Throat of Night

A horror-themed story/poem, loosely based on a real-life story I read. Link is below.

headed through the darkness,

on the twisted tongue

of this narrow road,

the trees close upon

all lights.

I feel as though I have

been driving forever...

I must 

stop.

this wooded land feels

temptingly serene,

deceptively quiet,

as though

I am somewhere

else...

the moon haunts me

voyeuristically, its face

peering, like a skull, into

the unseen depths of

me...

and yet, I decide to

wander farther into the

maze of gum trees, its

inviting halls towering over

me, in the 

throat of night.

then I arrive

at the center of

a lit field, a spotlight

looming above

me, stalking my very path.

and not far away sits

a solitary scarecrow,

semi-faceless, shadowed

in the white light, where

he seems to turn 

toward me...

dark.

and then the spotlight

reappears, facing westward,

tracing its way across

the field.

frightened, I return to

my car, ready to leave,

but as I click

the engine into gear,

all of my surroundings

mysteriously

f a d e...

the light, focused upon

the field, begins to dim,

gradually,

disappearing, until all that

remains is a pale glint.

in the center of the field

stands a skeletal man, covered in 

lacerations, armed with a shotgun.

unmoving, he gazes directly

into me...and each time I make

a motion with my hands, he raises

the barrel toward

himself.

he begins to weep, almost

silently; he seems to want to speak,

and yet he says nothing, raising

the gun, pointing directly

at his head.

"LOOK!" he shouts, pointing

to the invisible distance.

CRACK!

the gun fires,

thundering through

the field, and

through me,

stabbing my

chest in agony,

until...

it stops.

I exit the car,

and look to the indigo

shapes beyond.

a blue shadow

appears,

with an inhuman

smile, beckoning to me.

I try to run, 

but his eyes

envelop me,

my body swallowed

by the throat

of night.

Author's Note

This poem is based on a story called "Incident on the Road to Sydney," which I originally read here: http://paranormal.about.com/od/timeanddimensiontravel/a/aa080904.htm

Photo Credit: tripadvisor.com

Reviews

[olympiuslu]

I know you wrote this a while ago but I just had to comment and all I can say is wow.. I just love this! You have inspired me with this piece of writing. I am envious of your capability to bring a story and a poem together with such ease and such vividness, I honestly felt as if I could of been standing in that field myself! Nicely done!

[Eric Pudalov]

Wow...thank you! It's been awhile since I've written any poetry, but I'm just starting to get back into it.

[olympiuslu]

Anytime, I'm so happy to hear you're getting back into it!

[therealtadkent]

Honestly, man, this filled me with the right kind of dread. Typically a lot of horror writers nowadays go for cheap scares (creature with no face, my reflection keeps waving back at me), but this is solid. Beautifully worded and you gave me a lovely shiver.

[BlackRose]

Had to read this from the title drawing me to. Deep, with it's darkness throughout it all. Fantastic poetic story that flows real well.

[Eric Pudalov]

Thanks Rose!! Been a long time since we've talked. I'm glad that you enjoyed the story - and if you have a chance, check out the link. That's the story that inspired the poem.

[BlackRose]

Yes, it has, hasn't it. I will always be around one way or another. Finding a pick for one I finished up from some time ago, while inspiration has starting a few others in the process. This one will be done shortly. Anyway, I did for sure enjoy. Will read it sometime. Very welcome my friend!

[Robbie~xoxo~]

WOW and WOW!

Your story within a poem is captivating!...
Almost has a demonic feel to it...

Riveting work of art, my dear friend!!!~xoxo~:)

[Eric Pudalov]

Thanks so much Robbie!! This was a nice surprise. The person that wrote the story on the paranormal site presented it as true, which (if they're telling the truth) makes it all the more disturbing. The only thing I really changed was the ending. :-)

[Robbie~xoxo~]

Thank you for sharing this eerie story.. gave me chills!!

[Eric Pudalov]

You're welcome! Actually, there's a funny story to go with that - I was reading that same horror story to a bunch of friends we had over one night...and right at the point where he says, "I saw a man in the window," someone walked by our window in the dark, and everyone screamed! It was great.

[Robbie~xoxo~]

holy crap!! That must've been scary!! LMAO!

[Eric Pudalov]

It was, but then we all laughed right afterwards!

[Robbie~xoxo~]

I would have too! :D

[Eric Pudalov]

By the way, I still haven't read your new poem yet. I will when I have the chance. :-)

[~]

The title of this poem pulled me in and I am glad it did... the eerie and dark twist of this really appealed to me. I will have to read the story that inspired such an awesome write.

"the moon haunts me
voyeuristically, its face
peering, like a skull, into
the unseen depths of
me..."

Really liked that stanza, as I did the entire poem. Good work.

[Eric Pudalov]

Thanks Mesperyian! I'm glad you liked it (and perhaps were scared by it?). May I add you as a friend? I would love to read some of your work...it sounds like something I'd enjoy.

[Eric Pudalov]

Oh, and that story, if you haven't read it yet, is creepier than the poem, in my opinion. If it *did* really happen, it makes me wonder what kind of things are going on in parts of Australia.

[~]

Of course you can add me, if we are not already friends. I think that is how I found your writing though? lol. Yes your poem did elicit a fright in me, which I love. I haven't yet posted much of my writing and my more horror type poems are still tucked away, but I would be happy for you to read what I have put up. Thank you! I am going to read that story as soon as I have some down time. I am not suppose to be on here anyway, oops! lol I will be back to sample more of your work, I have really enjoyed what I read so far!

[SquinklaPsyOps]

Hi Eric as the author of the poem you might had intended to provide a scenario with visual imagery that describes a character that is pulled into wonderment because of the desserted place by its mind into metaphor interpretations of the demographic area into something that might reside only in its imagination.

Which is a very important writing because it raises the question what had initiated those thought reactions in the protagonist of the poem and you did a good job as a writer providing that difficult scenario, Applause.

Really do enjoy your intelligent presentations.

SquinklaPsychologicalOperations

[Eric Pudalov]

Thanks, Squinkla! I'll respond in more detail later today...gotta head out!

[Eric Pudalov]

Hi again Squink. I'm intrigued by your review - I suppose it's difficult to say whether the events taking place in the poem are real or imagined. If you read the story that I linked to above, the writer presented it as absolutely true. But even he questioned what exactly took place...he wasn't sure if it was a dream, or something else. I did change the ending of the story a bit - check it out, and let me know how the two compare! Thanks for your thoughts, again.

[Lyn Anderson]

This is awesome. Spooky, cleverly constructed, dark, twisted, but not sick. Just the way I like it. Lovely.

[Eric Pudalov]

Thanks very much!! The original story creeped me out so much that I thought it deserved a poem in its honor. If you have a chance, check it out...it's worth a read.