Twilight

Though asleep, Pangshin was wide awake. The little village was agog with muffled voices and whispers in the wild dark. Squatting at the edge of a bully of a mountain and inhabited by five hundred simple-minded Biroms, most of them hardworking farmers and all of them Christians, the village was still miles away from civilization. People here lived simply, life was ordinary and quiet. Tonight, men snored loudly and their women, dangling between sleep and wakefulness, stirred gently. Wandering in familiar dreams, little children wet tattered mats, while older ones muttered senseless words. The moon was awoke too-hallowed goddess of the blue shrine. Surrounded by the stars, she toured the dark-infested land with her bright all-seeing eyes, giving the village a taste of her fertile goodness. She was still in her gushing element when she saw them and gasped. The gentle moon saw them, and became the first witness to the rage of men playing gods. But while the hyenas were still circling...

I saw it all.   I saw the frightened little girl dashed inside the room, pursued by darkness. She tried to lock the door but she wasn’t fast enough. The darkness crammed the room with his dread and the girl screamed, praying to the universe to help save her innocence. But the universe    was deaf that night and God was miles away. So she begged. ‘Please don’t. Please, don’t hurt me.’ ‘I don’t want to hurt you.’ said the darkness. ‘Just want to have fun. Trust me, you will love it.’ ‘I don’t want to. Please go away.’ ‘No, not going anywhere.’ And so, she fought the darkness.   Alone, she fought.    She was a warrior, that girl was, biting and scratching, hell-bent on tasting dark blood. But she was just a little girl. And little girls are no match for a demon possessed. He punched her in the face, broke a rib or two, reducing her to a bloody mess. Then he dragged her on the bed, pinned her down and started working on her clothe...