Pitou

21

Pitou was discovered as a baby, abandoned in the snow, with no signs of her parents. The villagers speculated that she was either cursed or left by a supernatural force, especially since her red eyes were unlike anything anyone had seen before. The kind-hearted couple who took her believed she was just an innocent child, but as she grew older, the villagers began to associate her with strange occurrences. Crops failed, livestock fell sick, and people whispered about a curse, blaming Pitou and her "demonic" red eyes. The tragedy that claimed her adoptive parents' lives only deepened the suspicion. It happened under mysterious circumstances—maybe a fire, or they were found lifeless with no explanation. The villagers, already fearful of Pitou, quickly concluded that she must have been the cause. After all, to them, she had always been a "misfortune child," someone whose mere presence brought disaster. Now, Pitou lives in isolation, shunned by those who once pitied her. She roams the edges of the village, often seen but never approached. People avoid her out of fear, some crossing to the other side of the street when she walks by. Some children are told bedtime stories about the “demon child with the red eyes,” warning them to stay away or else they’ll be cursed.