The Blind Wings
What childhood stories are people still afraid of as adults in your world?
Summary
Akin to every culture that lives and has lived- parents of young seek to find ways to discourage dangerous or 'bad' behaviors.
For those within the world of the Heavy Clouds, there are many stories that have persisted throughout the ages.
Perhaps the most fundamental and popular legend and cautionary tale is that of the Blind Wings.
There are corners of the world that none stray too near. Plants cease to thrive, they fizzle out and become dead and petrified and animals that wander too close become entirely different creatures when they emerge- if they emerge. These places, this cold and dark, are believed to be where the last of the Archs fell and perished when they were betrayed by their brethren. The resting place of something so holy and otherworldly, one would think it to be warm, but for their final moments to end here within man's world, they warped what they touched. The villages that were nearby at the impact of each grave were torn apart in the aftermath. Rumors, as always, began to find birth in the humans. Whispers of what happened to the few survivors- all of whom eventually disappeared swirled around all communities. From simple explanation of them dying out to the seemingly absurd idea that they had somehow ascended into the celestial realm instead, blessed by the dying Archs. Naturally, the fear that something more sinister than nature's course being responsible made for better stories to tell around fires and in hushed voices in the quiet of night. Those soon outweighed the more rational ideas. Most elders warned of any who entered the area; it was dangerous, dead and useless, no point in going near. Of course, that just made the youngsters more eager to explore. Humanity has been the same since the beginning. To be told no, only aggravates the natural desire to go against the grain. Curiosity, a deadly human instinct. Young adults and teenagers would tempt fate by getting closer and closer to the darkness. It became a kind of game to see who could go further into it and who could stay there the longest. To make it deep inside the graveyard and wreckage would crown someone as a brave leader amongst their peers. As more and more children attempted what was initially just a silly game of proving one's bravado, the story grew further and soon there were rumors that whoever found the bones of the Arch would be granted richness beyond even the gods. No one ever quite dared to go so far in that the cold swallowed the light of the sun and the warmth of life outside the scorch marks. Even with the promises of riches, curiosity can only get you so far before fear of the unknown overtakes and stops you. Until a young girl and her brother pushed far beyond any before them. Chance and her brother Cyro were two orphans who had grown up in the central parts of town. They struggled to survive from the death of their parents, often turning to thievery and grueling manual labor. After being kicked out of yet another community, they were facing a future likely to end soon. No food, money, nothing but their own feet, the siblings decided to take the risk and attempt to find the bones and the riches allegedly with them. The other children in the town sat outside the scorched earth for days, waiting for the return of the siblings- victorious or not. But there was no return. Despite being kicked out, after nearly two weeks had gone by, the adults became distraught that the children had suffered some horrible fate inside the graveyard. They sent a small group of men to find them- or at least the bodies so that they may lay them to rest. But the group of men never returned either. When next they sent in a trio of their best hunters, there was a little more hope for a resolve to the horrors. Instead, they were lost as well. For months, a handful of people from the town stayed outside the darkness, around fires, waiting, praying. The number dwindled as time went on, until it was only the widows who remained; they were still hopeful despite it all, that their men would return to them. They began to send hunting dogs inside to look instead, no longer willing to risk more people, but the animals that did return were chaos wrapped in flesh and had to be slaughtered to ensure survival of the dwindling town. Everyone and everything that went in either never came out or came out wrong. The town elders banned entry to it when another child went missing after last being seen nearby. Settlements moved further away, abandoning all surrounding areas of the Arch grave. They did not know it, but it was happening in each one. Wherever an Arch had met its end of existing, disappearances were common as were mutations of the animals and later on, plant life petrification. The darkness was no longer assumed to be just an empty place void of life. Over time, the fear of the unknown had caused humanity to give a face to the evil lurking there. People began insisting the Arch lived in that emptiness, recovering. They would say the beast slaughters those who enter its home and saps their life to strengthen itself. And that eventually it would rise out again and abandon the earth to return home to the clouds. They spoke of the graveyard not housing bones of the Arch, but those of all who went missing. When the Arch would leave, the cloud would lift and they would find the skeletons of humans. Parents began to whisper the story to their young children, a thinly veiled threat; listen to your parents, do not go wandering, especially in darkness, or the Blind Wings will reach out and snatch you. This tale was passed to the younger populace time after time and over many decades, became almost part of every day ghost stories. For the most part, it worked. But there are still disappearances each year that are never solved and in the back of everyone's mind, they wonder if it's another pile of bones to be found when the ancient Arch awakens.
