The Shambling Horror

Short Story Version

The sky is a bright blue that casts the meadow in golden sunlight. The flowers bright as they fill the meadow with their colorful exuberance, and two hummingbirds chase one another, up and down the meadow, in an intimate dance of spring. Even the clouds themselves seem to not want to taint the picture-esque scene, for none can be seen in the infinity of pastel blue. All is still...until, the hoof beats of a horse, break the silence of the meadow.

A small well-worn black carriage comes bounding down the path, inbetwixt the gorgeous meadow. The conductor sat atop his perch, and as he typically was, was deep in thought.

"Should be done soon enough ol boy." He thought to himself looking at the horse. Since his wife and son had passed away from fever, a few months ago, the horse was now his only companion. Yet the horse was getting on in years and typically he wouldn't take a job so far from his home.

However the college paid very well, as per usual, and he was given a hefty amount of food for the three days drive. He stopped thinking for a moment and took a deep breath in, of the crisp spring air. Looking atop his carriage perch, to take in the heavenly sight of the meadow.

"Such a beautiful day, isn't it, Ethan?" He yells out to his carriage's sole inhabitant. But the young man was too engrossed in thought to hear him at first. "Ethan, Mr. Archers?" the conductor asks. Though it takes a second or so, Ethan finally answers.

"Sorry Jason, I'm afraid I missed what you said." Ethan says, with a chuckle. He hadn't even taken his emerald green eyes from his work to speak, for his thoughts completely buried him in a letter, 'the letter'.

He runs his fingers through his dark unkempt hair, leaning back and closing his eyes to take a long cleansing breath. He reaches into his charcoal black suit pocket, and pulls out an old pocket watch. Which made the chalk dust that clung to his coat, puff up, as he extracted the watch from his coat.

He pops open the watch and looks at the time. He taps on the clock's face, with his thumb.

"We should be there soon." He thinks to himself. After twirling the watch around in his hand, he puts the old watch back in his pocket.

"I said 'Beautiful day isn't it?'" Jason carried on, in an equally as cheerful way as he did before. Over the last three days he and Ethan had known one another, a fast rapport had grown between the two.

Though most of the scientists at the college were, to put it frankly, 'fine enough' in Jason's mind. Ethan was one of the few he'd ever seen freely walking in the town that surrounded the college, and was always seen: charming some of the townsfolk, joking with them, sometimes playing with the children of the town, Ethan was always talking to someone, either to teach them, to offer a helping hand, or even deep in philosophical thought with someone.

Some of the older folk, however, found it rather 'odd' to put it nicely, though Jason, never was one to speak against his elders, he did not agree with their sentiments.

The whole time he had been with Ethan, Ethan was polite and ready to help pack camp in the morning. This, in Jason's mind, was more than proof positive of Ethan's benevolence. Yet much like the other scientists, he still took every moment he could spare to return to his mission.

Ethan finishes the letter, for the how many-th time he couldn't remember, and finally removed his attention from the letter, and though indeed he could recognize its beauty, the enrapturing sight was almost completely lost on him.

"It is wonderful Jason." Ethan says, trying, in vain, to give the same amount of enthusiasm. But his mind is far too focused, for yet like the siren's song, he went back to the letter. He, as well as many others at the college, had read it several times. Nevertheless it only seemed to deepen the mystery, for their curious minds.