Shepherd of Lost Souls (Welcome to Mistland)

Shepherd of Lost Souls is one of the stories in Welcome to Mistland written by Julie Morley.

Welcome to Mistland: Shepherd of Lost Souls
“My precious child,” the elder began with her voice shaking, “It’s just about time for you to prepare yourself for your ultimate responsibility.” Though she spoke most eloquently and with such beautiful language, the elder always sounded like she struggled to put out her words. It’s as if everything spoken were something of grave importance that the very uttering of stole every bit of energy she could muster. But still, the elder always made a point to educate the marsh imps about their past, which was a crucial thing to do. Passing down the traditions and history of our ancestors will continue those traditions and prevent any previous mistakes from coming along. She knew this and told stories to the young imps on a nightly basis.

But there was one particular marsh imp that had caught her eye, Knite. He was a small imp, seemingly weak, but one of the brightest in the bunch. His natural need for exploration and impeccable curiosity tends to get him into a lot of trouble and caught up with the wrong crowd. Especially that Xavier, that irresponsible hoblin from the Southern Farlands, who’s picked up quite the reputation for his heavy smoking and consumption of alcohol.

When the elder would tell her stories, Knite was all ears. The legends were something that amazed him; he was completely absorbed in each tale. The idea of his very great grandfather and hundreds, if not, thousands, of other marsh imps playing a special melody on their ghost pipers on the Night of the Moondance was so exciting to him. The elder had taken note of this and gave Knite special attention.

“As a Ghost Piper, you’ll need to guide along all the lost souls.” The elder smiled down at Knite and continued, “So many have perished in these woods, Knite. Children have been neglected by their mothers and left behind. Men and women of great sorcery have fallen here.” She paused, extending her finger in a warning gesture, “The lonely souls lost in this world that just couldn’t bear it any longer, deciding to check themselves out and end their suffering.”

Her eyes widened, as if they were going to pop right out of their sockets, her tone suddenly void of emotion, “These souls reside in this forest, Knite, and have spend hundreds of years suffering and searching for a way to end their agony. This is where the Ghost Pipers make a difference.”

Knite had looked confused, why was he hearing the story of the ghost pipers again? There weren’t any around anymore and he had heard the story dozens of times. Why would the elder want to tell him the story another time? It was confusing for him. Before he could inquire, the elder continued her speaking.

“Ghost Pipers have been gone for so long but you, dear boy, have a special gift that will revive the ghost pipers and restore the Night of the Moondance.” She was smiling now, almost excited to share this news with him. “You see, that horn, when you were younger, is a very specific kind of horn. Your great grandfather used it some time ago to help along those lost souls.”

“Only a few hundred souls get the chance to move forward on the Night of the Moondance and they can transform into hill folks, woodland sirens, and in some cases, marsh imps like you and I.”

She took a deep breath and continued, “With that horn, bears a most heavy responsibility that you must carry on with for the remainder of your days.”

“Are you ready to be the Shepherd of Lost Souls, Knite?”.