Hear the voices!

The huge swamp, where Carran hunted his animals, began a few miles east of the village. It was a damp and nasty place, with suspicious movements everywhere, with strange noises, and treacherous spots. Carran knew the swamp, or at least a part of it, but that part he knew better than any other person did.

"Voices? In the swamp?" Janes thought for a moment. "No, never heard about voices." He shook his head. "I heard many strange tales about the swamp. I heard tales about wolves, howling to the moon and hunting down lost souls, I heard tales about lights that trick you into the water and let you drown, I heard about carnivorous plants which wrap their tentacles around your ankles and slowly devour you. Yes, I even heard that the swamp was alive. But no, I never heard about voices in the swamp." Janes shook his head again.
"Nothing? Never?", Carran asked again.
"I told you, I didn't hear them", Janes said agitated. "Why d'you ask anyway?"
Again there was a short silence, while both men drunk their beer.

"I'll tell you, Janes, I'll tell you.", Carran said. He inhaled deeply and began. "You know I am often in the swamp. 't is my job to be in the swamp, for Nargi's sake.. And you know that the swamp is like a second home to me, that part near my house at least."
Janes nodded his head in agreement.
"You know, some of the stories about the swamp are true. There are plants that grip you at your ankles and suck you empty. And it is dangerous to go there at night. You don't need lights to get drowned. But there is more." Carran took a short pause.
"You found something, didn't you?", Janes asked, but Carran continued as if he hadn't heard the question.
"I found out about two weeks ago. I was hunting a hare. Yes, it was a hare. I followed his tracks, and they lead me further and further into the swamp, further than I had ever been. Not so far that I couldn't find my way back, but still, further than I had ever been. And then it happened", Carran whispered, and turned pale again.
"What happened?", Janes tried again.

"I heard them. Voices. It wasn't the usual screams of the birds, or the rustling of the wind. It wasn't even howling of wolves or such. It were voices."
"Human voices?", Janes interrupted. "Deep in the swamp?"
"I first thought so, but now I'm not sure anymore. They were neither high nor low, and very melodious. I hid behind a bush and listened, while I wondered who lived here. I was a good deal in the swamp, and there shouldn't be someone. I only heard them, I didn't see any sign of them, and I was pretty sure they couldn't have seen me. I mean, they were a good deal away when I first heard them! They came closer and seemed to be talking about something. I don't know what. There were two of them, two different voices. Suddenly they stopped talking. They were silent for a while, and I already thought they were left, when one of them said
'Someone is there.'
'Yes', the other said, 'I know'.
'What are we going to do with him?'
'We'll just wait. There's time enough.'
'Yes, that's true. He will live long enough.'
'Not much longer, but long enough for us.'
'And he cannot escape.'
'No, he can not.'
They laughed out loud, and the next moment they were gone. This time they were really gone. I still remember every single word of this conversation, so frightening. Perhaps you don't understand, but I was there, and I tell you, it was darn scary. I wanted to scream, to run away, but somehow I was frozen at the same time. And then that laugh". Carran shivered.
"A strange conversation, strange indeed. You don't know why they were there?", Janes asked.
"No." Carran shook his head with a sad face. "No, I don't. But that wasn't all. I hoped it was, but it wasn't. I went home immediately after it happened, and put myself into bed. I was frightened, man! Somehow I managed to sleep. As I woke up next morning, and saw the sun rising, I thought I had dreamt everything. I thought I had imagined those voices. Why not? Sometimes the swamp can give you strange thoughts. Now I know they were really there, but then... Perhaps I should have run away from here."

"You still can", Janes proposed.
"Well, maybe, maybe not. I'm afraid it won't help. And what is running away good for if it doesn't help? No, I will bear my fate, whatever that may be. Anyhow, I heard them again, just a few days later. I had just shot a beaver. A thick one, with an extraordinary fur. Sold him today, for a good price. Well, so I had just shot him, and tossed him on my shoulders, when I heard them again. They were just as frightening, just as disturbing, just as mysterious as before, and much closer to my home. I still remember this conversation as well. I think I will never forget one of those.
'He's got another one', one of them said.
'Yes, but we still have plenty of time.'
That was when I knew they weren't caused by my imagination. Again I wanted to run away, but I didn't. Again I didn't. I just had to listen.
'Patience is a noble good', they continued merciless.
'We shall wait, and get him when the time is there.'
'Yes, we shall show him what trespassing means.'
'Because he does not belong here.'
'No, he really doesn't.'
That's what they were saying. I'm afraid of them, Janes. Why did they come after me? Did I go too far into the swamp? Did I disturb something that should have left alone? But I never heard of them! How could I know?"

"I don't either, but calm down Carran. Perhaps someone's just playing tricks with you.", Janes tried to reassure him.
"I...I'm not so sure. I couldn't find any traces Janes. I couldn't find any traces at all. I have looked for them, searched that whole day, but nothing." Carran shook his head. "Nothing. How can someone have a voice, and make no traces?"
"If there was a trace, you would have found it, I'm sure", Janes said.
"Yes, I thought so myself. There wasn't a trace.", Carran said.
"Did you hear them again?", Janes asked.
"Yes, I heard them again. I hear them nearly every day! And they get closer and closer. Always closer to my house, with their strange conversation, with their laughing... I'm afraid of tonight Janes."
"You got yourself into trouble, my friend. Shall I come with you?", Janes offered.
"No. No need for that. I have to face them alone. There's no need for you to get involved."
Carran looked out of a window, into the late afternoon. He placed his pint loudly on the table.
"It's getting late, I have to go.", he said.
"It's a strange story, Carran. Well, take care of your self. I don't know what you awakened out there, but be careful with it.", Janes said. He pressed his friend's hand, and wondered if he would ever see him back. The mysteries of the swamp shouldn't be taken lightly. Carran stepped outside and went on his way home.

