The Village Chief’s Visit and a Shocking Disappearance

It was Mr. Reed, the Village Chief. This eccentric old man was the person South Creek least wished to encounter on a normal day. Not only was he notoriously bad-tempered, but scolding others at the slightest provocation was his daily routine. His unexpected visit today likely portended nothing good.

“Um, Mr. Village Chief, may I ask if there’s something you need?”

“Ah, South Creek… Is Pastor Elise at home?”

“My sister went out today; she’s not at the church right now.”

For some reason, everyone who came to the church today had to ask if Elise was present. While understandable, it genuinely irritated me.

“I see. So, have you been here all along?”

“…Yes.”

‘Suspicious. Extremely suspicious. Mr. Reed’s manner of speaking, akin to interrogating a criminal, stirred a sense of unease within me. Something must have happened in the village.’

“Then, have you seen Wede today?”

!

A sudden jolt went through her heart. Even though she had mentally prepared herself, South Creek couldn’t help but be startled. Of course, she had seen Mr. Wede; she had just chatted with him a short while ago. Yet, his demeanor had been unusually strange. While South Creek hadn’t thought much of it at the time, it now seemed highly probable that this matter was significantly connected to him.

“You’ve seen him?” Noticing the shift in South Creek’s expression, Mr. Reed immediately pressed on.

“I have… I even spoke with him earlier. Has something happened to him?”

“…Roughly when did you see him?”

Mr. Reed clearly had no intention of answering. This implied that, in his eyes, the matter was far beyond what a child should be involved in. South Creek understood this but wasn’t in a rush to press further. Extracting information from this rigid old man would be harder than scaling the heavens, and she wasn’t about to waste her time.

“I just woke up… so I don’t remember very clearly. It was probably before noon?”

On a rainy day, the sky always remained terribly overcast, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact time. South Creek had also stayed indoors, so no matter how she tried, she couldn’t determine precisely when she had encountered Wede, ultimately offering only a vague estimate.

“Did he say anything to you?”

“No, I just happened to run into him and said hello.”

“Is that so…”

Evidently unsatisfied with this answer, Mr. Reed subtly furrowed his brow. After uttering, “Thank you for your trouble,” and “Stay put at home,” he left, leaning on his walking stick.

Watching Mr. Reed depart, South Creek contemptuously pursed her lips. The old man was still the same, unwilling to divulge anything. Although she had no idea what was happening, recalling her encounter with Wede during the Starfall Festival, she knew this could not be good.

“…”

After a moment of thought, South Creek decided to wander around the church. Villagers often came there to pray, and she might stumble upon some clues. Quickly changing her clothes, she put on a pair of pants she hadn’t worn in a while. Passing through the cloister, she soon saw villagers praying inside. However, the congregants weren’t praying; instead, they were whispering amongst themselves. Clearly, Mr. Reed hadn’t only questioned South Creek.

“Hello there, Mrs. White.”

“Oh, good afternoon, little South Creek. Are you enjoying your day alone?”

“More or less… By the way, did something happen earlier? Everyone seems a bit uneasy.”

“Indeed, these days are quite turbulent… Not long after the last incident, something like this has happened again.”

Sensing an opportunity, South Creek feigned a casual indifference as she continued to inquire, “What happened?”

“By rights, I shouldn’t be telling a child like you… but you probably have a right to know.”

“What in the world is…”

“This morning, Wede stole some items from the blacksmith’s shop and then disappeared.”

“What—!”

Stole something, disappeared?

South Creek nearly shrieked in astonishment, barely believing her ears. Wede had stolen from the blacksmith’s shop and then vanished? The entire affair sounded utterly unbelievable. Wede, in his daily life, had always been a simple, honest young man—warm, cheerful, and well-liked by the village elders. For someone like him to commit such an act seemed highly improbable.

“Alas, I’m just as surprised as you are… Everyone saw what kind of young man Wede was… How could he have done such a thing?” Shaking her head with a sigh, Mrs. White seemed to reminisce about her interactions with Wede, wanting to defend him further, but ultimately she could only give up.

“So that’s how it is…”

The situation had become rather complicated. For a moment, South Creek was completely at a loss. After bidding Mrs. White farewell, she tried to find others for more information, but the other villagers seemed tight-lipped.

Sitting on a church pew, South Creek stared blankly at the dome. For now, this matter truly had nothing to do with her, and she couldn’t manage so much.

“I should go back to sleep…”

Muttering to herself wearily, she gripped her right hand with her left. Just as she was about to rise, a loud bang suddenly echoed from the entrance.

“South Creek—South Creek—are you there?”

Thank heavens, finally someone was specifically looking for her. Turning her head, she saw Fanny, who had rudely pushed open the church doors and was now shouting loudly, earning many displeased glances from the praying congregants.

“What’s wrong?”

“What else could be wrong? Don’t you know? Something huge has happened.”

Fanny, unknowingly labeled as ill-mannered, rushed into the church, clutching a dripping burlap robe. It was clear how she had arrived.

“Please, quiet down, young lady. This is a church, a space for every believer.”

“…Putting on airs.”

Fanny scoffed, clearly disdainful of such pretentiousness, yet she lowered her voice and plopped down beside South Creek.

“I heard you saw Mr. Wede this morning, didn’t you?”

“Where did you hear that?”

“Never mind that for now. I know you’re definitely interested in this. We even helped him out during the Starfall Festival last time.”

Fanny was right about that, but not entirely. On such a troublesome day, South Creek had no desire to deal with more complicated matters, and with Elise also out, the answer was clearly no.

But then, Fanny dropped a terrifying bombshell.

“Besides Mr. Wede, his grandmother, Ms. Monira, has also disappeared!”