O Willow Waly (the Innocents) ~ Ashley Serena | iOS HIGH-QUALITY |

Elara stood by the iron-wrought gate of the manor, the distant, haunting melody of drifting from the upper nursery windows. It wasn’t a record playing. It was a voice—silvery, cold, and achingly young—matching the ethereal depth of Ashley Serena’s lullaby.

Elara followed the sound, her candle flickering against the drafty stone walls. She reached the nursery door. Inside, the children weren't sleeping. They were standing by the window, their reflections superimposed over the dark woods outside. O Willow Waly (The Innocents) ~ Ashley Serena

Should we delve deeper into the of the manor, or Elara stood by the iron-wrought gate of the

Elara felt a sudden, bone-deep chill. The lyrics shifted in her head, the "broken heart" of the song feeling less like a metaphor and more like a physical weight in the room. She looked out toward the pond. There, beneath the arched branches of the willow, stood a figure in a sodden white dress. The woman didn't move, but the song swelled, vibrating through the floorboards. “But now her hope is dead and gone...” Elara followed the sound, her candle flickering against

As the final, mournful notes of the song faded into the wind, the nursery door creaked shut behind Elara. The candle blew out. In the sudden dark, the only sound left was the rhythmic drip, drip, drip of water onto the rug, and the faint, ghostly humming of a melody that never truly ends.

"She’s come to take us to the shaded bower," the girl chirped, a terrifyingly sweet smile pulling at her lips.

The figure turned. She had no face, only the shimmering reflection of the water where features should be. Flora reached out and pressed a small, warm hand against the cold glass of the window.