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The wooden floor creaked under the weight of Tobias. He stared out the window to look up at the waterfall on the mountain. The sun was setting. He knew Keira had disappeared into the woods after the morning council meeting. He walked across the room again, only to return to the window. That morning’s conflict had disturbed him. It was cruel to tell a child that death would come for her. Perhaps. But what should they have done? Lie? Tell her that everything would be alright?

Tobias sat down on his desk. His house was warm from the fire crackling nearby. Evidence of his supper was still on the desk. The bowl had been full of delicious stew, and now only a small amount remained. He had more in the pot in the kitchen. He was surrounded by luxury and abundance. Did he need it all? Could he not have made room with Keira? His house had once had laughter and joy when his wife and son were alive, but now the rooms were silent. He could have made space for the child. He should have made space for her, especially when she was also looking after her baby brother. Gideon had been so fond of Keira when he was alive. He used to scold Chris when he teased his sister. Gideon would have wanted Tobias to look after her, and instead he burdened her with the truth of her own fate and the grief of his own loss.

He breathed out. Perhaps Keira had been right. Perhaps they should have all done better. Perhaps it was time to go and fight the monster behind the waterfall. Sacrificing one person, every two and a half years, didn’t seem like much to give for the peace and quiet in between, but maybe it was? You could never really connect with anyone for fear that you would lose them. People clung to each other the day after the monster came, but then pushed away in the months that it would come back. With the monster having just come a few days before, they were in the period where relationships were starting; people were holding hands walking down the streets, mothers cuddled their little ones for now.

Tobias moved to the shelf and took down an old puzzle box that his father had made him. Gideon had loved it and often would try to unlock it. He slid his hand on the smooth wooden side and pressed a hidden button, which opened a small drawer. There, a magnetic rock was stored that helped him move the inside lever to open up another section. He had opened the box so many times that he could do it with his eyes shut. This little push here, a button there, and a slide of a panel till eventually there was a click noise of the compartment opening. Inside were letters and drawings that Gideon had made. Items that Tobias had stored there to remember his son.

He couldn’t have it all over the house; it was too hard to come around the corner and see something that reminded him of the past. Instead, he had moved the most treasured and valuable memories to this place that he could visit when he wanted to, on his own terms. His hand felt the rough texture of a small stone with a face etched onto it. It had been his son’s pet rock for a few weeks when he was six. An idea pulled at his mind. A single thought that pushed against every belief that he had about the way his life worked. He looked down at the memories of his son. This wasn’t the time to be nostalgic. He closed the lid. Gideon had fought with Chris shortly before he was taken. He didn’t know Chris well, but he could imagine that he didn’t take to his small baby brother. The baby must have seemed like such a burden on the teenager when his mom died. He wondered.

Did the monster work with emotions? It did know who its victim had argued with prior to their death.

For as long as Tobias could remember, the scholars all looked at physical attributes and family connections. They insisted that certain bloodlines were more at risk of the monster than others. There were families in the village that never feared the creature, as none of them ever were taken. But if Tobias thought about it, these were families that kept to themselves. They weren’t part of the village gossip or bar fights. Maybe there was some type of emotional connection, rather than a physical one, between each victim.

The thought didn’t leave him. Maybe they could save Keira. Maybe it wasn’t her fate to die. Her baby brother wouldn’t have any malicious intent towards his sister. Maybe…

His back straightened, and he hoisted the box back to its place on the shelf. His eyes cast out the window casually to the high mountain.

He could make a difference, but he wouldn’t be able to do it alone. If he could plant seeds with the other villagers that there was another way and that they could kill the beast, then maybe they could live in peace forever. They wouldn’t have to worry about monsters and ticking time bombs. If he could rally them all together, then maybe, just maybe, it would work. If the monster really did pick its victims by the conflicts and emotions of its last victim, then this was the time to attack. A small child couldn’t have much resentment towards anybody. It would be weak in its cave.

Tobias, fueled by this thought, strode out of his office and house. The door slam echoed down the silent cobblestone street. It was now getting dark, but he had to find Sandy. Sandy would be able to tell him if he was crazy or not. She would talk sense to him if he was just being sentimental towards Keira.

“Hey, Tobias,” a voice floated through the darkness.

Tobias turned and saw in the street light that it was one of the guardsmen, John.

“Hi John,” he replied with a wave.

