Bewitching Beings

Possession. Abduction. Death. They are like shadows in the night. They are hauntingly beautiful beings. They are everywhere. They are coming for you. No one can save you. Trust only yourself. Beware.

          I ducked into an alleyway, running from Them. I've always been able to see faeries, ever since I was a little girl. I've always had the sight; that eerie sixth sense that has haunted me throughout my life. I sprinted through the alley, the sound of my brilliant neon green sneakers striking the ground, resounding far too loudly along the walls. Bloodcurdling ghostly snickers echoed after me, sending an icy chill up my spine. My heart pounded in my chest, my breath was shallow as I fled Them.

           I exited the alley and barreled headlong down the street toward my house. I passed under the grand red maple tree, vivid red leaves already littering the ground from the impending fall season. I spotted my gray house as I rounded the corner, clipping my arm on a sharp, cement point along the wall. Gasping, I grabbed my upper arm, darting the rest of the way to my house. I fumbled with the keys for a moment before it slid into the lock and I safely slipped through the door, closing and locking it behind me.

           I left the iron keys hanging on the lock as a safety measure against the faeries. You see, to faeries, iron is like kryptonite to Superman. Though it doesn't just weaken them, it could kill them over a period of time. I had asked my mother to install iron windows and doors, but she refused, rolling her eyes and saying "That's utterly ridiculous... Iron windows and doors she says... How absurd..." So I had to deal with what options were accessible and available. I roamed the internet, searching for protection against faeries. I began pointing my shoes away from my bed to avoid possession, abduction, and death as I slept, though they were all possible while you're awake, you are more vulnerable when you are sleeping. I also started wearing my socks inside out, as well as sprinkling salt on the window sills and at the front door. The only problem with the salt, however, was that my mother found these 'barriers' and flipped out on me. Now, to use in case of emergency, I simply carry around a small bag of salt in my pocket.

           I didn't dare tell my mother I could see faeries, out of fear of being taken as some deranged psycho by my own family. Then, before I know it, I'd be in the loony bin. I sighed, walked into my room and sat on the bed. The room was cluttered, piles of inside out clothing lay on the floor.

           Since my mother didn't have the faintest clue that faeries existed, we lived in a small town that was lacking the nice 'iron aspect' of the bigger cities. In this small rural town, you rarely came across iron; the perfect home for faeries. The town was swarming with fey. Dangerous, hauntingly beautiful faeries.

           I jumped as the front door slammed shut. I peeked my head out my door. The front door was closed and a light was on in the kitchen. I tiptoed down the hall toward the kitchen. I found my mother at the kitchen sink, the palms of her hands resting on the dark granite countertop. Her head was bent low and the tap was running. I found it unsettling that she didn't say anything this evening when she got home. Usually, she would peek her head in my room and smile at me, or shout 'I'm home' as she walks in the door.

           "Mom?"

           She spun around, her blue eyes were misty and unfocused; her face was a contorted mask of delirium. She picked up a knife near the sink with her right hand, dragging it along the island countertop as she slowly shuffled over to me. Her left hand was limp at her side.

           "Mom?" my voice was barely over a whisper as I repeated myself.

           There was definitely something wrong with her.

           My mother's speed suddenly increased, she raised the knife as she charged. I screamed, running around the kitchen table.

           "Mom?!" I was panicking. My mother was attacking me with a knife. What do you usually do in a situation like this? Call 911? I glanced at the telephone, she was clearly blocking it, whether that was intentional or not, wasn't determined yet.

           I decided it wasn't the brightest idea to call 911 while my mother was attacking me, considering she was obviously not in her right mind. I shrieked as she swung the knife at me, barely dodging the blade. I grabbed a chair and backed away from her, holding the chair out in front of me. She continued to advance on me. I tossed the chair at her, knocking her over. I saw a thin line of blood inch down the side of her face as she collided with the floor. I cautiously walked over to her, kicking the knife across the room out of her slack hand.

