Reborn in Moonlight

oodied teeth. She ran barefoot, her heart glowing with green fire. "Teresa no!!!!" Seeing the large howling wolf lunging at her, she hesitated, seeing something hu

throbbed in her chest. There was a pressure in her head, like a memory trying to surface, but it slipped away whenever she tried to grasp it. With a sigh of frustration, she wrapped her wrist in a bandage and put on her blue coat. --- Later that morning, life continued as usual. Rain fell on the paving stones on the streets, the scent of wet pine, leaves and fresh earth wafting through the mist. Aerin tightened her coat as she entered the old bookstore where she worked-a decrepit building named "Whispers & Ink," nestled between an antique store and an herbalist's shop. The bookstore always smelled of lavender, dust, and forgotten pages. It was a peaceful escape from the world, her abode, a place where she could lose herself in stories that weren't her own. It was a place where she found solace in, where she express her worries. But certainly not today. She needed answers to her unending questions. Her thoughts were like puzzle pieces. As she pushed open the creaky backroom door to restock old inventory, something caught her eye. A floorboard near the far wall seemed slightly raised-just a small gap, hardly noticeable. Intrigued by it, she knelt down and pried it open with a metal ruler. Her heart skipped a beat. Inside was a weathered, leather-bound journal, adorned with strange symbols, swirls and, runes which gave it an archaic outlook. The leather was cracked, it's edges softened by time.The pages inside smelt of old ink and scent of ashes and flowers. And then... the same crescent moon that was etched into her wrist was carved on the front covering of the journal. She stared at it, unmoving, then picked it up. Her fingers tingled as if the book was vibrating beneath her touch. She flipped to the first page. The words were in a language she couldn't identify. And yet... she could understand them. She found this strange