1822, July 14th
This event was not committed to paper until very recently; before that, it existed only in the oral tradition, passed from one generation to the next. As a result, many of the details have been lost to the sands of time. The exact location remains unknown, though it was somewhere along the Medea River. It is said that Elsa Rhunz was 8 years old at the time, and to her great relief, her parents had decided to move closer to the riverside.
Her relief came from many things, but the main reason for her happiness was the ease it brought to her hardest daily chore. Every morning, she rose before her parents and younger siblings to fetch water from the river. She had become a familiar sight to the other families living near the Rhunz household—a small girl with long blonde braids and the largest green eyes anyone had ever seen. People would often remark that she would grow to be one of the most beautiful women they had ever known.
However, her blossoming beauty had not gone unnoticed by a presence of which no one was aware. This entity was the true culprit behind the disappearances, taking great pleasure in the despair and disbelief it had spread among the humans. It watched and waited, biding its time for the right moment to approach young Elsa. The timing had to be perfect—it didn’t wish to be seen prematurely. The entity was a water spirit, drawn to beauty, longing to claim the most exquisite women for its underwater kingdom.
When it appeared on land, it took the form of a snow-white horse with a long, flowing mane and tail, almost glowing in its ethereal light. No one who saw it could resist climbing onto its back. Once seated, the rider was trapped, unable to dismount. The horse would then gallop through the woods at such speed that the rider would be blinded by the rush of their surroundings, until finally, it would plunge into the water, drowning its victim and making them part of its underwater realm forever.
The entity knew that today was the day—it would finally claim Elsa Rhunz. That morning began like any other. Elsa woke, took her buckets, and set off toward the river. As usual, she met the neighbor’s eldest daughter along the way, and together they walked the path worn by countless feet over the years. They talked and laughed as young girls do until they reached the riverside, where they filled their buckets with water. The journey back was slower, weighed down by the heavy water, their earlier laughter fading into quiet determination.
They had just rounded a bend in the path when Elsa stumbled, spilling both buckets of water. In despair, she watched the liquid soak into the earth. With tears in her eyes, she told her friend to go on ahead and inform her parents of the mishap. Her friend hesitated, warning that they shouldn’t separate because of the recent disappearances. But Elsa laughed it off, more concerned with the trouble she would face for returning home late. She assured her friend she would be fine and turned back toward the river. Reluctantly, her friend continued on, though she knew deep down that something was amiss.
As soon as Elsa was out of sight, the iridescent entity appeared on the path before her. It was stunning—so white it seemed to glow with a faint blue hue, its eyes shimmering with the colors of water. The horse stood still as a statue, its noble head raised as if in curiosity, ears pointed forward, waiting for Elsa to take in its beauty.
She dropped the empty buckets, staring in awe. She had, of course, seen horses before, but none like this. It seemed like an angel—or perhaps a divine reward for her good behavior. Surely, this magnificent creature had come to spare her the burden of carrying those heavy buckets!
Elsa walked toward the luminous vision, hand outstretched. Before she knew it, she was atop the horse, its mane whipping against her face as they raced through the forest. The world around her became a blur of green and brown. She had no idea where they were going, but it didn’t matter—she couldn’t get off, and even if she tried, she would surely fall and crack her head open. Suddenly, there was a splash, and she realized they had entered the river. But horses couldn’t swim, could they?
That was Elsa Rhunz’s last conscious thought. The water closed in around them, pulling them deeper and deeper into the river’s depths. The edges of her vision began to darken as her body fought for air. Panic gripped her, and she tried to resist the urge to breathe. Her head pounded, and a desperate hopelessness overtook her. Finally, her body gave in to instinct. It took a breath.
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