you can come out now.”