The cold air chilled my toes and nose with its icy breath. Winter was just around the corner but, the surrounding trees still proudly showed their autumn colors. I was on my bedroom balcony, which faced the Forest of Darkness. Tomorrow I will be standing there, at the edge of the forest, with all the other thirteen year-olds, our backs turned.

One of us will be chosen to go “live” with Those Who Have No Names. The child who is selected will live a life time of service in payment for our village to use Those Who Have No Names land. If you were picked you were never seen again.

With that happy thought on my shoulders there was no hope of sleep tonight. Would I be chosen? Or would I watch as one of my friends is chosen and sworn to be never seen again? Who would they choose? With anxiety and nerves coursing through my body, I took one last look at the beautiful full moon and turned back inside.

“Please turn around.”

The sun was playing hide-and-seek with the leaves of the Forest of Darkness. In line beside me, stood my best friend Lori. Looking at her I saw that tears threatened to spill from her eyes. In an attempt to comfort her I slid my hand into hers. As I turned my eyes back to the crowd congregated in front of the line of thirteen year-olds, I felt Lori squeeze my hand slightly.

I tried to listen to the mayor’s speech but, it was white noise in my ears. What was becoming louder and louder in my ears was the frantic heart beats of all the people around me. Suddenly a twig snapped behind me and the temperature seemed to drop ten degrees. The crowd gave a collective intake of breath and in that instant I knew that Those Who Have No Names had arrived.

I dared not turn around and look for just the thought of looking at them made my legs wobbly. Sneaking a glance through the corner of my eye I saw that Lori was as white as a newly laundered bed sheet. I could hear Those Who Have No Names walking back and forth, silently evaluating each of us.

One of the creatures who haunt so many of my nightmares came up slowly behind me. Its breath came in ragged hot succession and smelled of old ale and blood.
“Now aren’t you a pretty thing,” it said directly in my ear, “I think you should come with us. Then in a louder voice, so that everyone could hear, it pronounced, “I CHOOSE THIS ONE!”

My heart stopped, for I knew I was the chosen one.