A little town known as Kiyindar rested in the middle of great woodlands, it was like a haven for travelers who were on their journey through the woods. Kiyindar offered food and a safe place to rest to anyone and although it was a small place, it had a reputation of being a very hospitable town. Generally, the residents were kind and hardworking people and they enjoyed to hear stories from different parts of the world as they rarely did any sort of travel beyond the woodlands. This great forest was a humongous one and anyone could easily get lost in there if strayed from the main path, but the people of Kiyindar knew it fairly well and they could act as guides for a small monetary fee. The forest was part of them and the people considered it as sacred place that hid many secrets and stories.

Chasing after these stories was the reason why Kimene and Amaru had journeyed to these fabled woodlands. Kimene was a folklorist so naturally he was driven by a curiosity to learn more of such subjects, and now their way had led them here. He could recall that he had heard some tales from this forest when he had been a child, but he had wanted to visit the place himself in order to learn more about what this place had to offer. Most likely he could even uncover stories he hadn't heard of before and he was excited to visit Kiyindar.

The clatter from Kimene's hooves echoed slightly around the main path that slithered though the grand forest, being pretty much the only sound, though a faint breeze was shaking the leaves of the trees, making a soft noise. The deer was curiously looking around him, noting that the rather dark foliage gave the woods a unique look. It really brought to his mind an enchanted forest. He kind of felt like a little fawn again. While he was captivated by the wonders of the forest, his partner, Amaru, was walking along the path a bit more patiently. Though, it did bring warmth to his heart to see his partner being so excited. He smiled a little to himself, but Kimene wouldn't even notice because he was walking a little ahead of him. 

It was afternoon and the sun was shining brightly, shedding light to the world of plants. Kimene and Amaru had been traveling since dawn and during the whole day the weather conditions had been pleasant. Their journey through the woodlands had been enjoyable, but they had started to feel a little exhausted after walking so long. But when they had started to contemplate that a time for a break would be a good idea, suddenly they faced a sign that said: “Welcome to Kiyindar.” The message was written with a beautiful handwriting and gorgeous flowers decorated the frames of the sign. It truly felt welcoming. And just like that, they stepped into the town, the change being so sudden that it almost felt like they had gone through a curtain that separated two different worlds. At that moment, Kimene and Amaru forgot the ache in their legs and looked around the town, mesmerized by its wonders.

The atmosphere was benevolent and magical. The town consisted of small but very cozy houses that were painted with a lot of different colors, making the whole Kiyindar a very vivid place. It was bustling with life, there was surprisingly many folks going around, doing their errands or just having a chat with someone. The reason for such a crowd was soon revealed as Kimene and Amaru walked further into the lively town. There were some people constructing stalls and some were decorating the roofs, windowsills and many other places with flowers. It seemed like Kiyindar was getting prepared for a festival of some sort. This realization delighted Kimene, for this could possibly be material for his book of tales from around the world.

Kimene and Amaru walked through the busy streets of Kiyindar and spotted a fountain. It was a simple thing, had some carved decorations on it and it looked like a good place to rest for a bit. They sat down on the edge of the fountain and looked around for a while, experiencing the town by observing the people and listening to the many sounds that chimed in the air. 

“We should stay here a couple of days”, Kimene suggested. “You know, just to see what this event is all about.”

“I knew you would like to do something like that.” Amaru smiled at his partner.

The deer offered him a smile as well and flicked his ears a little. However, the duo couldn't carry their conversation any further when they noticed that an old lynx fell to the ground and had trouble getting back up. Kimene got to his feet immediately in order to help the elder and was soon by the lynx's side, taking hold of him.

“Carefully, sir, let me help you”, he said to the old man and lifted him up with utmost care.

“Oh, bless your kind heart, boy”, the lynx muttered, trying his best to get his balance back.

The old man was back on his feet in no time, but as he was standing again, something dropped out of the pocket of his vest. Kimene decided to be helpful again and picked the object up. It was an old golden bell that had some tiny dents and scratches in it and it was attached to a worn red lace.

