Writing contest! Asteri

Instructions

I didn't really try...cause i ran out of ideas and had no time! sry! At the stroke of midnight, the forest was restless, you heard the rustling of the leaves, and the cracking of branches. Yet not a single soul was around, so who could have possibly made the noise? Was it a figment of your imagination, or was it a phantom? It was neither. It was a child, no more than 10 years old, whose face was covered with grimy dirt, and whose legs had been scratched and scraped by the branches around her. She had run far away so she could escape, but it was no use, wouldn’t she die anyway? And she knew this to be truthful, for she was an intelligent child, unlike most of her peers who were ignorant. She had always scoffed at those who said ignorance is bliss, because it was a false statement. This girl was given the name Astéri which meant star. Her mother, Nadia had thought that this was an alluring and beautiful name for a child, but her father had despised this label for it was a perilous thing to name a child after a star. Why was this treacherous though? This was the question that Nadia inquired and wondered above all the other questionable rules of society. She didn’t understand how this could threaten the wellbeing of the general public, because it was a harmless thing to do. At least it was to her. For the people who had total control and jurisdiction over the community saw it as a threat. It was a hazardous situation for them, but why? Because it was a risk, which was that if a child was named after something among the night their reign would end rapidly. So, to keep this from happening, they corrupted the community's sight on reality. They were said the demons only came out at night and harmed those out past nine. It would only be safe to go out again once dawn broke, when you saw the bright, shimmering lights that stretch across the sky in colors of pink and gold. It was also said that when you name a child of the night, that they could summon demons, famine, and plagues across the globe. Simply this was all untrue of course, no demon would come out at nighttime, it was actually the people in control who ordered a secret group of people to keep a lookout. But not for demons, it was for anyone wandering around, and their orders were to kill on sight. They did this so people would believe their foul lies and it worked, for hundreds of years. Until Nadia came along, who was the individual who started shattering their illusions. She was a symbol of hope for a better community, and of course those who corrupted the others were scared senseless of this. In retaliation to Nadia’s actions, they deemed her one of the foulest witches of the age. And with most still under their thumbs, people believed. After this was declared through the community it was announced that all involved or related to this witch must be terminated. This included Astéri a young innocent girl who had never harmed another in their lifetime. The townsfolk marched over to Nadia simplistic cottage, which sat on a small hill with tall grass a tiny shallow pond that resided near it. The mob had pitch forks and torches; the typical supplies brought when arresting a witch. The leader of the towns council Timothy Will Gregor was the one who made up the lie and pounded on the front door. He had almost given himself a splinter for the wood was chipping away at it.  “Who comes here?” A voice called from inside the cottage. “I am afraid I am awfully busy at the moment, so please come by later.” “And I am afraid I must speak to you now, it’s quite urgent.” Gregor replied back. “Oh, bother it!” Nadia responded with a sigh. Her footsteps echoed through the house as she made her way to the door and ever so slightly opened it up with a creak. She peered outside to see who was there, and sighed even more loudly, confirming her frustration. Nadia had light brown hair that was always pulled up in loose bun atop her head and had jade green eyes. She wore simple but elegant attire, which was a dress that went down to her ankles. It was also faded in color as if it had been wore constantly throughout the years. “And why is the entire town here! I am extremely occupied with work!” She uttered with irritation. Gregor handed her the declaration letter that said she was proclaimed to be a witch. She read it with shock, clearly contemplating the whole situation but alas she had no solution.  “Delightful.” She muttered sarcastically. Her eyes soon laid the section that proclaimed that her child would also be executed along either her. Nadia hadn’t come up with a solution to save herself but she came up with one to save her daughter. She made a split second decision that she would go along with the plan. NOW READ THE REST BELOW