Chapter XLIX:

The Civil War only lasted for four years. After the first year, I started to see problems. It didn’t make itself apparent at first. I thought it was Luna or the ghosts. The latter didn’t make any sense because they never interacted with me. They would just stare at me. Some did follow me. I had gotten used to it by now. I didn’t think that it would get any worse.

It started out with little accidents with the children. They would fall over or get cut. It didn’t matter to them at first. Children get hurt all the time, right? Maddie and I didn’t think much about it. Things took a turn when one of them turned up missing.

It all started with a game of hide-and-seek. Maddie and I weren’t playing at the time. It was just the little ones. Whatever. Let them have their fun. I remember that day very well. It looked like it was going to rain all day. Maddie didn’t know whether to do the laundry or not.

“It looks like it’s going to rain,” she complained.

“Then save it for tomorrow” I said. “It’s fine.” She didn’t look too certain about that. I calmly smiled at her.

“Do what you need to do,” I said. Maddie dropped her shoulders and frowned. I think she saved it for tomorrow. Meanwhile, the children moved further into the swamp.

“Don’t stray too far!” Maddie shouted after them. Their laughter made it hard for them to listen to her. I was sure that they were going to be fine. The day wore on without incident. Maddie kept her eyes to the swamp. I thought the children were going to be fine.

“They’ll come when they are hungry,” I told her. By now, I started to have a sinking feeling that I couldn’t shake.

By sundown, the children started to come back to my shack. At first, everything looked normal. Maddie was counting all of the children as they walked back. I could imagine us having a nice summer stew. I managed to get us plenty of vegetables and a little bit of meat. Maddie would make it taste wonderful.

But then, I noticed the worried look on her face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. She didn’t answer me as she looked like she was counting faster. I turned and noticed the worried looks on the children’s faces. When they stopped in front of the house, I started to see the problem.

“Where’s Penny?” I asked. The children didn’t say anything at first. The color drained from Maddie’s face.

“Guys,” I said. Timothy looked up at me.

“We can’t find her,” he said in a small voice.

“What?” I asked. The children kept their eyes down as they trembled. Maddie looked like she was about to faint. I rushed over to her side. She looked up in her eyes. I could see the tears forming in them. I held her to my side.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “We’ll find her.” I could see a flicker of hope in her eyes.

We practically spent all night looking for little Penny. There was no way she could’ve gotten far. But then again, it was easy to get lost in the swamp. Plus, I don’t think she could swim. The situation became more pressing with that thought in mind.

“Penny! Penny!” her siblings yelled. The animals made it harder for their voices to carry. Maddie held my hand the whole time.

“Where could she be?” she asked. I didn’t know how to answer her. That’s when I heard giggling in the darkness. I turned my head. Luna stood off in the distance. I could see her smirking at me. No… Don’t tell me…

I heard Maddie calling my name.

“Huh?” I asked. She had a desperate look in her eyes. I pressed my lips together and looked at the trees again. Luna was gone. My stomach dropped as I started to put the pieces together of Penny’s fate.

We never found her and to this day we do not know what happened to her.