“Here you go, sir, this is yours”, Kimene spoke and gave the bell to the lynx.

“Thank you, although, it doesn't really belong to me…” The old man sighed as he took the bell. 

“What do you mean, sir?” Kimene asked, always so curious about various matters.

The elder was looking at the distance with a pained expression on his face. At this point Amaru had joined them and was interested to hear as well what was going on. 

“It's fine, you youngsters don't have to listen to the ramblings of an old man”, the lynx said and was ready to leave, but Kimene took a hold of his shoulder.

“You can tell us”, the deer assured. “We have nothing but time. So please, tell what is bothering you.”

For a moment the old man was eyeing the duo, clearly having some suspicions. But the look in his eyes softened suddenly and it seemed like he was genuinely happy that somebody had shown interest in his matters.

He took a deep breath before he said: “If you really want to listen, here is my tale.”

Apparently his story was going to be a long one as he slowly made his way to the fountain and sat down on the edge to rest his old bones. Kimene and Amaru followed his example and took a seat again. The deer dug out his writing tools from his bag and was prepared to take notes of the old man's tale. Then they were all ears as they waited for the lynx to begin his story.

The travelers were surprised to learn that Kiyindar was fairly new town. In fact, the old lynx was older than Kiyindar. Many decades ago, a little further to the east, there had once been a town called Sinnara. It had resembled a lot what Kiyindar was nowadays, the only difference being that it just had been older town. The founders of Kiyindar were originally from Sinnara, they hadn't left because they wanted to, but they had been forced to flee, because a disaster struck their beloved little town. It had happened suddenly, without any warning. A destructive fire broke out, and even to this day, what had started it remained as a mystery. Folks of Sinnara had been slumbering in their homes when it started and some of those people never made it out. The fire had been immensely devastating that all efforts to put it out had failed. It had spread fast and, in the end, the residents of Sinnara had to accept that they couldn't stop it. People ran away into the night, to the shelter of the great forest. The old lynx had been a child back then and had escaped to the woods with one of his neighbors that had happened to be also a good friend of his father. His mother had told him to go with the neighbor while she would try to find the father, who happened to be blind. The lynx had assumed that his parents would soon follow, but unfortunately, he never saw them alive again.

Perhaps the spirits of the woodlands had protected the trees as the fire didn't spread to the forest. When the morning dawned, Sinnara was no more. The lynx hadn't seen all that destruction by himself, but other survivors told him that all the buildings had burned, more or less, and there were too many of those who hadn't managed to escape – including his parents. He became a grieving refugee like so many other folks of Sinnara and they began their wander in order to find a new home.

For a long time, he had pondered why his parents hadn't been able to escape the fire. He could only guess what could have happened, but in the end, he had a pretty solid theory in his mind. He remembered a tiny detail when he saw his mother for the last time: she wasn't wearing the bell she usually had. Maybe because of this, his father couldn't have recognized her. One time in the past his father had been a victim of a demon. It had touched his soul so severely that although the demon had been banished, the effects of its wickedness had been present even years later. The demon had tormented his mind by impersonating his wife, speaking with her voice. Even though he knew that the demon had got eliminated, upon hearing his wife's voice he still couldn't be sure was it truly his spouse or was it the demon. That's why the lynx's mother wore a bell on her neck, so its chime would prove that it was indeed her voice. A cleric had made this special bell, so any time his wife spoke, the bell would resonate with her voice and also calm his nerves. It had become sort of like a token of their love. But when she went to get the father, she didn't have the bell for some reason, the lynx never understood why. It probably had been truly horrible situation for the father, surrounded by danger from all sides and not knowing the path to safety because of his blindness and he couldn't possibly trust the only voice that he was able to hear. One thing the old lynx was sure about: his parents never found each other.

