Unwise Gossip

It all started with a child’s desperate cry.

A powerful, unexpected storm swept through Mateo’s home town that dark night. The elders seated in the building whispered about the origins of the sudden storm as Mateo swept the floors of the barber shop, tired from a long day on his feet and eager to return to the warmth of his own home. A lull in the sounds of the wind and rain fell into place as he bent to collect the gathered hair.

In it was the cry of a distraught child.

The entirety of the barber shop hushed as they all began to notice the sound. Looking around at the patrons, Mateo noticed many exchanged fearful glances. It was rumored that witches lived in the locale - powerful conjurers of unpredictable storms and masters of transformative powers. Adding to their base terror, tragedy had struck several families in the months prior. Infants and toddlers were set down for their naps, only later discovered to be taken when their parents returned to check on them. A child had been snatched that very afternoon; many of the patrons had been listening to reports on it as they were getting groomed throughout the afternoon. None of the missing children were found, and it was assumed that dark rituals were being done with them by the rumored witches.

Luna - Mateo’s wife - was suspected to be one of the witches.

As the long silence continued in the barber shop, Mateo raised his gaze to look around again. Nearly all eyes were now upon him, burning with the same, accusatory inquiry; was Luna a witch? If so, was he involved somehow in the disappearances?

Attentions were drawn again as another shrill cry rang out, louder and nearer to the building than before. Some of the patrons rose, inching curiously to the windows to peer out through the rain and oncoming gloom of night. One opened the door, leaning out to hear better. A long, dreadful moment passed before the sound started up a third time, as distressed as the ones before it.

“Should we-?” started one of the younger customers.

“Someone call the police,” demanded one. The shop owner walked back to the counter to use the phone. As he did so, the other man continued, “Us three will go see if we can find it.” He motioned to himself and two others, including the young man who had spoken first. It was obvious why he didn’t include the more elderly patrons - they would be slow and prone to catching colds much easier in the storm.

“I can join you, if you’d like,” Mateo offered. In his forties, he still moved around with relative ease and he could be more help than a hindrance in the search. He was met with incredulous looks and glares all around for his trouble.

“No. Not you. Stay here and clean up the filth,” sneered the more demanding young man.

Mateo wasn’t surprised by the response, but he was taken aback at how deeply it cut. With his wife rumored to be a witch, such comments were becoming more common. It was apparent that, so long as she fell under suspicion, so too did he.

They didn’t trust him.

The three young men ventured out into the downpour. Each carried a flashlight into the darkening forest surrounding the town, following the eerie cries. Mateo and the other patrons waited.

The police soon arrived, and the barbershop owner explained the cries they’d heard and the three men that had gone out to search. Three had responded, and two of them recognized Mateo. Both kept him in their sights as they continued to get information. Eventually, one motioned to Mateo.

“He been here for his full shift?” he asked, not even bothering to disguise his immediate distaste. Miguel - Mateo’s boss - nodded.

“Oh yes! Don’t let the gossip get it wrong - Mateo is a good, hard worker. He’s been here his whole shift,” Miguel stated proudly. The cops grumbled, disgruntled, until the door to the building flew open and two of the three young men stepped in, drenched and breathing hard.

“We found-” one started, but he had to stop to catch his breath. His companion tried next, and he had nothing good to say.

They’d found the missing child. But it had been too late.

Mateo later walked to the bar after closing up the barber shop for Miguel; the shop owner had gone with the young men and the officers to meet with the last young man who stayed near the body. The child belonged to a family friend of Miguel’s, and he thought he should go to help break the news to the parents.

As he walked, Mateo thought about the child. Not much had been said before he’d been left to finish his tasks and lock up alone, but among the first things the young men had managed to explain was that they had found the child’s body near a creek. They’d said it was a gruesome sight and warned against Miguel coming along, knowing his connection to the boy’s parents. Miguel had solemnly replied that he was in it with the child’s parents, however, and he could handle whatever shock was in store. He said he couldn’t imagine being the parents, and his anguish would pale in comparison to theirs.

Once he was seated at the bar, the bartender greeted Mateo.

“Usual?” the employee asked, reaching for the familiar bottle Mateo had spent much of the last few weeks emptying. It occurred to him that he had been spending more time at the bar than he usually would since the gossip about Luna began. It had gotten to the point that it had also started causing issues in their marriage, but Mateo didn’t care anymore. Everything had been so much worse since the rumors started.

“Hey? You okay?” inquired the barkeep, and Mateo realized he had not responded to the previous question.

“Uh, sorry. Usual. Uh, you heard about the recent missing kid this afternoon?”

“Yeah. What’s going on?” questioned the employee, pouring Mateo a shot.

“Was working today. Storm starts up. Whole shop starts to hear crying in the rain. A few of the younger guys went looking, and they think they found the body.”

“Damn. How many does that make now? Eight?”

“Nine.”

When Mateo returned home late in the night, stumbling inside the bedroom he shared with his wife, he noticed an empty wine bottle and glass on Luna’s nightstand. She lay fast asleep, and for a moment Mateo stood at the edge of the bed, watching her and feeling confused. He loved his wife, but the rumors were adding extra strain to their relationship and he was beginning to wonder if they would stay together much longer.

