The Adventures And Mishaps of a Half-Plant Apothecary - Febuwhump 2024

Day 23 - Presumed Dead

CW: mentioned death, very mild body horror, assumed eldritch

AN: I wrote this really fast wow

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The tale is something you'd heard before.

The young child, age spanning roughly between three and thirteen depending on who you ask, leaves the village, and gets lost in the woods, and gets their soul stolen by the fae, leaving their body to rot for eternity. Rumours state that the lost child lurks in the darkness, waiting to snatch up anyone who dares to wander into its territory.

It is a tale as old as the village, if not time itself.

Which makes it surprising when you meet the child.

They're alive, is the first thing you see. They're a lot older now, too, and taller than you. Their face is pale, almost white, and the left side of their face is covered in moss in such a way that would be a little terrifying if it wasn't also covered with tiny, red flowers. One is stuck where their eye must've been before it was taken. A backpack, big enough to carry at least a few stacks of blocks with some room to spare, is hefted onto one shoulder, making room for the large spear strapped to their back. It stinks a bit of rot. You step away. Their hands are clasped in front of them.

You feel no fear, though.

They ask if you have a job. You say no, but your friend is a fletcher. They don't understand, but nod in thanks and skip away.

They are much more polite than the legends say they are.

They stand at the village centre, and look around for a bit, then their eyes lock onto the church, and they head towards it. You see them stop another villager, presumably asking for directions, before continuing on to the church.

Intrigued, you slip around the corner, only stopping to pick up a poppy on the ground. You peek in through the windows, and oh, that's why they went to the church.

You see them passing off half a stack of rotted flesh, which, thankfully, is cleaned out as much as possible without destroying the flesh itself, but you can feel the cleric's nose wrinkle from all the way over here. Still, they take, it, and they get an emerald in return. They nod in thanks, and slip the emerald into a pocket that you didn't even notice was there, before heading out.

It's only then that you approach them again. They seem mildly surprised to run into you for the second time that day, and tilt their head in curiosity. You, not expecting to get this far, fumble for a bit before taking out the poppy you found earlier, presenting it to them. It's a little crumpled, but that's okay.

They look surprised. They don't know that they are the first visitor to your village in a year, and the first in two years to trade anyone anything. They accept anyways.

They nod their thanks, before walking away.

The tale is something you've heard before, but nothing like what you have seen.