Far off beyond the many moons of Jupiter's beyond Saturn's glowing rings. Far out past the icy planet of Pluto, through the many universes in distant lands laid the cool planet Mallygally.

The land its self upon inspection was nothing to write home about. It seemed barren and plain. Mallygally was made of many high mountains that seemed to always be covered in snow. But Smack in the middle of these mountains is where everything changed. No one ever knew how or believed that such beauty could exist in places so cold and barren but as if it were magic once you went down the mountain you would walk through the dark forest and into the most beautiful place your mind could begin to imagine. Valleys surrounded by a forest of trees covered in bright vibrant flowers. Each one seeming to grow out of the very stone the mountains were made of. In the valleys a sparking river ran through, giving life to the plants and the beings that resided there. Bright green grass, soft to the touch and like a thick plush carpet between your toes. Lands that have only ever been seen in dreams.

The reason these valleys were secret you will find out later in this story but for now it is only fair to begin to tell you about the residents of the lands.

Walking shrubs with hands and feet so they had seemed from far away. But up close they were a lot more interesting then just that. Little beings standing 4 feet tall. Soft green hair covering their bodies in a spiky fashion. Their arms and legs, dark in color giving the illusion of plantlike inhabitants. Making it easier for the beings to blend into the mountain in cases of danger. Not that you would find much danger in these parts!

The residents of Mallygally were a quiet and peaceful race. They would spend hours each day tending to their gardens, their animals, and their families. Waving and smiling to one another as they passed, no cruelty was to be found in them. They loved to live in harmony and in peace.

The Mally children would run free on the dirt paths, going from house to house paying their visits to the older Mally residents who would fill them full of goodies before sending them on their way. While the adults would spend the remainder of their days inside their cool huts watching the goings on and basking in the beautiful lands. Sometimes writing, sometimes dancing and singing, sometimes drinking and playing their games. No bickering by them could be heard, though to be honest I can not be one hundred percent sure because not much from them was heard. I began to wonder if they had more then one way of communicating. One by mouth and one by thought that only one of their own kinds could understand.

Once in awhile you would run into a bad lot but even the bad lots were not horrible they were just young Mallies looking to have some harmless fun. Though it was one of these that caught my attention, a young grown lad by the name of Doaja. One day he came to me with a story, one to strange to even fathom. He spoke of an evil in the land, and of hiding, and running. He spoke of this unnamed and unseen beast. I took it as just stories from a youth trying to scare me but I should have known better then to do that. After my time there I can assure you this terror was very much real, and every bit the terror I was told and even much more.

"In the middle of this planet lives a terror far worse then any could imagine." Said Doaja. "No" I told him, "This can't be true". "In these lands?" Doaja just nodded his head. "The dark cloud lurks in these mountains." "He takes the young and they are never seen again". Terror filled his eyes. I stood there looking at him for a moment then shook my head. "How in these lands can something this horrible live?" "I don't believe you" I told him. "You are just trying to scare me". Doaja spoke again, this time more quietly then before "They say that no one has ever seen it but the ones that meet their doom by it. But they are wrong; I have seen the dark cloud. He descended upon my gathering group one day. All were lost but I". "Why do you tell these stories?" I asked again. "Is it to scare me away?" Doaja just looked blankly at me and continued his tale. "When it came upon us my group froze. They wouldn't or couldn't run no matter how hard I tried to get them to. Somehow I managed to get free and run and hide in the forest where the brush was thick." He said. "It followed me, I could feel it looking. I stopped moving and hoped it would go away. I could feel it getting closer; I could hear its black heart beating. All I could do was sit there and wait. Finally after what seemed like ages it made a loud grumbling sound and left again. I stayed in my hiding place for a while longer. Fearing that it was out there still trying to trick me to leave my safety so that it might get me." I gasped "but how…." "How did I get away you wonder? Finally, I emerged out of my hiding place. It was dark outside then so I quietly made my way back to where we had been foraging and there… in the middle of everything was my group. I ran to them thinking all was well but when I tried to touch Kadi she just crumbled." Doaja's eyes began to glaze over as I watched him. "Ashes he whispered. The beast had turned her and the others to ashes. I stayed for a moment not knowing what to do. But then that fearful feeling gripped me again and I knew it was returning. I ran away and back here as fast as I could. Not stopping to rest along the way. I had heard the stories, now I had seen them come true and I feared being one of them." Doaja took a deep breath and continued. "When I was back I tried to tell my story to the elders but they would not listen. They blamed me for the disappearance of the group and shunned me. Now I am seen as trouble, they steer the little ones from me. Saying I will taint their minds with nonsense. This is not nonsense though, I can assure you of that" he told me. "I saw what happened, I saw what it did, and now I know why those who leave and are caught never return."

