At first, he saw nothing but darkness. The light of the lantern barely penetrated the dense gloom of the cave. But as he descended, the walls of the well seemed to breathe — they moved slightly, like damp lungs. Nicolae swallowed hard and continued his descent until his feet touched the soft, muddy ground.
The mouth of the cave opened wide beneath him, like a dark wound in the earth. In the middle of it, surrounded by a strange greenish light, stood… a child.
It was a little girl, barefoot, with wet hair sticking to her cheeks, dressed in a thin cloth dress. She was crying softly, and her tears trickled down her cheeks directly into the soil that absorbed them. When she spotted Nicolae, she suddenly stood up.
— You came… at last, she said, without blinking.
— Who are you? What are you doing here?
— My name is Maria. I was the first. And I stayed. The well has always taken what it was given. But now it wants something else…
— What does it want?
The girl turned her gaze towards the ceiling, and the walls of the cave began to groan softly, like voices in a choir.
— It wants her. Sonia.
Nicolae felt his heart tighten.
— No! I won’t give her to you! he shouted.
The girl approached slowly. She no longer seemed like a child — her eyes were empty, like two black holes.
— If you don’t give her, it will take her. Just like it took me.
Nicolae took a step back and stumbled. The lantern fell from his hand and went out. He was left in darkness, breathless, surrounded by whispers and sighs.
But then, in the dark, he felt something in his pocket. A locket. It belonged to Sonia, with a small silver icon given by her grandmother before she died. He clutched it tightly in his palm.
— Go away! — he shouted with all his strength. — You have no right over my daughter!
A wave of cold air hit him, and then… silence. The girl had disappeared. The walls of the cave stopped pulsating. Everything was inert.
Nicolae, trembling, climbed back up the rope, pulling himself out of that world of shadows. When he emerged, the sun was rising. Sonia was sleeping peacefully, with a smile on her lips, covered up to her neck.
Since then, the well has been covered with heavy stone and cement. Nicolae never spoke again about what he had seen there. But every evening, before going to bed, he knelt by Sonia’s bed, marked her with the sign of the cross, and said:
— I will never let you be taken. Never.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to real events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher do not assume responsibility for the accuracy of events or for the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretations. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed belong to the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
