Upon arriving at the farm, it seemed covered by a dense fog that dragged across the ground like a living creature. The entire place was enveloped in an unnatural silence, barely broken by the distant lowing of something that didn't sound entirely... animal. The humidity in the air made every breath feel heavy, and for a moment I thought that mist wasn't just water vapor, but the breath of something hidden.
It seemed logical to think that all the animals would have already lost their sanity, or worse, that they had turned into deformed beasts due to that curse infesting the valley. If any were still alive, they must be barely surviving, hiding from the monsters that were once their brothers.
Leaf and I began walking among the abandoned stables. The fences were broken, the doors hung from their rusted hinges, and the tracks in the mud indicated that something large had moved through there recently. The first enemy didn't take long to show itself: a boar with red eyes and foam at the snout, which charged at us with a guttural roar.
Its body was covered in scars, and the flesh seemed to boil under the skin. It was pure fury made muscle. I managed to dodge its charge by a hair, while Leaf raised her hands and cast a wind spell that pushed it toward a collapsed trough.
—Now! —she shouted.
I plunged my sword into the animal's side, and after a final grunt, the beast collapsed.
We had no time to rest. The next enemy, a grotesque chicken the size of a dog, attacked us from among the barn's remains, with blackened feathers and a beak sharp as a dagger. Then more came: deformed cows, sheep with multiple eyes, and even a horse that neighed with a human voice.
We defeated them one by one, sometimes in groups, using both our weapons and cunning. The important thing wasn't being strong, but knowing when to attack and when to dodge. The farm stretched out more than it seemed, a labyrinth of pens and fences covered by the fog.
We crossed a small bridge over a thin river, whose waters seemed to move to the rhythm of the wind, barely reflecting the gray light of the sky. Beyond, the pens remained closed, and from inside came unsettling sounds: thumps, scratches, muffled growls. At a glance, twisted silhouettes could be distinguished, former farm animals that were no longer what they once were.
As we advanced, a feminine voice broke the silence.
—Excuse me! Sir traveler! Could you help me?
I stopped dead in my tracks. I looked at Leaf, but she shook her head. She didn't seem to recognize that voice. I searched with my eyes through the fog until I distinguished a figure in one of the side pens. I approached cautiously and, upon entering, saw a woman with avian features: folded red wings, feathers on her arms her hair color was white and beautiful, and her eyes bright like those of a hawk of an intense ruby color. She was chained to the ground, with shackles that came out from underground.
—Hey… thank you so much for coming —she said with a weak smile—. What's your name? Well, that doesn't matter now, I suppose. I'll introduce myself. My name is Goose, luck seller.
Her words came out between gasps, and her wings trembled.
—Those filthy pig brothers caught me —she continued— and I ended up like this, as you see me. They're planning to sell me to the demonic princess Rapunzel as if I were a broken item. I want to escape before that happens, somehow.
She began to shake the chains in frustration. The metallic sound echoed throughout the pen.
—As you can see, my legs are bound and I can't fly far because of these damn things —she said, showing the iron shackles—. They may be pigs, but they're not stupid. You know where I'm going with this, right? Please, can you find the key to free me? I haven't seen those pigs for a while, but they could return at any moment. Hurry, as much as possible. And of course, I have a reward for you, naturally.
Finished with her plea, I looked at her in silence. There was something in her gaze… it wasn't entirely human, but neither was it hostile. I approached slowly, while Leaf watched me.
—What do you think? —I asked her.
She nodded. —Do it.
I took from my bag the master key I had found in Dorothy's house. It was an old key, adorned with engravings that seemed to change shape in the light. I inserted it into the lock, and with a dry click, the shackle opened.
Goose let out a sigh of relief.
—Aaah! Now I'm free! —she exclaimed, spreading her wings—. Thank you so much, really!
She approached me with a smile and handed me a small gray-covered book.
—Take this. It's a spellbook, I think for combat. I hope it's useful to you. But listen… most of the livestock here has turned into monsters, and I heard the pigs talking about something dangerous. They're planning something big, I don't know what, but it sounds terrible. Be careful, okay? I hope to see you again.
With that said, she raised her wings, and with a powerful flap, she lifted into the air, losing herself in the mist. We followed her with our eyes until she disappeared.
For a moment, the silence returned. I felt a strange satisfaction in my chest, as if we had done something just, even though we didn't know exactly for whom.
—Hey, Leaf —I said while storing the book—. Do you think we did the right thing?
She smiled, with that innocence of hers that sometimes disarms me.
—I… think so. In the end, she didn't seem like a bad gal, right? Hehehehe.
I laughed. It had been a while since I heard my own laughter in a place like this.
We decided to continue on our way. We walked north, where the land became more fertile, and the pens transformed into withered fields. The smell of damp earth mixed with that of rot. With each step, the fog thickened, covering everything with a white veil.
Through the mist, we distinguished a small clearing with some scattered trees. The ground was covered with dry leaves, and at the back of the place, barely visible, there was an extinguished campfire. Without thinking twice, I approached and lit it with some magic sparks.
The fire crackled, casting orange glints on our faces. We sat in front of it for a moment, in silence.
Leaf seemed thoughtful.
—Do you think Goose will manage to escape? —she asked.
—I don't know —I replied—. But if she has wings, she has hope.
She smiled again, and that small flame of optimism seemed to push the darkness into a corner of the world.
After resting, we continued on our way. The path climbed gently among moss-covered stones. As we advanced, the curves of the road became more pronounced, almost labyrinthine, winding between old mills and half-collapsed fences.
The wind blew with a strange tone, as if it carried distant voices with it.
Each step brought us closer to the heart of the fog, where the shadows seemed to move of their own accord. And although fear was there, lurking in the chest, so was the certainty that we had done the right thing.
Because even in a world full of monsters, freeing someone —even if you don't know who they really are— is still an act of light.
And so, we advanced through the mist, toward that place covered by the fog that awaited us.