Time-Thief

The Night

In a remote town where the streetlights glowed like tiny candles, the night was particularly dark and foggy. Fir trees dotted the entire town, their branches whispering in the wind. The only sound that night came from a group of children playing in the dimly lit park. They were playing peacefully when suddenly a gust of wind extinguished the lights, accompanied by what sounded like laughter or a scream. The noise was so loud that birds flocked from the trees in panic, leaving the children terrified. Then, in the near darkness, with only the faint light filtering from nearby houses and streets, rustling came from the bushes. A figure emerged that resembled a wolf, yet it was different... Its fur was completely black, its body robust, and its eyes dark, almost empty. It had sharp, blood-stained fangs. The children were frozen with fear. Suddenly, the creature lunged toward one of them. The children tried to run for their lives. One boy saw the beast pouncing on him and had no time to react. He just closed his eyes and braced for the worst, tears streaming down his face as he thought of his parents. Several minutes passed, and feeling nothing, he opened his eyes. His friends lay beside him on the ground, covering their heads. When they looked up, there was nothing there. The lights came back on as if nothing had happened. As the children made their way home, they noticed something strange: dawn was breaking. That was impossible—it had only been ten o'clock when they were at the park before everything happened. In the distance, they saw their parents and neighbors, who had been searching for them for hours. The children told them what they'd experienced, and that's when they learned about the local legend: the 'Time-Thief,' a creature that, if it saw you and made eye contact, would steal hours, days, or even years without you noticing. And in the worst cases, if it managed to touch you... it would steal your life.