Or that is how it seemed like. Years after the tragedy in Sinnara and the establishment of Kiyindar, the lynx had just reached adolescence and had traveled to the ruins of Sinnara. It had been a truly heartbreaking sight, everything that had been so dear to him had been destroyed. Although, it did make him feel a bit better witnessing that the nature had started to claim the burned town as its possession, healing the place in its own way. However, the anguish still lingered in the air and during this trip to his burned home, he learned that so massive was the agony of those who perished that day that their souls hadn't been able to move on and were still bound to Sinnara. This included his parents as well. That night he saw his mother and father, but not in a way he had wanted. Their ghosts had appeared in their old home and the sight of them had made his heart ache. They were looking for each other, but uncapable of understanding that they were close to each other. They would do this every night, but without the bell they would keep seeking for all eternity. The lynx wanted to help his parents to pass on, but wasn't sure how to do it.

But he knew that he had to find the bell. Though he understood that it was easier said than done; it could be literally anywhere. Years passed, but he never gave up. Then, like a sudden blessing, a mage came to Kiyindar and decided to settle down in there. After lots of pondering, the lynx consulted the mage, asking if there was any spell or any other way to retrieve lost objects. His conversation with them brought a spark of hope into his heart. The mage told him that somewhere deep within the woodlands, there was a well that would appear only during full moons. If you brought with you something valuable and toss it to the well, it will trade the object with something you desire. However, the mage warned him that the well could be capricious and there were no guarantees that the exchange would be fair. But it seemed like the only option he had in order to get the bell, so he decided to pay a visit to this well.

It turned out to be very tricky to find. Nobody in Kiyindar knew where the well would appear, so he had to roam the woodlands in search of it. But his efforts paid off and he finally found the fabled well. He hadn't been sure if he really had discovered the right one, because it had been so ordinary looking. But he had to try it out. With shaky hands, he had taken a nugget of gold from his bag – it was his most prized possession. He dropped it into the well and closed his eyes as he heard the water splash. He waited for a short moment and then he could feel how a sudden breeze passed through the forest. Then he had heard a faint chime near him and he had looked at the sound's direction. There it had been, hanging from a nearby branch, the golden bell that had belonged to his mother. He had got overjoyed and picked up the precious token of his parents' love. He had left the well in rush, wanting to bring the bell to Sinnara immediately.

But soon after he had visited the well, he became very ill. It was so sudden that he hadn't even made much progress in his journey to his burned home town. He felt weak, had high fever and was feeling very dizzy. It had caused him to pass out in the middle of nowhere, but luckily, another resident from Kiyindar found him and was able to bring him back to the town so he could get treated. He had been bed-ridden for a couple of weeks, mumbling nonsense in his delirious state. When he finally started to get a bit better, the only thing that had been in his mind was the bell. He had still had the hold of it and he waited for his illness to get cured so he could take it to Sinnara.

However, the illness never went away, not completely. It had made him so weak that he could barely walk. This had frustrated him greatly and he got plunged into a state of despair. He had wondered for years what had caused the mysterious illness, and although he couldn't be sure, in his later years he had realized that it was probably the well that had cursed him. Maybe his offering hadn't been enough. He couldn't possibly make the journey to Sinnara in this condition, so he had tried to seek aid from others. Unfortunately, at that point in time, the former folks of Sinnara absolutely didn't want to go back to their previous home, some because they couldn't bear to see it in such a miserable state, and some because there were rumors that Sinnara was cursed and if you went there, you'd never be able to come back alive.

Years went by and the more he started to accept the sad truth that his parents would not be able to find themselves ever again. Gradually he had asked for help less and less as the time marched on and now in his old days, he hadn't brought it up at all to anyone.

Not until this day.

The old lynx took a deep breath as he finished his long story. He had closed his eyes and seemed really tired. Kimene was scribbling down some last few notes about the tale the old man had just told them.

“Now you know my story.” A short chuckle escaped from his mouth. “Sad, isn't it? Well, thank you for listening. It was nice to get it out of me after so long.”

The old man groaned a little bit as he attempted to heave his body up. But before he managed to do that successfully, Kimene took a hold of his shoulder again.

“Wait!” he exclaimed. “We can help you! We can take the bell to your parents!”

The lynx looked genuinely surprised by this. “Really? Even after everything you just heard? You know, Sinnara might not be a place for the living anymore.”

