A COOL AUTUMN BREEZE SWEPT THROUGH MY HAIR as I waded into the murky depths of Elkmoore Pond. "One more minute," I thought to myself. "One more minute."
I ventured deeper, the icy liquid prickling against my legs. "Curse my parents for making me wear this," I muttered under my breath as I tried to go further but failed miserably because of my horrible dress.
A sudden gust of wind, too cold to be normal for the season, bit into my raw, exposed skin. I shivered, goosebumps rising. Suddenly, every single cell in my body was urging me to get out of the pond.
I sighed and mentally prepared myself to return home. I knew Mam would punish me sorely for sneaking out again. Tugging up my dress, I began to wrangle my feet loose from the spongy mud at the bottom of the pond. But they refused to budge. A cascade of panicked thoughts swirled through my head as I tried to reassure myself. Dread had already begun to pool in the pit of my stomach.
The trees trembled as they loosed their greying leaves. Dust and dying flora swirled through the darkened air. The light of the sun itself seemed to be dimmed.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a black cloak fluttering in the wind.
Terror seized my heart as I whirled my head around. A tall, shadowy figure, his face obscured by an oversized hood, loomed behind me. My face paled when I noticed that the grass the man was standing on was dead.
A foul bird, trapped by the dark leash on its neck, was perched on his shoulder. The creature let out a raspy hiss, its eyes narrowed. My heart was pounding against my chest, threatening to escape its bony cage. It seemed as if the avian knew how much of a coward I really was.
I bit back a scream.
The man stood there, silent. I watched in horror as he reached out a gloved hand and slowly began to lift up his hood. My feeble legs threatened to collapse as I watched the scene unfold before me, tremors shaking my body as more and more of his twisted face was revealed. A visage made entirely of bone.
And then I saw his eyes.
YOU ARE READING
idiomatic
General Fiction⚠︎ UNDERGOING HEAVY EDITING! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK ⚠︎ • she rues the day he showed up. she resents the way his black robe floated in and out of her life. she remembers how he destroyed it all. • word count: 1918 #79 in "words" cover by @skywrxtes d...