There are corners of the world that none stray too near. Plants cease to thrive, they fizzle out and become dead and petrified and animals that wander too close become entirely different creatures when they emerge- if they emerge. These places, this cold and dark, are believed to be where the last of the Archs fell and perished when they were betrayed by their brethren. The resting place of something so holy and otherworldly, one would think it to be warm, but for their final moments to end here within man's world, they warped what they touched. The villages that were nearby at the impact of each grave were torn apart in the aftermath. Rumors, as always, began to find birth in the humans. Whispers of what happened to the few survivors- all of whom eventually disappeared swirled around all communities. From simple explanation of them dying out to the seemingly absurd idea that they had somehow ascended into the celestial realm instead, blessed by the dying Archs. Naturally, the fear that something more sinister than nature's course being responsible made for better stories to tell around fires and in hushed voices in the quiet of night. Those soon outweighed the more rational ideas. Most elders warned of any who entered the area; it was dangerous, dead and useless, no point in going near. Of course, that just made the youngsters more eager to explore. Humanity has been the same since the beginning. To be told no, only aggravates the natural desire to go against the grain. Curiosity, a deadly human instinct. Young adults and teenagers would tempt fate by getting closer and closer to the darkness. It became a kind of game to see who could go further into it and who could stay there the longest. To make it deep inside the graveyard and wreckage would crown someone as a brave leader amongst their peers. As more and more children attempted what was initially just a silly game of proving one's bravado, the story grew further and soon there were rumors that whoever found the bones of the Arch would be granted richness beyond even the gods. No one ever quite dared to go so far in that the cold swallowed the light of the sun and the warmth of life outside the scorch marks. Even with the promises of riches, curiosity can only get you so far before fear of the unknown overtakes and stops you. Until a young girl and her brother pushed far beyond any before them. Chance and her brother Cyro were two orphans who had grown up in the central parts of town. They struggled to survive from the death of their parents, often turning to thievery and grueling manual labor. After being kicked out of yet another community, they were facing a future likely to end soon. No food, money, nothing but their own feet, the siblings decided to take the risk and attempt to find the bones and the riches allegedly with them. The other children in the town sat outside the scorched earth for days, waiting for the return of the siblings- victorious or not. But there was no return. Despite being kicked out, after nearly two weeks had gone by, the adults became distraught that the children had suffered some horrible fate inside the graveyard. They sent a small group of men to find them- or at least the bodies so that they may lay them to rest. But the group of men never returned either. When next they sent in a trio of their best hunters, there was a little more hope for a resolve to the horrors. Instead, they were lost as well. For months, a handful of people from the town stayed outside the darkness, around fires, waiting, praying. The number dwindled as time went on, until it was only the widows who remained; they were still hopeful despite it all, that their men would return to them. They began to send hunting dogs inside to look instead, no longer willing to risk more people, but the animals that did return were chaos wrapped in flesh and had to be slaughtered to ensure survival of the dwindling town. Everyone and everything that went in either never came out or came out wrong. The town elders banned entry to it when another child went missing after last being seen nearby. Settlements moved further away, abandoning all surrounding areas of the Arch grave. They did not know it, but it was happening in each one. Wherever an Arch had met its end of existing, disappearances were common as were mutations of the animals and later on, plant life petrification. The darkness was no longer assumed to be just an empty place void of life. Over time, the fear of the unknown had caused humanity to give a face to the evil lurking there. People began insisting the Arch lived in that emptiness, recovering. They would say the beast slaughters those who enter its home and saps their life to strengthen itself. And that eventually it would rise out again and abandon the earth to return home to the clouds. They spoke of the graveyard not housing bones of the Arch, but those of all who went missing. When the Arch would leave, the cloud would lift and they would find the skeletons of humans. Parents began to whisper the story to their young children, a thinly veiled threat; listen to your parents, do not go wandering, especially in darkness, or the Blind Wings will reach out and snatch you. This tale was passed to the younger populace time after time and over many decades, became almost part of every day ghost stories. For the most part, it worked. But there are still disappearances each year that are never solved and in the back of everyone's mind, they wonder if it's another pile of bones to be found when the ancient Arch awakens.
Historical Basis
While Historians argue that the likelihood that anything beyond folks getting lost is occurring in these areas, it is believed that the land itself simply became uninhabitable in one form or another. The soil losing nutrients, making farming difficult and raising cattle near impossible would be more than enough to push small populations to move away in search of more prosperous areas to settle and live.
Spread
This story is most commonly spread via word of mouth, most often from parent to child in attempt to frighten them into submission and away from potential dangers of the world.
It has of course, been written down, several times by many different authors and right into the modern age of now being hosted online at the end of a simple google search.
Variations & Mutation
Some variants of the story include giant wolves who hunt those who go within the darkness. Others claim that there's a voice who calls out to anyone nearby and lures them inside. And there are those who believe it is not an angel who fell and perished but a demon instead.
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In response to the prompt What childhood stories are people still afraid of as adults in your world?
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