The deer was packing his writing tools back to his bag as a gentle smile appeared on his face. “We are quite used to things like this”, he said, glancing at Amaru. “My partner over here can deal with ghosts. Trust me, we are the best bet if you want your parents to find peace.”

Kimene stared at his partner with utter adoration in his eyes. He had nothing to be afraid of, because he knew that Amaru would protect him. Amaru looked back at him with tender eyes and nodded, indicating that he agreed with his partner's intentions.

The old lynx glanced both of them in turn and seemed speechless for a moment. With shaky hands, he took the worn bell out of his pocket and stared at the object, as if saying his goodbyes to it. He had tears in his eyes as he passed the bell to Kimene, who picked it up carefully and put it in his bag.

“I can't thank you enough”, the old man said. “I'm so grateful… I have waited for you for so long. Thank you. And good luck.”

“You can count on us”, Kimene reassured.

He was almost ready to leave together with Amaru, but the old man almost jumped in front of them.

“Just a moment!” he said and was digging the depths of his pocket. “You need a map in order to find Sinnara. I've kept one with me just in case and I think it will be tremendously useful for you.”

He pulled out a folded paper and offered it to the travelers. Kimene took it and he gave it a quick glance before stuffing it in his bag.

“Thank you, we really needed that”, he said. “Well, see you!”

The old lynx smiled at them and waved his hand. “I sincerely hope you'll make it! I look forward meeting you again!”

Kimene and Amaru parted ways with the old man. The busy day in Kiyindar caused him to disappear soon to the crowd and the travelers began to wander around the town in hopes of finding an inn. They were still feeling tired after traveling all day and wanted to have some well-earned rest so they could gather some energy before heading to Sinnara.

It didn't take them long to find a grand building with a sign which revealed that the place was a tavern and inn. It looked welcoming from the outside; it had a very colorful exterior like the rest of the houses in Kiyindar and it had many strings of flowers decorating it for the festival. The sign was slightly creaking because of the faint breeze that was blowing though the town as Kimene and Amaru walked to the great wooden door in front of the building. It turned out to be a little sturdy and needed a bit of yanking for the travelers to be able to get inside. But they managed to reach the interior in no time, and as they did enter a dim hall, they were welcomed by the delicious smell of the food and chatter of folks, some of them being residents of Kiyindar that had wanted to take a break from their daily tasks and some were travelers just like Kimene and Amaru. They hadn't even realized how hungry they were until sniffing the appetizing scent of food. As if in one mind, they decided to order some of that tasty-smelling cuisine and drinks, then seeking out a free table in the hall where they sat down and waited for their food to be served. Their meal was prepared quite quickly and soon they had two pints of beer and portions of roasted potatoes and veggie stew served for them. Kimene and Amaru ate with good appetite and after finishing their meal, they still decided to stay in the hall for a while, enjoying a couple of more beers.

As the light of the sun began to fade and darkness was approaching, the two travelers reserved a room for the night. They got one from the fourth floor of the inn and they began to climb the little creaky stairs. After bypassing many doors to different rooms and a couple of other guests, they eventually got to the right floor and went to their room. It was a small one with two beds and a nightstand where a candle had been placed and there was a window that offered a view to the main street of Kiyindar. Kimene and Amaru shared a little goodnight kiss before they laid down on their beds, getting a well-earned rest.

At morning, when the sun was starting to take its place from the sky, Kimene and Amaru woke up, feeling refreshed. In no time they were ready to go and left their cozy little room and descended the stairs, soon finding themselves from the great hall where a couple of people were already dining. Kimene and Amaru settled for some bread they bought from the keeper of the inn and then they stepped outside to the early morning of Kiyindar.