Doaja quickly turned and ran off. That would be the last I would see of him for days to come. When he finally did return he would not tell me where he had gone off to, just that he had business that needed to be tended to.

A few days passed and I let his story fall to the back of my mind like the others had done. Silly little tales I decided. "If it had been true he would not have left the valley the way he just did. And for days at that?" I said to myself. He is just trying to scare me I had determined.

I then decided to go back and join the other more sane Mallies in their daily celebrations again. I went on helping them tend to what needed tending and playing with the children Mallies. Helping to fill them full of goodies as they played from house to house. And sometimes I would even join in and have some of the goodies for myself.

For a time life went on as usual in Mallygally and I thoroughly enjoyed it. No more being scared and wondering, the beast no longer existing in my imagination. Things here were just as they always had been, and as they always would be.

Until one day…

It was early morning when I awoke this day, I went to the river and made a quick wash of myself and headed back for my hut. "The children will be coming soon," I said to myself. I should start preparing some goodies for them, I thought. Walking to the cupboard, I opened the doors and reached for my berry jar. "Empty? But it was almost full yesterday! How can this be? To the storehouse then I shall go to fetch more berries if I must," I mumbled under my breath. I went to the wardrobe and pulled out my overcoat, wrapping it around me I headed out the door and into the crisp cold morning air. It seemed odd as I looked around. There were not many Mallies out yet, but then again it was quiet early in the morning and no one in their right mind would be out and about at this time. The Mallies usually slept well into the afternoon, for they needed lots of energy to get them through their fun filled days.

Finally I turned the corner near the storehouse but as I got closer I realized the door was ajar. I stood looking a moment thinking this day is just beginning to get a bit odd when a small winged beast of the sky came flying out and squawking at me. Oh no I thought, "The berries!" I ran forward and pulled open the doors when six more came flying at me. I covered my head from them, they seemed to be upset that I was interrupting their breakfast. Once they retreated from me I walked inside the storeroom to find that every last berry had been consumed by the foul beasts! "What now?" I thought. All the berries in the valley had been devoured. I knew what needed to be done; I quickly headed to the home of the elders. I knew it was still to early to call upon them but in this emergency I thought it best that I do it now and not wait for mid day and the shock that it would bring about at that point.

I arrived at Elder Jaha's hut and lightly tapped on the door. "Tap" 'tap" "tap" There had seemed to be no answer so I tapped again. This time the door opened a little and a voice came out to me asking "who is there, and why do you call upon me so early? It is time for sleep, not time for play. Leave me be until midday." He said. "But Elder Jaha it is I that knocks upon your door. I bring news of bad happenings in the town. This morning when I awoke someone had taken all my berries." "Your berries" he said. "Yes elder they had all vanished so I went to the valley storeroom to get more. But when I arrived the doors were open." "Open?" At that the Elder opened his door and invited me in. Once inside I retold the tale of this morning and what had happened. Quickly the Elder sent notice to the five others calling for an emergency meeting. I was asked to stay and tell them all what I had seen. Soon they all arrived and in front of them the entire story was told again. The room fell quiet for what seemed like hours as I sat there watching. Finally Elder Kasho rose and excused me from my spot. I was ushered out of the building while they decided just what was to be done.

That evening a valley meeting was called. The elders had decided that some needed to go to the edge of the valley and into the dark forest to pick the special berries. It would take days of this for one can only carry so many but without them the valley would cease to be. The berries were their main source of food; they had to be replenished. They announced that in the morning they would call upon those they had chosen to go and those four would need to gather others to take with them. There was restlessness in the town that evening though no one spoke of the real reason but on the breeze that if you listened carefully enough you could hear the words the dark cloud. It was as if the breeze was entering the minds of the Mallies and carrying their words throughout the lands.