Disclaimer: This was a story I written impulsively on a burst of inspiration after I watched a certain detective drama. The story update priority will be below my main line of stories (The in-captivity storyline) unless a lot of readers request otherwise. Chapter 1 was mostly mysteries than mind control. Without further ado, enjoy...
---
John Winston and Paulina Winston was a newly married couple on honeymoon. They choose to spend their honeymoon at some tropical island somewhere in the Mediterranean, the island offered a white sandy beach with a green hilly backdrop, the 'back to nature' experience was the thing that sold the destination to the couple. It was not a disappointment when they reached their place with the travel agencies, the tour guides, a black-skinned young woman, was telling them that the place was previously a private island of someone but they were seldom on the island before they decided to open the whole island to the public. A lot of travel agencies compete to promote this island and her travel agency won the right.
They looked over the villa where they would stay for a week. It was a decent villa with complete furniture. The beach was accessible by walking few minutes down the hill from the villa housing. Across the villa's backyard was a track directly connected to the forest. The tour guide assured them that there were not any wild beasts in the forest. Overall, it was a prime location. After telling the couple some basic information about the island, she left them.
--
John went to the beachside bar while Paulina stayed at the villa to rest.
"Give me your house special." Asked John to the bartender, a neat-looking middle-aged man with brown tanned skin.
A few minutes later, the bartender finished concocting his house's special. Looking at its appearance, John could tell that it some mixture of margaritas.
"You came alone in this island, sir?" asked the bartender while John tasted his drink.
"No, I am with my wife on a honeymoon vacation."
A frown appeared on the bartender's face, "I bet the travel agencies didn't tell you the taboo in this island beforehand."
"The island's taboo?"
"Widows Peak, was the real name of this island, this was a nice place but not without any danger."
"Widows Peak? That sound unlucky for island name," said John
"Yes, and just like its name suggests, in the season of witches, it's possessed a danger to married couples."
"The season of witches? What is that and when it would happen?" Another man interrupted their conversation, he was a skinny man wearing glasses.
"I believe you guys had heard about Walpurgisnatch? The night of the witches..." The bartender continued with his story.
John and the skinny man nodded in response.
"Some said it happened together with Halloween, another said it happened with Easter, etc, but in this accursed land, the season of the witches happened just the time you guys arrived here."
"You married couples should not go out at night of the crescent or full moon until the dawn where the silver mist dispersed."
"And you should run away if you meet La Ragazza if you don't want bad things to happen to you or your loved one."
"La Ragazza?" John asked.
"It is Italian words for 'the girl' but in this context, it's referring to the witches..." the brown-skinned man answered, he spoke the word 'witches' quietly.
"Why I know this? because I could be considered a keeper for this island, my family was the boat operator that ferries the owner of this island for generations before I opened this bar, I know this island better than the tour guides."
"Mr. Bartender..." called the skinny man.
"My name's Luigi Fernando, feel free to call me Luigi or Fernando.."
"Sir Luigi, Why it was dangerous for married couples in the first place?" John was curious and concerned.
"La Ragazza like to play trick to married couple, manipulating them on her whim, and bring miseries to people."
"Mr. Luigi, have you ever met the witches on this island?" the glasses guy asked.
The bartender shook his head, "Fortunately, never, my family had stayed away from the taboo all this time, it was a story told by my great grandfather and always told to his descendant, the story was words of warning."
"What about the island's owner?" The glasses guy asked again.
Luigi Fernando shook his head, "I don't know, she always came alone and not on the time of the season of the witch, only once that she comes together with her male companion in the season of the witch, it was the first time after she bought the island from the other owner and the last time she came with a male companion, after that she either always came here alone, or accompanied by other women."
"So, the existence of 'La Ragazza' and the island's taboos are on the level of urban legend I assume?" John questioned, he felt a bit relieved that the story the bartender told was on the level of non-sense.
"Believe it or not is up to you, I already warn you for your well-being."
"Thanks, Mr. Luigi, I appreciated the folklore and your warning, but I couldn't let that La Ragazza or whatever ruining my honeymoon." Said John before he left the beachside bar.
--
That night, John was cuddling with Paula in their room, he already put the story of La Ragazza and the island's taboo behind his mind. He was also not bothered to tell Paulina about it. John was tired and went to sleep first, while Paulina still stayed awake.
According to Murphy's third law, if something bad can happen, it will certainly happen. Tonight, the crescent moon was hanging in the night sky. A faint mist began to envelop the island, but even with the mist blanket, the scenery she could see from her villa's balcony was still breathtaking
Comes...
Comes...
The night is calling...
Paulina began to check whether her hearing had a problem or not, but she could hear a woman's voice, the voice was talking, singing, and laughing. Paulina was like her husband, she didn't believe in superstition. So her first decision was to check where the voice comes from. Without walking John up, she brought up her flashlight and went out from the villa.
Here...
Come...
The voice was guiding her, when she got her awareness back, she was already in the middle of the forest and strayed away from the known forest track.
"Is someone there?" Paulina heard another woman shouting. Soon, she could see the figure of the woman, she was a tall and leggy blonde bombshell in a bikini. A weird sight to be found in the forest and in the middle of the night to boot.
"Hello, my name is Bella, nice to meet you, do you know the way back?" Bella asked
Paulina just realized that she didn't know the way back herself.
"Unfortunately, I don't know. " Paulina shook her head.