There weren't many folks crowding the streets of the town, yet. Kimene took the map which the old man had given them and eyed it for a moment. It seemed like they had to go to the eastern part of Kiyindar and from there, they would find a path that would take them to the heart of the woodlands and close to the ruins of Sinnara. The deer slipped the map back to his bag and then, the two travelers began to walk through the town to the east. Kiyindar wasn't a big town, so it didn't take them that long to get to the eastern border. And just like when they had arrived to the town, the transition between Kiyindar and the woodlands was a sudden one, and soon the travelers found themselves surrounded by the ancient trees. They were on a path that led to deeper into the forest and Kimene glanced at the map again to make sure that this was indeed the route they had to take to Sinnara. Then they began their journey.

They estimated that they would probably reach Sinnara in two days. That required a lot of walking, but both Kimene and Amaru were fine by this, since they both enjoyed to travel. This trip wouldn't be much different than their usual journeys, and definitely their destination wasn't the first place that was told to be cursed. With carefree mood, they wandered in the shade of the great trees.

But after some hours of wandering in the woods, they faced a little predicament. The path they had been following up to this point started to fade away, it had been claimed by the nature. It seemed like that the path hadn't really been used anymore and thus, the rest of it didn't even exist anymore. Once again Kimene took out the map and stared at it to find answers, but unfortunately, he didn't get any. In his map there clearly was a route leading to Sinnara, but the map was probably really old and showed things that weren't present anymore.

This didn't discourage them, however. It was time for Kimene to rely on his magical abilities again. He held his hand above the map for a while, until a faint blue glow appeared on his palm. The blueness began to spread to the paper, then all of it gathered into a sphere that jumped out of the map and into the air. It flew slightly above the two travelers and was spinning around like an overjoyed puppy, ready to guide Kimene and Amaru. It would show them the way to Sinnara, and so they began their journey to deeper parts of the woods, on the invisible path that had been abandoned for such a long time.

The first part of their travel to the burned town was rather uneventful. They were glad about the little blue glowing ball that was showing the way because otherwise they could have gotten lost for sure. The woodlands were like their own world, and it was a mysterious one. It almost felt like something that if you got lost, then you'd wander in it among the shadows and spirits forever. Although it was a little scary thought, Kimene and Amaru weren't afraid, they just wanted to pass through peacefully, and hopefully the forest allowed that.

When it became too dark to continue, they set up a little camp for the night. They made a small fireplace and for a while they sat by it, staying close and holding each other, staring at the dance of fire as it offered warmth for them. Eventually they started to droop, it was a sign that they should rest. They laid down on the soft moss bed and their bodies stayed close, bringing both warmth and a feeling of safety. They slept well through the night and woke up rested by the dawn. The fire had died out and after eating a small breakfast, they resumed their journey, following the little blue sphere.

At first everything seemed like yesterday; the woods felt welcoming and accepted their presence. But later that day, Kimene and Amaru started to get a faint sensation that something wasn't quite right. Amaru felt it stronger since he had touched the spirit realm and was not a stranger with matters that concerned spirits. He could already feel grief and grudge and as they traveled further into the forest, those feelings only got stronger. They were getting closer to a place that had undergone an immense tragedy. But was it cursed or not, they couldn't tell.

Everything was so silent and still. Too silent, there wasn't even a faintest breeze blowing through the forest. It started to feel like they had entered a space where time wasn't moving forward, it was stuck to one specific moment only. And that moment was filled with anguish. The air was getting heavier somehow, as if it wasn't meant to be inhaled by the living, it was just lingering there with misery. No wonder that the folks of Kiyindar didn't want to come here. Kimene was getting nervous, but he was putting up a brave face. He let Amaru take the lead as they followed the blue sphere even deeper into the woods.

They were well aware that the sun was about to set once again during their journey. But this time, the incoming darkness felt unnatural somehow. Their little guiding light was starting to flicker and it was bouncing around frantically, which indicated that their destination was near. But they could have told that anyway, because the anguish in the air was getting so strong that it made their hearts tremble. They were so close now. They would soon enter the burned town that probably hadn't been visited by living beings in decades. And they hoped that they would be able to leave alive.