While he took his time to slowly climb into the bed beside Luna without disturbing her, once he was comfortable, he quickly fell asleep.

When Mateo awoke, he realized something was wrong. It was still dark outside of his window, but there was light behind him. He then became aware of the familiar, crackling sound of fire. Scrambling from the bed, he turned around to yell at Luna to get up.

Luna wasn’t there. Only a few random feathers remained on the bed.

Mateo shouted for his wife as he ran through the house to a neighbor’s, but he never heard a response. Frantic, he searched around the outside of their home as his neighbor placed the call to the authorities.

The fire was quickly identified to be a result of arson; super dry, flammable fire starters had been lit and placed around the inside of the house. It was assumed that either Mateo unknowingly left the door unlocked when he returned home or that a window had been left open. The fire had been started inside the home, as outside was too wet to catch fire from the storm.

A search was eventually launched for Luna, and Mateo was suspected and questioned intensely. However, he was not the only suspect. With so many believing her to be a witch, officers had quite the list of names to question. More gossip soon cropped up that not Mateo, but other locals, had set fire to the house and taken Luna somewhere to torture and destroy her. The generally accepted idea being that, when the mutilated body of the boy was found, it had been the last straw; infuriated locals had decided they were judge, jury, and executioner. Or maybe Luna was still alive - held captive and tormented for crimes she had yet to be proven guilty of. However, as months passed, the latest rumor was that she had been killed by enraged townsfolk and disposed of in the swollen river 20 miles from town that rainy night, her body swept so far downstream that they may never hear if and when she resurfaces.

Not a year after Luna’s disappearance, it was known throughout town that Mateo had found a new companion in a woman named Ana. A reporter from a larger town nearby, she had first come to begin reporting on the missing infants. She and Mateo had met when the focus turned to his missing wife, and the two had bonded as the weeks turned to months. With no sign of Luna’s return, the two had started dating.

The couple decided to take a drive one sunny day. Ana knew of a quaint old cottage and barn not too far into a forest and suggested they stop there to stretch their legs.

“We can take our lunch and walk out to the buildings to eat,” she proposed. As she continued, her tone became playfully seductive and she rubbed Mateo’s shoulders lightly. “And then, maybe we can spend a little time touring the cottage. The bedroom has the prettiest murals on the walls.”

This comment and its lustful tone caught Mateo’s interest. Though they had been seeing each other for several months, they had yet to become that intimate. For a moment, he had to ask himself if he was ready for it. He decided that he’d just go with it and see how he felt along the way.

The drive was about an hour away. Plants grew abundant, tall, and unchecked from where their car was parked all along the road to the buildings. Yards into the growth, a small path led to the cottage. It wasn’t a well-worn trail, but it was just different enough from the surrounding area to be able to follow it.

The two entered the building, admiring the charming details as they walked through the front door. Decals of various forest dwellers adorned the walls in brilliant silver. A particular section caught Mateo’s eye. Owls.

Luna had loved owls.

“Hey!” called Ana from the kitchen. Mateo snapped out of it and followed her in, placing their lunch on the old table. “Nice place, huh?”

“Yeah,” he replied, smirking. “Shall we eat?”

As they ate, Mateo caught sight of the storm clouds on the horizon. The wind had already begun picking up since they left the car. The clouds were as dark as he’d ever seen clouds get, and on occasion he saw a bright flash of lightning. There had been no reports of poor weather for the day, so the approaching storm caught Mateo off guard. Ana noticed, and she rolled her eyes.

“Come on. Let me show you around.”

Ana took him on a slow, seductive tour of the cottage. By the time they reached the bedroom she had spoken of, thoughts of Luna and owls and the coming storm dissipated. When they did enter the room, Ana twirled around, arms outstretched, motioning to the murals displayed across the walls. More forest creatures pranced and darted and flew in brilliant, lifelike detail. Suddenly, Mateo found himself caught, staring into the black paint detailing a barn owl’s unnerving, judging gaze. When Ana reclaimed his attention with the slow removal of her dress, Mateo took notice of the scattering of lit candles as well.

“Wait,” Mateo said, confused. Ana had been with him all day long. “When did you have time to come set all of this up?” At this, Ana smirked and laughed playfully as she helped pull his shirt off over his head.

“Oh, come on! You’re worrying about that right now? I brought you out here because I thought it would be a memorable place to start the more intimate part of our relationship!” The last was said defensively. Mateo recognized the hurt behind it and sighed.

“Sorry, sorry. I don’t want to ruin this,” he apologized, pulling Ana closer to him. The storm’s intensity grew rapidly, and the two found themselves gripping each other throughout the worst of it for comfort. It wasn’t long before they were seeking respite in the tangle of sheets Mateo recognized as sets of Ana’s. Again, he wondered when she’d had the time to come out and set everything up.

The two had no more than started to exchange heated kisses when strange sounds caught their ears.

Click, clack, screech!

“What was that?” asked Ana as she recoiled from him to sink deep into the bedding.

