Living in the murky village of Whist, was a wise, old woman named Ilda. Ilda had a daughter, as beautiful as a glorious, white sunrise. Her voice was as soothing as the warble of a morning robin. Her hair was as gold as the shining sun that sits so brightly in the crystal-blue sky, and her eyes sparkled like the stars that glisten in the twilight. Her name was Aurora.
Aurora was irresistible to all the men in the village of Whist. She was chased and fought over, every man would ask for her hand, and every man was rejected. Then one day, a ship sailed in from the west and out came a soldier by the name of Aubade (Aw-baid). This soldier was dressed in the finest of armor, carried a sword of silver and a shield of gold. He walked proudly, with a certain confidence, straight to the house in the murky village of Whist. He knocked on the thick wooden door, and Ilda appeared. She was used to flicking the helpless bachelors to the curb, but this man, this man possessed a quality that changed her routine. Ilda allowed Aubade into her muddy home where Aurora stood, halfway down the staircase. She raised her eyes and she was blinded by his brilliant smile. He asked for her hand and immediately Aurora said yes. They were to be married in one week.
The wedding was perfectly planned, and not a sole thing was missing from their lives, except a child. Aurora and Aubade had a son one year after their marriage. His name was Alloy. Alloy was a kind young boy, he was strong and illustrious like his father, and he was handsome, with the same beautiful charm as his mother. They all lived a wondrous, happy life in the murky village of Whist. It was quiet and peaceful, everything was how it should be, and everyone lived in harmony. But the day Alloy turned 18, his mother was attacked on her way to the forest to pick a bouquet of wisteria. She was killed the instant the monstrous jaw clenched around her neck. The animal that attacked her was no ordinary beast, it was clever, dark and mysterious. Its eyes pierced souls, and its claws pierced skin.
Aubade, being so depressed with the death of his wife, vanished from Whist. He stole away in the night of her death and never returned, leaving his son alone. That day, Alloy declared his solemnity. He locked himself in the muddy house in the murky village of Whist, and refused to be seen. Alloy never saw Aubade again. In fact, Alloy vowed that if he ever saw his father again, he would slay him with his own silver sword, for he was selfish and egotistical. Leaving Alloy to deal with the death of his mother all alone was the worst thing anyone could do, and he would pay the price if he ever saw his father again.
But one day, an awfully cold day, Alloy decided to visit the quarters of his mother. He crept in to her room and shut the door behind him. He slid to floor and held his head in his hands. His heart beat quickly, his eyes were closed tight. But after he could no longer take the deafening silence, he looked up, and all he saw was a note laying on the floor beneath the armoire. It was a letter addressed: To my only son, may you possess the wisdom of your grandmother Ilda, holder of the wind.  Alloy slipped the letter between his fingers and carefully creaked open the door, walked into the hall, and opened it.

Alloy,
I trust you with all my heart to look after our ancestor’s treasure. It lies within this family, and it is not to be released. Your grandmother Ilda, holder of the wind, has kept this secret for over 100 years. I am to look after it until I pass, and you the same. In order to find the wind, you must go somewhere you have never seen. You must go into the woods, and follow the trail lined with wisteria. It will take you to a large tree with an X carved in the trunk. When you reach the tree, twist the knot that lies below the first branch. The knot will open a door, which you will enter and follow down to the cellar. In this cellar is the room of which contains the worldly winds. The power within that door is strong enough to kill the biggest of the big, the meanest of the mean, and the most demonic of all demons. This is to be kept secret, no one can find this room, not even your deepest love.
     Your Mother, Aurora

Alloy read this letter over and over again, until it repeated in his mind, each word pressed into his memory like wet footprints in the sand. He shut his mother’s bedroom door and walked downstairs. He folded the letter so it was small enough to fit in the pocket of his pants. He stood, face-to-face with the thick wooden door. Alloy was strong and forceful, he could take care of himself, he thought. He carefully opened the door to a freezing cold wasteland. His home was desolate, in the middle of the woods, the woods where his mother was murdered. “No. I can’t do this.” Alloy closed the door and sat by the unused fireplace. After an hour of disputing with himself, he finally decided to go out tomorrow, and this time, he would bring his father’s silver sword.

The morning came quickly, and Alloy set out to find the tree of wind. The path lined with wisteria was to the far west of his house. Alloy clenched his fists, his palms were sweaty and cold. Everywhere he stepped, a sound followed him. He jumped at every noise, his eyes frantically moved side to side. It took two hours to reach the tree of wind, for Alloy walked slowly, he absorbed all of his surroundings, he was especially cautious in these woods.

Alloy was relieved to find the tree undisturbed. He reached for the knot below the first branch, and just like his mother had said, a door appeared in the side of tree. He followed the staircase to the cellar and put his hands on the cold wooden door. It was stiff, it seemed to be pushed out as far as it could go. He thought if he touched it one more time, the door would surely snap and the wind would be lost. So he scurried up the stairs and carefully closed the tree door. As soon as it closed, the outline of the door disappeared. Again, Alloy carefully and cautiously followed the flowered path back to his home.

Alloy was proud of himself, this was the very first time he had left his home in months. Nobody even saw him, he was perfectly unharmed, not a scratch in sight. Little did he know, a beast had seen him. The beast recognized Alloy’s features. He saw a glimpse of Aurora in the boy who walked past his golden eyes. This was the beast who murdered Alloy’s mother, and now, he was to murder her son.

Alloy returned to the tree every Monday morning. He would walk down the path of violet flowers, twist the knot that lay below the first branch, and follow the rickety staircase to the room of the worldly winds. Then he would retreat, quietly back to the house in the murky village of Whist.

Every monday morning, the beast would follow Alloy to the tree. He would see Alloy open the tree door, but as soon as he began to run to the opening, the door would slam shut, and the trunk would return to its former shape. The beast then constructed a plan. He would wait behind the large tree during Alloy’s next visit. When Alloy opened the door, he would chase him to the bottom of the stairs, and there would be no way for him to escape. That is when he will destroy the young man.

The days passed slowly. Alloy was calm, the beast was anxious. Sunday was here, it was terribly cold, a dark cloud had swallowed the murky village of Whist. Alloy sat in his mother’s room, and accidentally fell asleep on the floor.

As monday morning tip-toed into the windows of Alloy’s home, the beast sprinted to the tree beyond the path of wisteria. Alloy awoke, tired and uncomfortable. Alas, he still wrapped himself up in a thick blue coat, and slipped out into the foggy forest. When he approached the tree he reached for the knot that lay below the first branch when he heard a soft growl. His eyes scanned the forest, but his head faced the tree trunk. He stood still until his arm was sore from being lifted in the air. Finally, he twisted the knot and the door appeared in front of Alloy. Just then the beast took a step around the tree. Before Alloy could run, he was thrusted into the dark stairway beneath the tree. He rolled and stumbled down the stairs. His head bumped each step and his back hit the walls. The beast chased after him, nipping at his toes. Alloy fell just in front of the door, and the beast stopped, he was three steps above Alloy. He growled and showed his menacing teeth. His eyes were looking straight into those of Alloy. The beast pounced, and Alloy, knowing he could not escape the razor sharp bite that was lying in his future, did the only thing he could do to save himself. He opened the room containing the powerful gust of wind. The blast shot out of the door and attacked the beast. Alloy fled back home, but the beast was killed by the explosion of icy cold breath, and Alloy heard it howl up to the sky. The screech echoed and bounced off trees and walls.

Even though the beast was dead, his soul lived on, howling in the wind. Let it be a reminder, that the beast of Whist can never die.