CHILD SNATCHING EPIDEMIC CONTINUES

The town of Laaksrad, gripped by the dread hand of fear

An eighth child has been snatched from her home in the northern town of Laaksrad, authorities confirmed tonight.

The child has been named as Ariel Halfmoon, aged six, the youngest of three sisters. Her parents are reportedly grief-stricken.

‘They can’t believe this has happened,’ said friend of the family, Gwendolyne Gibney-Hall. ‘I certainly can’t imagine what it must have been like, going into the girls’ bedroom that morning and finding a sack of gold in place of their darling Ariel.’

PREPOSTEROUS

Each of the previous seven abductions also saw large amounts of money left in place of the stolen child. This has led some to speculate that the parents were in some way complicit in the kidnapping.

‘Talk like that is clearly preposterous,’ said Ms Gibney-Hall, aged thirty-eight. ‘I’ve known the Halfmoons for nigh on fifteen years and I know they wouldn’t give their kids up for anything.’

Yet despite these protests, less wealthy families in Laaksrad have taken to pinning posters to their doors, listing the children they have available and the amount of compensation they believe would be appropriate for each.

AFFAIRS ALL ROUND

‘The town of Laaksrad in no way condones such behaviour,’ said Mayor Trimble, aged sixty-one. ‘Children are not commodities to be bought and sold and they certainly should not be taken from their parents without proper consent. It’s an appalling state of affairs all round.’

The Mayor has lodged an appeal for assistance with the Adventurers’ Guild and the stricken parents have grouped together to offer a substantial reward for the safe return of their children.

There have also been reports that more than sixty children have been abducted from the peasant hovels on the outskirts of Laaksrad, but these remain unconfirmed.

By Casewick Essendine