Tribute to J.A.

Thanks to the very special person who helped me with this piece. Love ya! <3

The mangled branches of the thick trees blocked my sight as I tried to escape the unknown thing that stalked me. Painfully, I whimpered as rugged rocks pierced the skin on my muddy bear feet. Wind whistled in my ears as I reached a small clearing in the dark and sinister forest that had trapped me inside of its gloomy core. In front of me I could see the monstrous mist " it had been behind me not a moment before " crawl towards me like a wounded animal. Looking around me I could only see the full moon lighting up the horror filled scene that played out before me. With a sudden burst of adrenaline, and fear of my brutal and bloody death, I closed my eyes and sprinted as fast as I could. My mind raced (with questions on what I should do next) as my heart vibrated like the strings of a violin.

When I finally opened my eyes I found myself face to face with the largest châteaux I had ever seen, its grand structure seemed to crumble at the very sight of me. I could feel the presence of the creature that came from the woods watching me with a fixated glare. Not wanting to ever see the creature ever again, I made my way towards the old castle. A simple wooden bridge stretched across the gap between the castle and where my feet firmly stood. Taking in how large of a drop surrounded the castle; I took a deep breath and cautiously placed a step onto the rickety bridge. My attentiveness seemed to get the best of me as I’m sure it must have taken me an hour to get to the end of that tiny bridge.

Setting my gaze upon the broken castle walls, I saw a broken plaque with small and scratchy carvings. From what I could read it said “LEAVE NOW.”

 “Leave now…” I whispered quietly into the midnight air. As much as the words struck me as eerie, how the words seemed to be written terrified me more. Within the cracking cement protruded a rotting human fingernail. The nail was as black as a hellhound and was covered with an array of tiny spider webs. Slowly turning my head away from that vile piece of work I set my eyes upon the archaic door. My pale and spindly fingers felt the deep grain embedded into the dull entrance of the structure. I pushed open the door with caution and took a pitiful step inside the completely dark building.

When my entire small and shaking body passed through the door way, I felt the presence of that thing again. I became frozen with fear as I felt the haze scuttle across my naked feet. A cold and boney finger traced its way from my mid-back up to my icy neck, then round to my colourless cheek. Almost as quickly as the presence had come, I felt it rush by me. A strong draft came in from behind me then I heard a loud thud. I turned around to find the door closed. I began to push and shove the door and I soon realized that I was too frail to open it again. I heard a crackling noise to my right, so I turned to find a lit candle in a candle holder. “That candle wasn’t alight a moment ago, was it?” I asked myself, half expecting and answer. ‘The darkness…’ I thought’ It must be playing tricks on me. Yes, that’s it. Just a few simple tricks on the mind, that’s all.’ Turning slightly I picked up the candelabrum and identified my surroundings as a hallway.

Portraits of men, women and children of all ages and appearances plastered the walls. I noticed these people were all very beautiful. Handsome men, beautiful women and such sweet-faced children. They appeared so real with their well painted skin and hair. Their eyes however, were not well done at all. Sunken buck black orbs replaced their eyes. Looking deeply into a pair of eyes I found myself thinking of the fieriest pits of hell and the darkest and most tortured thoughts I could have ever imagined. The more I stared the more compelled I felt to reach up and touch one of their faces. Extending one hand to touch the painting that was an inch or two above my direct eye line, I began to smell something strange. I closed my eyes to try and enhance my sense of smell. It smelled like copper and rotting flesh.

Opening my eyes and staring through the gaps in between my fingers, I saw blood oozing from the eyes of the painting overhead. Quickly retracting my hand and placing it by my side, a bloody hand print suddenly appeared on the wall. I inhaled a sharp fear filled breath and, instinctively, took a large step back. When I stepped back I felt something wet underneath my feet. I looked down to find myself standing in a puddle of crimson red blood. The sound of unsteady wheezing made me whip up my head; a decision I would very much regret. Mere millimeters away from my face, I saw the woman from the painting I had been admiring.

The woman’s eyes were sunken deep into her skull and bleeding profusely. Curly auburn hair framed her thin, pale face. Her mouth " lined with her ruby red lips- opened to reveal broken and rotting teeth and a snake like tongue. The creature’s mouth opened wider and wider. Its mouth continued to open as its tongue slithered from its mouth and licked from bottom of my nose to the top of my forehead. Putrid breath escaped its mouth and entered my saliva covered nose. It smelled like decaying skin and rotting food. I quivered underneath its odor and begged my legs to take me far away from this monster; far away from this place. I heard a whisper in my ear as the monstrosity recoiled back; preparing to strike. “Leave…NOW!” A voice screamed in my ears. Obeying without hesitation, I tore down the hallway leaving the creature behind. The small drafts created by my running caused the candle to go out, thus leaving me in complete darkness.

Disorientated by the sudden loss of light, I slipped and fell hard onto my knees. Trying to ignore the pain, I pulled myself up and continued running. I felt something ‘crack’ inside of my left leg as I saw a light a little further ahead. I had to get to the light. I didn’t care what the light was I just wanted something to keep the monster at bay. Limping, I made my way through the darkness towards the light. I heard a familiar crackling sound as I approached the light. When I reached the source of the light, I found a small room with a fireplace. The fire place was home to a roaring blaze of red and orange. The beacon of salvation was all that I could see. I slowly walked into the room to take a better look at the flames. I watched the fire for so long, admiring its beauty. Taking a few more steps; I reached the fireplace. Cautiously, I moved the candle holder towards the flame to relight the candle it held. With the candle now lit I could get a better look at the dust smelling room.

The room was incredibly small. It looked far too small of a room to be in such a large place like a castle. The walls were completely bare; painted with a thick layer of dirt. The only item of furniture that inhabited the room was an old wooden chair, in the corner of the rom, which was sat collecting dust. I ran my finger across the wall only to have my once pale skin turn grey and brown from the dust. Turning back to the fire place, my eyes followed the flames until they spotted a large round object on the mantel piece. Walking over to the fireplace, with soft and slow steps, I placed the candelabrum on top of the mantelpiece and grabbed the pale yellow object. It felt smooth and cold on the dirty and broken skin on my hands. I turned the object to inspect it further, but what I found terrified me. The thing I held in my hands was a human skull. Dropping the skull in shock, I screamed at my gruesome discovery. I spun around to flee from this nightmarish place to find a dark figure stood in the door way…