The Forbidden Idol

Roland was never like the others. A gifted sculptor with a haunted past, he lived on the edge of a quiet village, where whispers followed him like shadows. They called him the forbidden idol a name born from fear, from mystery… from the strange, beautiful art he carved from black obsidian. When he began sculpting a woman of otherworldly beauty, the village turned against him. But before the silence took over, one voice broke through Elsie, a young woman who saw his pain and admired his gift. Just as their connection began to bloom, the villagers cast him out. Exiled and alone, Roland wandered with nothing but his hands and his shame. Until he met a band of travelers who saw the spark he’d forgotten he had. They urged him to keep creating, to keep feeling. His journey led him deep into forgotten ruins, where an ancient temple called to him and with it, a cursed idol that demanded more than just stone. Obsessed, Roland crafted a masterpiece unlike any other… at the cost of a human life. The guilt nearly destroyed him. Years passed. The temple became his prison, until strange whispers pulled him into a world that seemed like a dream where his talent brought wealth, fame, and admiration. But even here, the past lingered. Then she walked into his life: a young woman with kind eyes and a fragile body, carrying the weight of a terminal illness. She asked him to sculpt her not for fame, not for legacy, but to leave behind something beautiful. As he worked, the nightmares faded. For the first time in years, Roland felt peace. Redemption. But peace never lasts. A hooded stranger arrived with a chilling request: sculpt a forbidden idol once more. Against his better judgment, Roland gave in and the curse returned with a vengeance, turning him into stone.