Post by Deleted on Dec 10, 2018 19:56:01 GMT -5
(May have sensitive material for some readers toward the end.)
We all have something
that keeps us awake at night..
that keeps us awake at night..
Soft emerald grass swayed in waves along the slow rolling hills, a warm summer breeze rustled through the vibrant and musical forest that surrounded them. Behind them large stone walls crawling with lush moss showed their timeless age, but their strength remained unaltered through the trials of time. Jade statues sat and watched as the mother and child played on the outskirts of Temple’s rich grounds. Their laughter infectious as it rung throughout the grounds, the game a tag clearly going in the daughter’s favor.
The daughter looked much like her mother, if one had to guess she was around eight years of age and still full of youthful innocence. Her face the same soft oval of her mother’s, her eyes a rich shade of purple that matched her dark violet hair, almost border line black in some light, though in the sun it shone.
The music of the forest grew distant, their laughter died away and as she stopped in the middle of a grassy hill to look around she found the landscape had grown darker. Quickly she looked back to where the little girl should have been, but she was not longer there. “Valana! Valana! Where did you go?” Her voice tried to hide the panic, but there was no response.
Looking around the panic rose in her throat, nothing was stirring the leafy bamboo undergrowth, and the warm summer breeze had vanished. Nothing stirred in the forest, even the Temple grounds seemed frozen in time, only the sound of her racing heart and heated breath filled her senses. “Valana?” She took a few soft steps forward cautiously, blinking as she looked through the bamboo and the crawling unease filled her stomach.
Silence.
Darkness shrouded the land, as if the sun had vanished and no moon rose to greet her with its soft silver glow. Cackling laughter echoed through the forest, ringing in her ears from all directions at once. Her eyes darting around as she spun in spot trying to find the location of the laughter.
An icy wind whirled from behind her, goosebumps erupting from her flesh at the sudden chill and a child’s laughter that echoed from somewhere ahead of her. “Valana!” Breaking into a sprint she rushed forward, pushing through the bamboo stalks blindly. The disembodied voice sang a poetic tune in return. "It's coming soon, it wants to play. When nighttime falls and kills the day." Laughter followed once again, the girl’s voice echoed all around her.
The girl’s voice came again, closer this time as if taunting her now. "Is she lost? She won't be found. The trees are dead, they'll hear no sound." She wove her way through the forest as fast as her legs would take her. The voice still continued ahead of her uninterrupted. "Run, run, run! It's all the same. It comes for you now to end the game." She laughed again, but this time she was not alone. A chorus of voices broke out in all directions around her. No longer amused this time, but dark and malevolent. A notable sadistic edge in their tone.
Distraught she ran forward faster, the bamboo stalks slapping at her skin and leaving their red marks though she took no notice. Something was behind her, but she was sure Valana was somewhere ahead of her. Sweat dripped from her brow into her eyes, blinding her as her hair clung to her face and neck. Dropping to her knees she looked through her hair into the clearing that opened up ahead of her. Valana stood with her back to her, her head hung downward as if looking at something on the ground. “Valana?” Her voice was nothing but a whisper as she crawled forward blindly ignoring the presence of something still behind her. Still on her hands and knees she reached out for the girl’s hand, but as soon as she grabbed it the putrid smell of decay filled the air. Gagging as she clambered back away from the girl as she slowly turned to face her.
A sob choked in her throat, tears streaming down her face as she looked upon the girl’s face riddled with decay and maggots falling to the ground. Behind her the grave marker for a child who never never was. Something behind her stopped her from backing any further away, a macabre creature reached down to her grabbing her by the throat. Lifting her off the ground before throwing her back down, her body immobilized by some unseen power as she struggled to free herself. The creature leaned down over her, it’s hot breath against her face as she tried to look away in vain. Bony fingers grabbed her arm roughly, and a burning sensation seared through her right arm.
Pain.
Her vision blurred from the pain, it felt like her blood itself was boiling and a soundless scream escaped her lips though there was no one to hear her cries. Then there was nothing.
Founded April 26, 2005