Whispers of the Mountain: The Vanishing Bride

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden hue over the remote mountain village of Lingxia. The air grew crisp as the villagers prepared for the wedding of Xiao Mei, the daughter of the village elder, to her betrothed, Liang. The wedding was to be the event of the season, a union that would strengthen the bonds between two families.

As the night drew near, Xiao Mei donned her elaborate red wedding dress, her face alight with excitement and nerves. She stood before the mirror, adjusting her veil, when she heard a faint whisper. It was a voice, soft and eerie, echoing through the room. "Do not go, do not go, for the mountain awaits."

Xiao Mei shivered but dismissed the whisper as superstition. She stepped outside, where the groom, Liang, awaited her. The groomsmen and villagers gathered, the air buzzing with anticipation. The wedding march began, and the couple was led to the altar under the watchful eyes of the gods.

The ceremony was a whirlwind of tradition and joy. The couple exchanged vows, laughter and clinking of glasses filled the air. As the final touches were applied to the feast, Xiao Mei felt a strange sense of foreboding. She whispered to Liang, "I feel like something is wrong."

Liang, a man of little imagination, chuckled and kissed her cheek. "It's just your nerves," he said. "Let's enjoy the night."

But Xiao Mei couldn't shake the feeling. The whispers grew louder, more insistent. She looked around, but no one seemed to notice. The villagers were too caught up in the festivities, the groom too distracted by the celebration.

As the night wore on, Xiao Mei's unease turned to fear. She felt a cold breeze brush past her, and the whispers grew louder. "The mountain calls," they seemed to say. Without warning, Xiao Mei's feet were rooted to the ground. She looked down to see her wedding shoes missing.

Liang noticed her distress and ran to her side. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice trembling.

Xiao Mei's eyes widened in horror. "I can't move! The whispers... they're calling me!"

Before Liang could react, Xiao Mei vanished. The wedding guests turned to see her wedding dress fluttering in the wind, but the bride herself was gone. The whispers grew louder, more desperate, as if the mountain itself was crying out for its lost soul.

The villagers rushed outside, searching for Xiao Mei. They found her wedding shoes on the path leading up the mountain, but no trace of the bride. The whispers followed them, echoing through the forest, growing louder with each step.

Days turned into weeks, and Xiao Mei's disappearance became the talk of the village. The elders spoke of an ancient legend, a tale of a bride who dared to defy the mountain's curse. They said that those who married on the mountain would meet their end, their souls claimed by the spirits that dwelled within its depths.

Liang, now a widower, was convinced that Xiao Mei had been taken by the mountain spirits. He vowed to honor her memory and protect the village from the curse. He began his search, climbing the treacherous paths that led to the mountain's peak.

As he approached the summit, the whispers grew louder, more insistent. Liang's heart pounded in his chest as he reached the edge of the cliff. There, in the moonlight, he saw a vision of Xiao Mei, her wedding dress flowing around her as she was drawn into the abyss.

Liang fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face. "I didn't know," he whispered. "I didn't know!"

But it was too late. The whispers grew louder, and Liang felt the pull of the mountain. He reached out to Xiao Mei, but she was already gone, her soul claimed by the spirits of the Peaks and the Perilous.

The villagers buried Xiao Mei at the foot of the mountain, and Liang vowed to keep the legend alive. From that day on, no one dared to marry on the mountain. The whispers were a constant reminder of the danger that lay within the Peaks and the Perilous, a warning that the mountain was not to be trifled with.

And so, the tale of Xiao Mei and the vanishing bride became a cautionary legend, passed down from generation to generation, a chilling reminder of the perils that lay hidden in the shadows of the Haunted Mountain.