The Last Leaf

The wind will howl when the time is nigh,
The last leaf falls and you must die.
Trad./Anon.


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As dusk settled, the wind began its inevitable shift.

Mara stood by the window, her eyes locked on the old oak tree outside. The final leaf on the branch trembled in the cold breeze, refusing to fall. Time seemed to stretch as she continued to watch, unaware of how long she had been in that trance until the door creaked behind her.

“Are you still watching it?” Cal's voice, heavy with exhaustion, filled the room. His tone was the kind only the cursed could understand.

Mara didn't turn. Her focus remained on the leaf, as though staring harder could prevent it from falling. “It’s not falling. It won’t fall.”

Cal sighed deeply. His footsteps were slow as he walked over to her. He joined her at the window, both staring at the same leaf. “You know it has to.”

“I know,” Mara whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “But I can’t bear it. If the leaf falls… so do I.”

Cal's face tightened. “It’s been weeks, Mara. We can't stop it. It’s part of the pact. The wind wails, the leaf falls, and then… we go.”

Mara’s breath caught in her throat as the wind howled again, pressing against her chest. The wind will wail when the time is nigh.

The oak tree creaked, its branches stretching toward the sky like desperate fingers. She heard it—the leaf’s final cry. A flutter, as if it clung to the branch, unwilling to let go.

“Do you ever wonder how we ended up here?” Mara finally turned to Cal, her eyes filled with unshed tears. “How it all came to this? The bargain... the curse?”

Cal was silent for a moment, his voice a whisper. “We made a choice. And now… the price must be paid.”

Suddenly, the leaf shook violently, ripped free from the branch, and spun in the air. Caught by the wind, it drifted down in a slow, sorrowful descent.

Mara felt it—coldness creeping in, a heavy weight settling over her like an iron cloak. Her limbs grew heavier, and the world around her blurred as the leaf touched the ground.

The wind howled.

Mara staggered, her breath shallow, as she reached out for something, anything. But there was nothing that could stop the inevitable.

Cal’s arms wrapped around her in an instant, pulling her close as life drained from her. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “I never wanted this.”

But it no longer mattered.

The wind howled louder, and Mara's body became weightless, drifting away. She felt the pull of the darkness, her vision fading as she looked one last time at the last leaf, lying still on the ground.


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The Circle of the Oak: A Witch’s Ritual

The moon will rise when the time is right,
The first leaf falls and the world ignites.
Trad./Anon.


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At midnight, under the full moon, the witches gathered.

They stood in a circle around the ancient oak tree, its branches bare except for one solitary leaf. The wind had ceased, and the air was eerily still.

“It’s done,” one of the women whispered, her hands trembling as she held a vial of dark liquid.

“The price has been paid,” another murmured, a mixture of relief and sorrow in her voice. “Now we wait.”

The witches stared at the fallen leaf, its edges curling in the night air. They understood—what had been bound in the pact was now set in motion. The curse was no longer theirs to control.

Above them, the moon glowed brighter than ever, casting an ethereal light over the scene.


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The Lesson We All Know: The Price of Deals

Some bargains are never meant to be made. Some deals, no matter how tempting, come at a price too steep to bear. The wind will howl when the time is nigh. The last leaf falls, and when it does, we all fall with it.


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End.