Red Eyes

The eyes are the windows to a person’s soul.

They say that the worth of a person can be seen in his or her eyes. They say that no matter how good a person is with hiding their true selves and intentions, the eyes would always reveal everything. That is why it is seen as something sacred, and the worst punishment of all is blinding a person.

But… what would they say to a person born, not without a sight, but with too much of it?
She became a legend around, a girl wearing a black dress, around the age of fifteen, travelling around the place in search for justice. For whom? Well, certainly not hers.

“What do they call her?” Stories about her started when a group of men suddenly threw theirselves to the ground, in front of the townspeople, shouting their guilt and how they are not worth of any mercy.

The townspeople first thought that they were just crazy people, not minding them as they cry out confessions of horrible things that they have done. They were so horrid that, at the end of the day, the guards took them.

It turns out that what they have been shouting out has been true all along, that they have really done horrific things, and the guards took notice of who they are. They were wanted men, searched far and wide for the most horrible crime of all involving children. It is best not to go into details of their crimes, but in the end, they were hanged for it.

But, the authorities were, of course, confused as to why these people would even consider announcing their guilt when they have no problem doing horrid things for years. Surely, something happened that made them act like madmen?

The men told a story about a young girl, and how she can see everything and they shouldn’t have touched her, they should have let her go and not keep her there.
And that they should not have taken her eyes.

Their story spread like wildfire, a story about how a young girl with an all-seeing sight made them like a madmen. They only knew one girl like that…presumed dead.

The second incident happened the next day.

The field near the Baker’s store. I have seen underneath his field.

A letter appeared out of nowhere and was delivered to the authorities immediately.

The handwriting is elegant, and the paper made of fine material. The baker is well-known in their place for being a courteous man, nothing bad can be said about him, yet this letter points to something in his land.

“Must we really take this letter seriously?”

“Well, it must have been someone playing us! This is just a jest! That baker is an honourable man! No bones inside his closet, no sir!”

“I fully agree with this! He is a friend to everyone.”

But, at the same time, they were desperate for any lead.

At that time, children started disappearing out of nowhere. One day, they would just be seen playing around the town, and the next, they would be gone. Sometimes, they would be taken right under the noses of the parents, with them being taken while they are aslept.

There were no signs of force that indicates that the children were taken. It’s as if…they left on their own.

“I think we should investigate the baker. What is happening right now with innocent children disappearing is no laughing matter.” The elder of the village stated, nodding at the guards beside him. The guards all bowed, and marched outside the room, waiting for the right authorities to come.

“I must say that this letter is just a cook up! Blaming the innocent baker like that one madwoman who says that her daughter was taken by him, this is foolishness!” One man was very outspoken of her opinion of the baker, to which almost all of the men and women inside agreed with.

The elder knew he was risking a lot in believing this but he has no choice.
The story is that when they got to the baker’s store, he was shouting, and speaking of his own guilt, just like the men before.

“I killed them! I killed them! I killed them all! She sees it, she knows it, and she sees it even if it is hidden!”

She

Whoever wrote that letter and the one that the baker is talking about must have been the same person.

“What happened to you?” The elder asked the frantic looking man. So dishevelled, unlike what he is before.

“She can never die, and she sees beyond! She sees everything, even behind that blindfold of hers… she can see everything! She!”

After that, same incidents and events kept on happening, but this time, it’s not just the children that she seeks justice for, but also those who cannot on their own.

They say that she is of the undead, for how many years that these have happened, she still is there, ready to strike.

“They call her by many names: the Angel of Death, Nightingale, the Lady of Justice- but there is one thing that stayed.”

“Red Eyes.”

Hearing the talks about her, a girl smiled. Biting into her apple, she began to wander around the town, something usual for her. It is true…she is of the undead. She is one of the unfortunate victims of the men whose story she became well-known for.
She was born into a wealthy family, one who boasted of their blood relations to the powerful Moon goddess. Every girl born into their family would be gifted an ability by the Moon, the first time the Moon shone upon her, they say that her eyes turned to the most beautiful shade of silver.