As soon as he had left the tavern, and old man who had been sitting on a nieghbouring table shook his head and mutterd: "The voices. He disturbed the voices. Those young fools, they never think what they are doing. Always going too far, always putting their nose into things which shouldn't be disturbed. And then it's too late, and they cry 'why?'." He shook his head, and got him self another brandy. "The voices. May Nagri have merci on his soul"

It was a walk of an hour from the village to his remote hut on the edge of the swamp. Normally the isolation and the solitude didn't bother him, but now he wished Janes was with him. Resolutely he shook his head, and repeated for himself.
"You have to deal with this on your own, Carran, you shouldn't involve others. It isn't their business, it's yours." He also wished he had brought his shotgun with him, although he knew it wouldn't help against the voice. Not against them. While Carran was pondering like this, he heard the voices again. Here, on the path of the village to his hut, outside the swamp?!
"It's him. Shall we get him?"
"No, we wait until the dark, that's much more fun"
"You're right, as always. He cannot escape, after all. Let's invite the others."
"That's brilliant idea! I am sure they will appreciate."
Now Carran knew for sure they would come tonight. For a moment he hesitated. Should he go back to the village, go as far away as he could? But if the voice were here, outside the swamp, they could come everywhere. In the village, and further. Resolutely he shook his head and continued on his path. He would face his fate, whatever it may bring. Although he was quite sure what it would bring.

Carran sat in his comfortable chair in the middle of his hut. In the light of a fire you could see that the wands were covered with skulls and skins of all kinds of animals that lived in the swamp. He had locked and barricaded his door and the windows, and now he was polishing his shotgun. He was nervous: on every sound of the wind he jumped up, and looked around. Also the shadows caused by the fire made him nervous, but as he heard nothing else, he sat down again, waiting for the things to come.

He was prepared. He had not only locked the doors and windows, he had also barricaded them with wood and tools and whatever he could find, and he had placed traps under each opening. He didn't know what he could expect, so he had placed different traps, for large and small mammals, for birds. He had even hung a big web under the chimney. Now there was nothing else to do, but to wait.

At a certain moment he must have fallen asleep, since the fire had burnt down low as he opened his eyes. Carefully he stood up and walked around the room with his rifle at present. Then he heard what must have awakened him: he heard a soft voice outside.
"Yes, here it is", the voice said.
So, this was it. The voices had come. He began to sweat, and his shotgun trembled in his hands. What would they do with him? They didn't seem to know either.
"What are we going to do now?"
"We must get him out of there."
"He will come."
"Yes, he will, but perhaps we have to encourage him."
There were more of them! Had those two brought their friends with them, whatever they were? Just as they had said this afternoon? It was so frustrating to wait, to be unable to do anything, what could he do?

"We could burn his house down", the voices continued.
"Or just break it down."
"Remove the roof."
"Letting it collapse."
"Let it sink in the swamp."
"Can we do that?"
"I can."

Carran balled his fist. He wouldn't let them tease him. He would stay strong, he would control himself. He would not run outside. He would not. If they wanted him, let them come!

"He is nervous."
"Of course he is. He has to". The voices giggled.
"Well, where do we start."
"Let's start conventional, with the door."
Soon Carran heard some noises on the door. In the dim light he could see the door bending inward and outward, and again. He heard it creak, and crack. He aimed with his rifle at the door. The first who comes in will be shot. Or caught by his trap. With a loud 'bang' the door broke. The wind blew in, and extinguished the fire. Now it was really dark. Carran took a blind shot to the door opening.
The voices laughed.

"Hahaha, he is going to shoot us. Hahaha."
"Oh, and look at all those traps. As if we were some rats, haha."
"It wouldn't be fair to disappoint him, would it?"
Carran heard a trap closing. Somehow, however, he felt that it was empty. What are they? He thought. He took a deep breath "Who are you?", he wanted to say firmly, but it was a weak and trembling voice.
"Hahaha, he is afraid.", a voice answered. "Isn't that funny? Our sturdy hunter who is afraid?"
They tried their best to make an eerie and spooky sound.
"We are the voices of the swamp. We have come to take you with us. Come with us, come with us.", they said, and burst out in laughter again.
"W...what do you w..want from me?", Carran asked.
"We already told you, didn't we?", a voice answered.
"He doesn't listen to us", another continued, "we should punish him." A chorus said "Yes! Yes! Punish him!"

Carran heard some blubbing noises. It sounded just as if someone was playing with water and mud. Suddenly Carran felt a movement of his hut. What where they doing?
"Aren't we the voices of the swamp? Hahahahaha", he heard outside.
He also heard something else: unhealthy creaking noises came from the roof of his hut. It was just like the whole structure was sinking away, sinking in a swamp. He looked up, and could just evade the head of a boar that had hung on the ceiling falling on his head. He also felt how water and mud were coming in through the opened door. They had got him, he had to get out of his hut. The movement of the hut became stronger, he had to hurry. He gathered all his courage, and ran to wards the door.

"Ah, there he is!", they cheered.
Carran tried if he could see a shape belonging to a voice, but he couldn't see anything, although there seemed to be voices all around him.
"We got him, we got him", they cheered. They started screaming, yelling and laughing. "Come with us to the swamp", they said. "Come with us, and drown in the mud, hahaha. Get eaten by carnivorous plants, hahahaha. You fear us, run, run!".