“You out late. Your nose is normally in a book around this time.”

“Ah, yes,” Tobias smiled. “I’m off to visit Sandy.”

“Say no more,” John chuckled. “I’m pleased for you to be visiting her. I thought maybe I saw something between the two of you at the last fall dance. Your secret is safe with me.”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing like that…” Tobias exclaimed.

But John winked and gave him a thumbs-up, then whistled a tune as he turned away, pretending that he didn’t see anything.

Tobias gave up. He knew that by morning there would be all types of gossip about him visiting Sandy at night, and by breakfast, people would be convinced that they were engaged, and that Sandy was pregnant by lunchtime. That was the nature of village gossip, thanks to people not having enough to talk about. He must remember to give Sandy the heads-up.

He knocked on Sandy’s door. There was a rummage of noise inside as Sandy kept several creatures and furry things inside her house, which she was scolding now to get away from the door. Tobias smiled to himself. Eventually, the door was opened a crack, enough for Sandy to poke her nose out.

“Tobias!” she squealed. “I wasn’t expecting you. Sorry, it’s a bit of a madhouse in here. Is something wrong? Did you not get my report this afternoon? I left it with Susan, who assured me she would give it to you.”

“No, no, no. It’s nothing like that,” Tobias said. “Sandy, an idea occurred to me. Well, actually several. And I wanted to, I guess, bounce them off you. You probably know my story the best in town, and I want to ensure that this idea I have isn’t, well, a crazy one. That maybe it is plausible.”

“Oh, wow,” Sandy stammered. “Yes, yes, by all means, come in, Tobias. Let me put the kettle on.”

With that, Sandy opened the door, and a purple duck with long stalk legs flew out in a flurry of feathers. Sandy hollered after it, and Tobias walked into her house. There were strange purring cats and birds with horns inside. But despite the amount of feathers and fur, it was very clean and inviting.

“Shall we not go after the… um… bird?” he asked.

“What, Flippowa? No. No, let her be. She’ll be fine. Now, where is that kettle? You’ve got to tell me about this idea of yours, Tobias. It sounds most intriguing, especially since you came to me at night to discuss it. You know this village will have you father my children by lunch if they spot you coming here.”

“Yes, John did unfortunately see me, so I’m afraid that regardless of what we talk about, there will be rumors tomorrow.”

Sandy took her bright blue kettle and filled it up with water to put on the fire.

“Then you better have a really outrageous idea to counteract the months of gossip you’ve subjected me to.”

“I want to kill the monster,” Tobias said, flatly. One of the birds squawked.

Sandy dropped the kettle and the water splashed everywhere. Soon there were a number of creatures by her feet, licking it up, but her eyes were locked onto Tobias.

“You know the beast takes who it will,” she said.

He nodded.

“I know.”

“You said that. You, Tobias. You said that to the little girl just this morning.”

“I know.”

“Is that why you want to go now? Have you gone soft? I know she was Chris’s sister and Gideon was friends with her.”

“I know, but that isn’t the reason.”

“Are you sure? I know times are tough. I know it’s hard wrenching what you had to say to her this morning. But you were truthful, Tobias. What you said was right. There is no point in us helping her when it is clear that the monster is after her family. Even if the sins aren’t here and maybe they are the sins of her ancestors, no one knows; it is obvious that it has a taste for her bloodline.”

“But what if it isn’t about bloodline?” Tobias said. “What if it’s about revenge? You know Gideon had that fight with Chris before he was taken…”

“Aye, I remember.”

“And you know Chris didn’t take to the little one. His mother died giving that baby life. And after, he had to look after it and his sister. A teenage boy with two more mouths to feed other than his own…”

“What are you saying? That the next victem is the previous one’s nemesis?”

“Maybe.”

There was a moment of silence before Sandy knelt down and picked up the kettle. She refilled it and hooked it over the fireplace.

“My sister did have a grudge over that man who broke his heart,” she said. “I just thought it was ironic that he was taken after her. Unless what you are saying is true, in which case my sister had somehow told that monster…”

“I don’t know how it works,” Tobias said. “All I know is that a few days ago, that, that thing, took a small boy. It can’t be strong after that. It has to be weak. I say that now is the time we move.”

She looked up at him. The firelight flickered across their faces in warm hues of orange and yellow.

“Aye,” she said. “This is a crazy idea. But I reckon you might be onto something.”