She was, then, declared the most blessed daughter to be born, with her eyes being granted a gift by the Moon…the sacred part of the body.

“Good morning, Alicia!” The townsleader and many more well-known people would come to their house to see her.

“Good morning, ser.” She has always been a polite child, something that her parents would proudly tell other people again and again. The man in front of her has a thickly-wrapped package, so thick that whatever is inside must have been small compared to it.

She stared at it, and within a second saw what is inside it.

“I see that you have brought me a new dolly.” And the man would laugh, opening the thickly-wrapped doll to present to her. She squealed and hugged the precious doll, it looks like her!

“Thank you so much!” The man ruffled her hair.

“As seeing as always eh, Alicia.”

Almost all of the people that would come to their mansion would play this game with her. Wrapping a thing so thickly or placing her gift into another box within a box until it became so small.

“Hello, Alicia.” A prince once visited her, carrying with him fifty hidden gifts on his three carriages.

“Your highness,” She bowed and smiled at him. The Prince ruffled her hair, and guided her towards the three carriages that he has. The minute she saw the first carriage, she saw the dress hidden underneath its floor. And another one hidden on the roof, with shoes!

She looked at the Prince and waved at him to come to her height, making the Prince kneel in front of her. Of course, this got a lot of people to gasp and mutter.

“Alicia, you shouldn’t have made the prince-“ Her father was stopped by the prince.

“It is fine. It is my decision to kneel.” And the Prince urged her to continue. Alicia went nearer to him and whispered.

“Why do you have a dress hidden on the floor and the roof? Also, the shoes!
Wouldn’t it be torn?” The Prince laughed at what she said, making the people around them stop at their muttering.

“You already have seen three of them? Alright, this is what we are going to do.”
By the end of the day, she got all of the fifty gifts for herself. The Prince, who have enjoyed himself with their little game of hidden objects, expressed his desire of coming back again.

This also led for her older brother to befriend the Prince, which he said to be another reason for him coming back.

“A ring! It is made of silver and on the centre is ruby!” Of course she would always win, nothing can be hidden from her eyes, nothing.

Everything was going great in her life! No problems have arisen, or at least those enough to shake her whole world…

She can see anything beyond the walls, the ceiling-

And she regretted on having it.

She was naïve enough to believe that.

“Don’t wander far, Alicia.” Her mother told her, while on the town’s market. She was given permission to go around the market, a few money on her to buy things she want to eat. The people around the market are good people, they all knew who she was.

“Hello Alicia!” Greeted the apple vendor that she always stopped by first whenever she comes outside with her mother.

“Hello mister April! Two apples please!” Usually, she would have bought one, but today, she was particularly hungry for her favourite fruit.

“Here you go! Come back!” She waved at the man and just ran towards her second destination. While running around, she could see that everything is the same as always, minus the honey vendor who is probably out to get some more of his delicious product!

“Huh…” But then, she came to the end of the market. Usually, there would be nothing wrong with it but, she saw something horrible.

On the house on the end, with the field behind it, are crying children. They all look so hungry and dirty, something that she hadn’t seen before in a child her age. No one went hungry on their town, her father made sure of that.

She saw a young boy crying, this one looks so thin and sickly.

She stepped closer and closer, wanting to see if they were alright… this is wrong.

“Hello there, little girl. Where are you going?” She looked up from biting her apple; there stood an old man wearing nice clothes. The only indication of her being startled is when her eyes widened slightly.

She saw the man… he was inside the building not just a moment ago. She saw him, he dragged out a child who is not moving.

“I’m going to go home. My mommy must have been waiting for me.” She felt danger radiating from this man, she KNEW that he is dangerous, and this time, her eyes won’t save her from this. She was about to run away when another man came from behind her.

“Dang! This is no good! Don’t let this girl go!” The man in front of her took hold of her, she started squirming, kicking and screaming. No! She was being taken by the bad men!

“HELP! MOMMY! HELP!” Before she could even shout more, the man tied a handkerchief around her mouth, making her unable to do so.