           When my mother finally woke, I was crouched in a corner of the kitchen, teetering on the edge of despair, fearing I had murdered my mother while defending myself. I eyed her warily as she sat up. Her eyes were clear and focused now.

           "What am I doing on the floor?" she mumbled. Then she noticed me huddled in a corner, "Honey? Sweetheart, what's wrong?" she cooed at me.

           "You attacked me with a kitchen knife." I whispered softly, gesturing to the knife I had kicked across the room.

Her face drained of color, there was a hint of panic in her eyes, "I did what?!"

          It was obvious she didn't remember any of it. I dismissed it, saying 'never mind' and escaped back into my room. I sprawled across my bed, and just before I lost consciousness, a single word formed in my mind: Possession.

          The next morning, around 3:06am, I heard struggling down the hall, in the direction of my mom's room. I shot up out of bed, racing across my room and sprinted down the hall into my mother's room. I yanked the door open to find her missing. Furniture was knocked over, clothing was strewn across the floor, her jewelry box was open and upside down on the floor.

           I raced out of her room and combed the house for any sign of my mother. The last place I checked was the garage where I found her inky black 4-Door Sedan parked. She was simply just gone. I laced up my bright green sneakers and ran out of the house, another word dancing around along with 'possession' in my mind: Abduction.

          I sprinted through town, the wind whipping through my hair and rushing past my ears. I passed so many faeries, their heads turned toward me as I ran. Their charcoal black eyes following me, their ghostly laughter echoing through the, once silent, street. Their ashen skin stretching as sneers danced along their lips, revealing pearly, white dagger-like teeth.

          They were everywhere I turned, smirking at me wickedly. An eerie song in their tongue chased after me. I rounded a corner and almost collided with a tall, slender blonde woman with spring green eyes carrying a small child. I apologized as I continued running. I glanced behind me to find the woman charging after me, she transformed before my eyes as her fey glamour dissipated. Her pallid skin was smooth and beautiful, her obsidian black eyes fixed on me as she ran. Her movements were so graceful that it looked as if she was dancing after me. I saw the glimmer of strikingly white dagger-like teeth as her lips parted momentarily as she ran. Her glossy, waist-long black hair cascaded down her back and trailed after her as she pursued me.

           While my attention was directed on the faerie woman that was chasing me, I tripped, I swung my head forward just before I fell flat on my face. I rolled on my back, the faerie closed the distance between us quickly and crouched beside me. She was mocking me, taunting me as I laid their motionless, staring up at her. Her sharp teeth sparkled at me.

          The small child in the faerie's arms caught my eye then, his livid charcoal eyes bore into mine. A small tuft of raven black hair stood up on his head, his ashen skin pulled back as a malicious sneer presented itself, exposing his serrated, dazzling white teeth.

           "Adieu, mortal." the changling faerie child whispered, his malignancy undeniable evident. His voice was sweet and alluring despite the abhorrence of his sharp intonation; those two words that passed over his lips became lilting and captivating.

           The other faeries I had passed earlier accumulated around me, mocking and smirking at me. An echo of enchanting voices chimed "Adieu, mortal." all around me.

           The faeries, with wide-open and salivating jaws, descended upon me. One last word resounded around my mind before I thankfully lost consciousness out of sheer panic and horror: Death.

Author's Note

Dear Reviewers,
I was going for horror, but it really isn't my forte, but I tried my best, hehe. ^-^ Hope it's ok and you enjoy it. Let me know if you spot any problems (grammar, spelling, capitalization, punctuation, etc). This short story is exactly 1494 words, hope it's not too long, hehe. Thank you! :)
-Mikayla W

Reviews

[Jaslin K]

I like this supernatural part of the story. And the character seems very strong to me, which is great! I love independent characters who fight their own fights. The transition from one phase to the other was well thought out! Possession, abduction, and death. Great work :)