URBAN LEGENDS ADAPTATION

The Children of the Well

The Legend

There are wells you should never drink from.

Deep in rural Ghana, among villages that have long since been abandoned, there is a well that never dries. No matter how harsh the drought, how cracked the earth, or how the rivers vanish into dust—this well remains full.

But the elders warn:

"Do not drink from it."

Because it is not water that fills the well.

It is the tears of the lost.

And those who drink from it—become part of them.

---

The Village of the Thirsty

The year was 1998.

Nathan and his crew were on a job—documenting Ghana's disappearing villages for a historical project. Their team of five—Nathan, his cameraman Eric, their driver Jonah, historian Linda, and intern Samuel—had been traveling for weeks, following whispers of forgotten towns.

That's how they found Nsumina.

It was perfect—a village swallowed by time, its huts crumbling, its fields long since taken by the wild.

But one thing stood out.

At the very center of the ruined town was a well.

And unlike everything else—it looked new.

The stones were smooth, untouched by age. The rope hanging over it looked like it had been woven yesterday. And when Nathan peered inside, he saw—

Water.

Clean. Still.

Linda frowned. "That's not right. This village has been abandoned for over fifty years."

Jonah, sweating under the relentless sun, didn't care. "Water is water."

Before anyone could stop him—he pulled up the bucket, lifted it to his lips, and drank deeply.

The others hesitated.

But the heat was unbearable.

And the water looked so clear.

One by one, they gave in.

And that's when it began.

---

The First to Change – Jonah's Awakening

That night, Jonah couldn't sleep.

He kept twitching, scratching at his arms, his neck, his chest. His breathing was shallow, his skin clammy.

Then, as Nathan reached out to wake him—

Jonah's eyes shot open.

They were black.

No whites. No pupils. Just black.

He gasped, clawing at his own throat, his lips stretching into a wide, unnatural grin.

And then, in a voice that was not his own, he whispered:

"They see us now."

Then—he collapsed.

The others stared in horror.

But when Eric shook him—Jonah woke up, blinking, confused.

Like nothing had happened.

---

The Second to Change – Samuel's Nightmare

Samuel was the next.

That night, Linda woke to whispering.

Low. Childlike.

She turned toward Samuel's tent—

And froze.

Samuel was sitting at the edge of the camp, staring into the darkness. His head twitched unnaturally, his lips moving as if he was mumbling to someone.

Linda stepped closer.

"Samuel…?"

Samuel jerked around.

His eyes were black. His lips peeled back in a grin too wide for his face.

And behind him—

There were hands.

Small, bony hands, reaching from the darkness, clutching at his shoulders.

Linda screamed.

Samuel blinked.

The hands vanished.

His eyes returned to normal. He shook his head, dazed.

"I… I was dreaming."

But Linda knew.

Samuel wasn't dreaming.

Something was watching them.

Something was here.

---

The Third to Change – Linda's Death

By the third day, Linda was missing.

They found her at the well.

Her feet were still on the ground—

But the rest of her wasn't.

She was stretched.

Her body was bent unnaturally, her spine twisted as if it had been pulled backward into the well. Her mouth was open in a silent scream, her fingers still curled into the dirt, as if she had tried to hold on.

Her eyes were wide—

And filled with water.

She had drowned.

But there was no water outside her body.

Only inside.

---

The Fourth to Go – Eric's Vanishing

By nightfall, they could hear her voice.

"Come back… please… help me…"

It was Linda.

But Linda was dead.

Eric covered his ears. "She's gone. It's a trick."

But Nathan and Samuel weren't so sure.

The voice was so real.

Then—

Linda walked into camp.

Her body was whole. Dry. Her skin smooth again.

Like nothing had ever happened.

"Linda?" Nathan whispered.

She smiled.

"It's okay… the water saved me…"

Eric stepped forward, hesitantly.

"Linda?"

Then—

Her mouth split open.

And something pulled him in.

It wasn't lips.

It was water.

Eric vanished inside her.

And Linda—

Collapsed into a puddle.

---

The Last Survivor – Nathan's Madness

Nathan and Samuel ran.

They ran until their feet bled, until the sky turned grey with morning.

They reached the nearest town—

But by then, Samuel had changed.

He stood still, his eyes distant, his breath slow.

Then, before Nathan could stop him—

He walked straight to a water pump, turned it on—

And drank.

Nathan screamed, tackling him.

Samuel choked.

And as he coughed—water spilled from his mouth in gallons.

More water than a human body could possibly hold.

Nathan stumbled back in horror.

Samuel lifted his head.

His eyes—were black.

And then, in a voice that was not his own, he whispered:

"The well never runs dry."

And Nathan screamed.

---

The Aftermath

Nathan was found days later.

Alone. Rambling.

His story made no sense.

"The water—" he muttered. "The water is alive—"

He wouldn't drink anything.

Not from a well.

Not from a cup.

Not

even from the rain.

He let himself wither.

And before he died, the nurses at the hospital swore they heard him whisper:

"They're still drinking."