“I don’t know,” Mateo responded, walking over to the window to peer out. Darkness pervaded the area, and now that he was paying attention to it, he could hear rain falling heavily and distant thunder crashing. Seeing nothing of note and unable to hear anything besides the storm, he turned back to Ana on the bed.

“It’s nothing,” he said soothingly. He crawled back into the bed and pulled her near. She snuggled closer to him before a different sound reached them. One that sent a cold chill throughout Mateo’s body.

The distressed cry of a child.

“Not again,” he muttered to himself, horrified. Ana grew concerned as he lost color and gripped his hand in comfort. Another cry sounded out; louder and closer.

“I… I’m going to go check that out,” Ana stated, rising quickly and slipping her dress back on. Mateo stared at her in disbelief.

“You’re what?”

“I’m going to check that out. That might be another kid - I can’t just ignore it!”

“Wait-”

“I’ll be right back!” Ana exclaimed, shooing his concerns away. With that, she left down the stairs and out into the darkness.

Minutes ticked by. Then half an hour. Then an hour. But Ana didn’t return. Concerned, Mateo redressed and began to make his way down the stairs. He located a small flashlight keychain he had and made his way out the front door. The soaked ground was thick with mud; he couldn’t tell which way Ana had gone. All he could find were a few wet feathers settled on top of the fresh mud by the front door.

Suddenly, a woman’s scream rang out sharply. Mateo raced towards it.

“Ana!” he cried out desperately, “Ana!”

Click, clack, screech!

Mateo jumped at the sounds, barely ducking as a large mass flew towards him. When he turned around to see what it was, he found himself staring at a barn owl. A huge one - six feet tall! The ghostly face studied him with boredom, the black eyes shining. It began to clack its beak, and Mateo realized it was this creature making the clicks and screeches. And he recognized her.

“Hello, Mateo. It’s been a while,” said the giant owl. Mateo nodded slowly in response.

“Forest life has been treating you well, Luna?”

“Oh, yes. I think so.”

“I’m glad you weren’t hurt in the fire. I was worried about you.” The words were true, but Mateo also realized his wife was not in a good mood; she was tense and emotionless. Detached. Her wings shuddered and her talons chipped together in a frustration that countered her calm words. He wanted to keep her as calm for as long as he could.

“I managed to fly out unharmed. The locals just wanted to hurt someone, and I was the easy target. Especially after you started the rumors that led to this whole mess.”

“What?! I don’t know what you mean, Luna.”

“You knew what I was! What I am! And I knew what you were; what you are! Murderer! Child-killer! I cleaned up after you every time, you careless, ungrateful rat!” screeched Luna with a sudden, tremendous rage. A flurry of feathers cascaded from her to scatter over the ground before the growing winds swept them away without mercy. Never - never - had she ever suspected her husband to have been the one to initiate the rumor. His carelessness had made her a target, and she had barely escaped whatever fate the locals had planned for her. Her beak began clacking sharply in her agitation.

Click, clack, screech!

Mateo fled from his wife, hoping the dense cover of the surrounding trees would disable her ability to fly. Unfortunately, her new form passed through solid matter easily - unless she didn’t want it to. She tested this out on his back by shredding his flesh with her sharp talons. Mateo cried out in agony and tried to keep running, but as he fled Luna behind him, he noticed another white-faced owl creature he recognized - with horror - as being Ana flying straight at him. He darted another direction into the forest, now running deeper within in his panic, both witches following him as giant owls. Their wings were as loud and powerful as the thunder they conjured to deafen him, and they took turns sadistically puncturing his flesh with their curved talons.

As Mateo began to tire and weaken, slowing down to little more than a power walk, he felt a pair of talons sink deeply into each shoulder. And then came the terrible moment he realized the two witches were lifting him from the ground.

They brought him up to a dizzying height, each screeching excitedly. Mateo held no doubt about it; if they dropped him from this height, he would likely die. Desperate to prolong the seemingly inevitable, he tried to engage with the witch owls.

“I get why you want to do this, Luna. I-I betrayed you. But why you, Ana? Why are you helping her do this to me?” At this, Ana screeched happily.

“Well, she’s my best friend, Mateo. Of course I’m going to help her get rid of you! You ruined everything and now the town knows what we are!”

As Ana finished speaking, the two brought him up even higher. As he scrambled to think of another delay, however, they both suddenly let go of him. Mateo only knew the immediate terror of his approaching impact, but it was short-lived when he slammed into the ground.

Mateo awoke sometime later. It was pitch black, and the air was cold with mist. While he was still barely alive, his body had suffered terrible damages. Bones were broken and jutting through his skin, and he was aware of internal bleeding, likely from a broken rib puncturing his organs. He was in great agony, and he wondered just how long it would take him to die.

Click, clack, screech!

Turning his head as much as he could with the pain wracking his body, Mateo saw one of the witches approaching behind him, waddling slowly towards him, eyes unblinking, depthless orbs.

Click, clack, screech!

The other woman came at him from the other side, snapping her beak. Mateo was relieved to feel himself slipping away as they neared him, and he was only aware of the first few blows from their sharp beaks before he slipped into his eternal sleep, unaware of the further brutalities the witches visited upon his corpse.

Click, clack, screech!

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