The Phantom of Vendée(1)

de La Garnache''s mansion. Someone testified that the peasant woman had indeed mentioned this when she was still a maiden. Encouraged by these accounts, some bold ones ventured out under the cover of night to the castle to have a secret glimpse. They returned with confirmation that such a creepy child indeed existed. Therefore, almost everyone believed it without a doubt.

"Only such a story alone may not have caused much impact. However, soon after, there were incidents of children going missing in the village. Initially, it was a sporadic occurrence of one or two, but quickly escalated to several children disappearing every month. According to reliable sources, most of these vanished children had been playing before their missing in the Vedis Woods - the very forest adjacent to the castle of La Garnache."

"Truly chilling!" Anne hugged her arms and rubbed the goosebumps that had suddenly appeared.

"In the region of Vendée, vampire lore was already prevalent. In the 15th century, it was exactly in Machecoul of Vendée where the Baron Gilles de Rais secretly abducted and slaughtered hundreds of children for his Satanic alchemical experiments, draining these poor children of their lifeblood!①

"Hence, the whereabouts and fate of these children became easily associated. The peasants were abuzz with speculations that the Comte lured the little ones into that woods with witchcraft and then imprisoned them in his castle, slowly draining their blood.

"The story of that ghost child was then naturally linked to these events. Some speculated that it was the spirit of a child who had been persecuted by the Comte, only able to emerge at midnight to call for help. However, based on the description of the little ghost''s luxurious attire by the peasant woman, more of them believed that the ghost child was the demonic companion of the old comte. The Comte shared his blood with the boy, or the blood was simply to serve as offerings to this devi