Belle was the most beautiful woman of the little town. Every local knew and admired her. The men wanted her, and the women wanted to be her. Unfortunately, she grew up in a poor family. Suitors would offer her chickens, cows, and whatever they could afford to give her, for her hand in marriage, but none of them ever managed to move Belle’s heart. Belle, however, enjoyed staying close to Levie.

Levie was just an ordinary townswoman. She, too, was not wealthy, but she worked hard. Her dark skin was the proof of her long hours in the fields. Levie’s heart ached for Belle, and she only wished she shared her feelings.

At sunset one evening, two women sat by the lake, overseeing the King’s castle that stood out of place in their little kingdom. Looking at the castle, Belle sighed and confessed her wish to have the King’s riches. Levie wrapped her arms around the girl in comfort and said, “Dear Belle, I may not be wealthy, but I promise to work hard and provide you with everything you desire if you would so kindly accept me into your heart.”

Having full trust in Levie’s promise, Belle said, “Dearest Levie, you have always and forever will have my heart.”

The women decided to hold a small ceremony to celebrate their love a few moons later. As the marriage between two women was forbidden, they decided to have a secret ceremony with just the two of them to officially profess their love for each other. They were to rendezvous at an old cave near the lake that would allow them to see the moon in the sky. Levie arrived a few hours before their scheduled meeting time to prepare a lovely picnic for them, hoping to surprise Belle. Levie waited long past midnight and straight until sunrise for her lover, but alas, she did not appear.

Levie worriedly ran to her Belle’s home, but she was not there either. She did not hear any news about Belle until a fortnight when the townspeople gossiped all around about the girl. Many had received an invitation to attend the wedding of Belle and the King. It was said that the King had laid eyes on Belle as she was shopping in the town market. He was taken by her beauty and requested her presence at the castle. Though they did not know each other for long, they were very much in love and wished to wed as soon as possible. Some locals thought that the marriage was especially beneficial for Belle since she would finally be in a better financial situation.

Levie felt a rage within her. She rushed home to check her mailbox, only to find it empty. She was not invited to the wedding. Broken-hearted and angry, she ran to the cave to cry. Why would Belle choose the King over Levie? Was Belle truly in love with the King? Though the King was much richer than she, she truly did love Belle. Levie did not realise when she had fallen asleep that night, but when she awoke in the cave the following morning, she felt a metallic taste in her mouth. That night was the start of the strange deaths that occurred across the kingdom in the dead of each night. The townspeople attempted to save themselves by hanging garlic at the doors of their houses. Some sprinkled their houses in holy water, but still, the deaths continued. Soon, Belle’s pregnancy was made known to the townspeople. The King would soon have an heir. Despite the joyous news, the people could not be happy because strange killings continued each night. However, as the months passed, the people started to notice some patterns. Those who passed tended to be either men who were happily married, or pregnant women. Upon hearing this, the King feared for his newly pregnant wife. For the safety of her and the baby, she was to sleep in the tower of the castle. The doors would be locked, and the windows barred so that no one would be able to enter and cause harm upon them.

Months passed and the King’s plan appeared to be effective. The baby was due any day, and both mother and child were safe. One night as the King was walking with his wife up the spiral staircase, he mentioned how he was pleased with the results of his idea. He wished for its effectiveness to continue before bidding his wife and unborn child a good night.

Much later that night, a horrible creature landed on the roof of the tower. It flew with its large, bat-like wings, which was its main method of movement as it did not have a lower torso. No it did, it must have. Some of its organs dangled around, as if it was separated from the lower torso. The creature slowly flew down to the tower window. It was infuriated to find it barred, but that was not enough to stop it. It floated in front of the window, and searched for Belle in the dark room. Once it had found her, it opened its mouth to reveal sharp fangs. It stretched out its proboscis tongue, so long that it reached the baby in the womb, penetrated its safety bubble and sucked out its blood. The churning in Belle’s stomach kept her awake. It gave a sharp pain that made her cry out. She heard the door lock rattle outside but the door would not open. The guards called out to her from the outside as she screamed in pain, but no one could come to her rescue. As she screamed and cried, she managed to catch a glimpse of the unnaturally long tongue and trail it back to the creature outside. It was indeed a creature so disgusting, so horrible, and yet she could recognise its features anywhere: it had Levie’s face. That was the last thing she saw before she joined her unborn child in death.

It was not until the creature had flown away that the guards were able to unlock the doors. However, it was far too late. The mother and the child in the womb were both gone. The creature flew towards a nearby cave, where its lower body stood lifelessly in place. With a shriek, it reattached itself and returned Levie to her human form before she slept in peace.

*Inspired by the Filipino mythical creature: the manananggal