Eventually they started to see dark shapes in the distance. These things were burned down buildings, deformed by the fire that had consumed the whole town decades ago. It was strange, because the old lynx had told them that nature had begun to claim Sinnara again, but that clearly wasn't the case anymore. Perhaps it was the curse that had taken over, preventing any vegetation to thrive on this land. The town remained scorched, nothing had grown on the pieces of buildings, even on the ground burned marks were still visible. The fire definitely hadn't been a natural one, clearly there had been something really wrong about it. Some kind of wicked had wanted to destroy Sinnara, but why, it was pretty much impossible to solve.

The little blue light that had been guiding Kimene and Amaru faded away as its purpose was now done. The duo wandered around the ruins of Sinnara, through the desolate scenery. At first they didn't see any other beings around, but as the clouds in the sky revealed the full moon, its light shone down on the earth, making visible the play of despair that had repeated itself in the burned town for decades. Kimene and Amaru started to see figures, townsfolk that were frozen in the last moments of their lives. The ghosts were crying and screaming as they were experiencing their deaths again and again. It was very heartbreaking to witness and Kimene and Amaru hoped that they could do something. But they were powerless in this situation.

But somewhere there were those two they could possibly help. Kimene and Amaru were looking around, trying to spot a lynx couple and most likely they could be found from around a building. The travelers took a peek in the remains of many houses, seeing numerous ghosts that had got trapped in their burning homes, and it was always difficult to just ignore them. For a good while they were searching for the right house, until finally, Amaru – who could see spirits more clearly – spotted a ghost of a running lynx woman. Kimene and Amaru collectively began to follow her, and she ran to a collapsed building that probably in her eyes was on fire. The travelers went after her, moving very carefully so the weak structure wouldn't crumble.

The woman ran through the building until she came to a large room where another lynx – her husband – was sitting. Kimene and Amaru came to the room just in time to watch their interaction, and it was a tragic scene to witness. They had found each other after all, although the old lynx had understood otherwise – but it was possible that the behavior of the specters could change. The ghosts of the lynx couple had lost their ability to speak coherent sentences long time ago, so what they were saying was pretty much gibberish in Kimene's ears, but Amaru could understand somewhat how their conversation was going. The woman was trying to persuade her husband to come with her to safety, but the man didn't believe it truly was her because he couldn't hear the bell. He was convinced that she was a demon trying to snatch his soul and he would rather burn to death than follow a demon, only eternal agony would incur from that. The woman was begging, trying desperately to make the husband believe that it truly was her, but to no avail.

At some point she turned around and looked at the direction where Kimene and Amaru were standing, observing. She was staring somewhere in the distance and there was a look of defeat in her eyes. Perhaps this was the part when she had decided to die in the fire by her husband's side rather than going on living without the person she loved most in this world. It seemed like a perfect moment to do something, so Kimene dug out the old bell from his bag and slowly walked to the ghost of the woman. She tilted her head a little as if being somewhat aware that there was someone standing before her. The deer offered the bell to the woman and she took it and held it in her hands for a brief moment, staring at it. The bell started gradually turn translucent, it was like the object was passing through the thin curtain that separated the world of the living and the limbo were the ghosts were stuck. The look on the woman's face changed; it was a mix between joy and relief. She tied the bell around her neck and turned to face her husband again.

This time her husband recognized her as he heard the bell chime together with his wife's voice. He stood up, searched for his wife's hands and as she grasped them, they were finally united after so many decades. Kimene and Amaru watched how their forms began to change, the ghosts were fading away and changing into clouds of sparkling blue lights that ascended to the heavens. Kimene and Amaru were holding each other close, being happy that they had managed to help this couple to find peace in afterlife. Even though Sinnara was still filled with misery, at least it was now reduced a little bit.

Slowly Kimene and Amaru began to walk away from the scene, embracing the fact that they were still alive and had each other, no matter what. Even though they had to pass so many ghosts that were still in a state of despair, they didn't let that dishearten them. They had done one good deed and that was enough. In the light of the full moon they wandered across the burned town, beginning their journey back to Kiyindar in order to tell the old lynx the good news.

They entered the woods again, leaving ruins of Sinnara and all that anguish behind. It was time to return to the world of living and joy once more.