The Night of the White Raven

The big old house that Auguste Severil lived in was full of mystery. If by mystery you meant dusty, cobwebbed corners and creaking beams in the night. Auguste was the last of his family, and so had come to inherit the big old house he had grown up in.

The Severil family was one surrounded by the mist of intrigue. In the old days, this amounted to shady dealings, mistresses, and illegitimate claims to the family monies, but nowadays, Auguste was more concerned with contemporary distractions. He spent weekends in Vegas, and unfortunately for him, much of what happened in Vegas left with him, becoming local lore.

In addition to Auguste Severil's conquests, local lore also mentioned an ancient tale, long regarded as a silly children's story. It was outlandish at best, and Auguste paid little heed when the other inhabitants of his town brought it up.

They told of a woman whose beauty could ensnare even the most level-headed men. A woman with eyes like ice and hair like the raven's feather. She was said to appear out of the woods on occasion, and snatch off some young bachelor, and if he had the good fortune to return, he was never the same. But the tale was silly. No woman could have such power, and besides, they claimed she was no woman at all, but a harpy, a creature half-bird and half female who could tear a man apart as soon as look at him. Auguste scoffed at this notion. He had seen too many movies, played too many video games. Things like that existed only in World of Warcraft servers and poorly-made indie films.

All the same, as a gesture of defiance, he would often take to walking at night, skirting the edge of the woods. It was on one of those occasions that something entirely out of the ordinary happened.

It was a clear night, the stars blinking brightly in the heavens. Auguste was peering confidently into the trees, here and there glimpsing the glowing eyes of a deer, or the rustling wings of an owl. Suddenly, he glimpsed a misty, steady ball of white light some ways into the woods. This was something he had never seen, and something called him to follow it.

The hairs at the back of his neck stood on end, and for a moment, the words of his neighbors came back to him, but he waved them out of his mind to continue.

It wasn't long before he came upon a small cottage in the woods. The bright white light was now gone, but a warm, friendly glow emanated from within the cottage. Realizing that he couldn't possibly get back to the road in this darkness, he rapped upon the door.

The door creaked open with a sudden scream that should have struck fear into Auguste, but he knew better. It was just a door. The face beyond, however, was no ordinary face. It was the most beautiful woman that Auguste had ever seen. Again, his neighbors' words crept into his head, but he dismissed them impatiently. Though it was true that this girl had eyes like ice, she was also in possession of the palest blonde hair that Auguste had ever seen. So much so that she seemed to emanate a halo of the friendly glow about her. She smiled lightly.

"Lost, sir?" she asked, her voice light and musical.

"Yes... I deem to have lost sight of the road..." Auguste muttered distractedly. The young woman smiled, her porcelain face glowing.

"I love walking in the woods at night. I'll take you to the road."

The two walked for some time, in quiet conversation. Auguste had every intention of somehow taking her home that night, and was inwardly plotting how to convince such an innocent looking woman to accompany him.

"I don't even know your name." he said when they had reached the road.

"Raven." The girl trilled.

"Well, Raven, I would be most pleased if you could come home with me tonight and continue our conversation over coffee. The night is getting quite cold."

The young woman blushed slightly, her fine features lit even more, if possible, with happy glow.

"I would love to." She smiled.

Upon reaching the huge old house, the young woman gasped.

"You live here?" She asked.

"Yes, my family was quite well off, and I am the only one left."

"It would be a shame then, if something were to spoil your line..." She murmured, half to herself. Auguste was too busy staring up at his grand home. There was nothing quite like showing off.

So coffee was procured, and drunk, and soon, Auguste realized that Raven was just as eager as he was to indulge in more than simple conversation.

The two had barely made it to Auguste's huge bedroom when Raven; suddenly bashful, dashed off, claiming she needed a moment to look her best. Auguste sighed. Women...

When the door to his room next opened, Auguste knew that it had been worth the wait. Something about the girl was different. She no longer gave off a happy glow, but a smoldering, raging flame.

She slunk to him, and after a moment's kiss, she had pulled him down to the bed. He ran his hands through her jet-black hair... And then realized something was very wrong. Gone was the bubbly, innocent blonde, and in her place, a woman with eyes like ice and hair like a raven's feather.

"You've been deceived, Auguste." Raven smiled sadistically, voice much deeper and more powerful now.

"You've played your last game." She said, blue eyes aglow. "Too many women have been shamed by you, and your family name suffers more at your hand than it ever did in the past. It is time to end this."

Terrified, Auguste shrunk back, scrambling off the bed.

"Please don't kill me..."

"No, Auguste. That would be all too easy. I have something much different in mind for you."

And the beautiful woman before him twisted, feathers sprouting in ugly ridges from her pale arms, a crown of them cresting her head. Her hands stretched into talon-like claws.

The screams from that house could be heard a mile away on that night. When the neighbors came, they found little but a crumpled, weeping Auguste, completely emasculated, and a single Raven's feather lying on the bed.