The prophecy of the Shalforen

The breeze whispered wistfully through the woods, playfully swishing past bushes this way and that, carelessly whooshing up leaves from the ground. Then suddenly the gust dropped and silence fell over the dark wood. Not a sound was heard from any living thing. An unearthly scream broke the silence and a blue light exploded from a cottage in the depths of the forest. Then, overwhelming silence once again, broken by only a faint creak, creaking. A body swinging from a beam like a pendulum from side to side. *** "Here 'e is, father."-The stable boy crossed himself. A stooped shouldered old Irish priest, wearing a black hat, stood on the threshold, revolted by the sight and smell of the corpse. "He must be buried soon."-He mumbled struggling not wretch and covering his nose with a white handkerchief as he backed away out of the cottage. The boy stared at the hooded corpse hanging from the beam. Reaching out a filthy hand, he picked up a wooden spoon that was lying on top of a rough oak table. Curious, he poked the corpse with the end of the spoon. All of a sudden the rope snapped and the body fell on to the floor, the boy yelped and leapt back in surprise. "Father! Look ‘ere at this!"-he shouted in alarm. The clergyman turned back grumbling. "He’s go' a sea’orse on 'is neck!" The priest’s jaw dropped in horror as he recognized the scorched mark on the body. Making a hasty sign of the cross he muttered: "Holy Lord and Mother of God, evil is come among us!”