“Why do we need her? We’ve got enough kids in there!” The man who was carrying her asked, she is still squirming to be let go but to no avail.

“Don’t you know who she is?! She’s the Lady Alicia! She can see beyond anything! She must have seen what’s happening inside there!” They know who she is… and what she can do. She thought of her ability as nothing more than a blessing by the Moon, a gift, nothing can go wrong with it…

This was the curse of this ability she has. She have seen something beyond what she knows... and what she shouldn’t have seen.

They entered the room that she saw outside, the room filled with crying and hungry children. She was dropped there in the middle of the room. The children all became quiet at the sight of the two men, fear radiating from them.

“If you guys kept on making a ruckus, we’ll all kill you here right now!” The threat was enough to shut them all up. They could hear footsteps coming from the door, with her seeing three other men coming towards their direction.

“What the hell happened here?!”

“Boss, we found Lady Alicia looking into the building. She saw everything.” And by everything, yes she means everything. She saw not just only this room; she also saw what they are doing with the children, how horrific it was.

“WHAT?! And what are we going to do with her? We will have the whole Royal guards after us if they found out that this girl is with us! You know how the prince is so fond of her, not to mention the leader of this town.” The ‘Boss’ of this little operation is right. They would all be royally screwed, and not only them, but their families would also pay for this.

“We couldn’t let her go, or we’ll be screwed. Just let her be in here.”

For days, she started befriending the children around her. Everyday, another one would be taken from them. She knows what’s going to happen to them, she knows, she can see it. It was horrific, nothing that a child should go through. They would also be shouted at, beaten and kicked by the men whenever they are in a bad mood.

“Can you see what’s going to happen to us?” Once, they asked this question. She couldn’t tell it to them, it was too horrible for a child to know their fate, though inevitable… She couldn’t do this to them… she couldn’t.

“I-I can’t tell you…”

“Why?” She cringed, not knowing what to tell them. She kept them entertained with stories that she knows, tales that she heard of from the Prince just to divert the question. Every night, she would look up at the Moon, while others sleep, she would talk with it. She swears it would talk back to her, comforting her with its light.

Weeks passed, and there are only just ten of them inside the room.

But, she could feel herself weakening. She has been running a fever for two weeks now; she knows she would be gone any day.

“Alicia?” The nine remaining children all surrounded her. She smiled and waved at them.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah… I’m just going to go sleep.” The last thing she could remember is a man rushing towards her.

The next time she gained consciousness, she felt land around her. She moved her hand, and all she felt is soil. She couldn’t see for some reason.

That was the day that Red Eyes was born.

The girl crawled out of the land she was buried on, one thought on her mind. In the weeks that she is there, she prayed that these men would be found out of what they are doing…but, without anymore children, all of them buried underneath this land, who will know the ugly stench of those men?

Justice

What she has also noticed is that her eyes are missing. She could see, but nothing is in there. She must search for her eyes, she needs her eyes. Those are hers and no one else’s. She would do everything just to take hold of her eyes.

“What did the men tell the authorities?” Another gossiping women asked as Alicia walked by them. She stopped there, looking like she is very invested on eating her apple.

“They say that the young girl, with no eyes on her, knocked on their door. When they opened it, they all screamed and ran away from the girl. She was searching for her eyes that the men took. When she found it, she just inserted it and her once silver eyes became red. They say that it was filled with the rage that she felt.”

“So… that is Lady Alicia then?” The other gossiper asked. The other woman looked around, taking sure if there is anyone else listening to their conversation.

“They say she might have been that. No one else has silvery eyes other than her, and the ability to look beyond! It MUST be here… unfortunately, the family have not found her for years.” With that there, she walked away. She could still remember that night, they were firing a gun on her, but there was no effect. She can’t feel pain.

A walking corpse if you must, the Moon saved her from the grave.

She can’t go back to her family with her like that…besides, she still has a lot to do.

“Hello there, little girl. Where are you going?” She looked up from biting her apple; there stood an old man wearing nice clothes.

“I’m going to go home. My mommy must have been waiting for me.”

Her silvery eyes turned red.

© AisieDL