The Wandering Girl

Upon arrival at the village we were asked about our “shopping” trip. We all had our stories straight the before entering the woods, so there was no suspicion about the grown ups at all. We then went to the elders.
“Where have you been?” They asked.
“Shopping in the city.” We replied.
“Where have you really been?” They asked again.
I didn’t know what to do. To tell the truth would result in severe punishment.
“Shopping, why, where did you think we were?” asked Leah.
The elders fell silent.
“We were wondering,” Jack began. “If you could tell us some more stories.”
“About the Forbidden Woods and ghosts,” added Sam.
The elders were wise so Sam’s lack of subtlety surely couldn’t fool them.
“There are some tales that we elders prefer not to share with the younger members of the tribe. We tell you what we think you need to know to keep you out of trouble,” Began one of the elders. “We usually refrain from telling you the reasoning behind the warning. An example of this is the Forbidden Woods.”
“We overheard some adults talking about the Forbidden Woods and a ghost,” I said, trying to remain the least suspicious as possible. “So we all thought it would be best to hear the truth straight from you.
“There have been tales of a girl; the wandering girl. She has been doomed to roam the Forbidden Forest for all eternity because she was a witch. She detested our tribe, haunting us with evil spirits that drove the tribal members mad. Some committed suicide, others left the tribe and our numbers dwindled.”
“Why did she hate the tribe?” Sam asked.
“Her parents were the most evil people to ever set foot on the earth. Once they were found, we put them into a prison. Both were full of pride, which took over the love for their only daughter. They killed themselves rather than be kept prisoner. Their daughter believed from that day on that we killed them. So she sent the evil spirits and then, the magic became too much for her. It killed her. Being killed by death is a horrible fate. Death itself spat her back out, leaving her to wander alone for all eternity.”
“What would happen if she was found?” I wondered.
“It has been said that our tribe were warned never to enter that forest as only magic keeps her from hurting our tribe anymore. Seeing a member of our tribe would spark a new ambition inside her, freeing her from the bonds that keep her at bay. The tribe would once again become haunted.”
“If this happened, how could she be stopped?” Leah asked, eyes wide with fear.
“It has been said that she will never stop until our tribe becomes non-existent, every tribe member dead. She has become too strong over her many years in exile for the magic to overcome her again so no one knows what will stop her. Although, she has lost control of the evil spirits, so all evil that is released onto our tribe would come directly from her. However, there is nothing to be worried about,” the elder finished, seeing the horror etched into our faces. “No one has stepped foot in the Forbidden Woods for centuries. “

We left the tent in silence. What had we done?
“I’m sure it is just a story, the girl didn’t even acknowledge us when we walked past.” Leah said, trying to reassure herself.
“If the girl is real, the story must be real!” Sam cried.
“Maybe someone saw the girl years ago and tried to make up an explanation to her presence so they made up a ghost story and told it to all of their friends, who passed it on.” Jack said, but his eyes were still wide with fear.
I couldn’t speak for fear had taken over me.