FicWad

I almost missed the point of the child. I think I understand. The child must die because it knows the location of the root. They would not want to kill one of their own, so they offer the girl to the merchant, thus giving them the sacrifice.
I almost dismissed this because I missed the connection and the fact he killed the child. It is original and reminiscent of "The Lottery". Very scary stories, both.

Thank you for sharing.

rous