“They are here!” He screeched. “The Reapers of Mankind! The Decayers of Hope! The Huntsmen of the Apocalypse!” He burst into a strange tongue, limbs twitching in the frenzied vigor of a possessed man, his wails unearthly... and it’s in that horrible, cracked, wilted shell that I find an unaccountable terror. Realizing that the little, trembling shift of sand and dirt and skin is moving, I let out a bloodthirsty howl that the heavens above must have heard. The Giants. They still walk among us.
In the remote village of Nuabune, nestled high in the mountains of Papua New Guinea, a fearsome legend known as Sineboilai haunts the villagers. It is said that an old lady with a swollen body resides in a cottage, possessing dark powers and seeking revenge for a past injustice.
In "The Bird That Cried Bad Luck," set in the lush jungles of Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea, a family faces a dire legend surrounding a mysterious bird whose haunting call warns of impending danger. When a mother climbs a Tulip Tree to gather food for her hungry children, she is tragically ensnared by the very tree she sought to benefit them. Her children, Lila and baby Timo, must flee to their father for help, bearing witness to their mother’s transformation into the tree itself. This poignant tale explores themes of love, loss, and the timeless power of legends, as the siblings honor their mother by remembering the bird's warning and cherishing her memory through the beautiful flowers they plant at the tree’s base.
