The Devil's 😈 Bride👰

Chapter 1

    I took a deep breath for the fifth time before I finally walked up the stage, I kept rehearsing my lines in my head as I walked towards the standing microphone, I didn't let my gaze leave the microphone as though it would disappear if I did. Finally reaching the microphone, I grabbed it with my left hand and heaving a sigh, I finally took a glance at the audience then rested my gaze on the female judge who happened to speak first..

    "What's your name and where are you from?" She asked with an expressionless face.
 
    "I'm Audrey from......" I started but then froze, mouth agape as I finally recognized the male judge seated casually beside the judge who had questioned me.  I tried to continue my introduction but my speech seemed to fail me as I only heard squealing sounds. My head suddenly started spinning and my throat became dry. Not knowing what to do, I blacked out.

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                     FIVE YEARS EARLIER.
  The church bells rang continuously chasing away the birds near it. It was another Saturday in Markainville, but unlike the other Saturdays, there was going to be a very special wedding today.
   
    Not the usual wedding between two humans, but a wedding between the living (which unfortunately happened to be me) and the devil himself.
  

Let me explain, Markainville was a very small town which had never agreed to open up to civilization. It still performed sacrilegious acts even till this century and one of such acts was the yearly wedding of a female indigene to the devil.

     The people of Markainville believed the only reason their little town remained peaceful for such a long time was because the Devil(the trouble maker) was being kind to them, so they thought of a way to repay him so that he would remain kind to them. It was then one unfortunate fellow decided to come up with the idea of giving brides to the devil yearly. The brides were usually chosen by the church priest and they were usually between the ages of 16years to 20years.

   All this agreement happened long ago before I was born but unluckily for me, like I have always been this year, I was chosen to be the devil's bride.

   So standing here at the entrance of the church dressed in a long flowing black wedding gown, I sniffled back a tear that struggled to break free. I still couldn't believed my 17years of existence was going to end like this without fulfilling anything on my bucket list.

    "Are you ready!" My father's voice broke into my thoughts. He had his hand held out for me waiting to walk me down the aisle.
   "Do I look ready?....how can you allow this fate to befell your only daughter??..... Do you even deserve to be called a father?" I wanted to yell out but all I could manage to say was "No" in a soft whisper.

My father probably didn't hear me or pretended not to because he just grabbed my hand and began walking. His face seemed to be smiling as though he was happy he was getting rid of a bad daughter.

  "FATHER" I called in a whimper as he kept dragging me behind him. He didn't reply me and soon we both stood at the alter. He hastily placed my hand on the priest's and went to take his seat.

  By now, the water works in my eyes were threatening to blind me, so I slowly pressed my lids shut and let the tears flow freely as the priest began reading something that sounded like an incantation. I was not really paying attention until I heard the final pronunciation.

  "I now pronounce you man and wife."

It was then I opened my eyes and saw that the glass coffin had already been opened... Black flowers surrounded it and made it beautiful in a way..... But then again, was death supposed to be beautiful?.
  
"It's time Alice" the priest said. I took one last glance at the congregation, they all maintained an expressionless face including my father.
My mother wasn't here because she had been locked up for trying to escape with me. It pained me so much to see my father looking so relaxed while I was about to die... He certainly didn't deserve to be my father. I let tears flow freely again, this time with my eyes opened.... I slowly but steadily climbed into the glass coffin, arranged my bulky wedding gown and laid down...
The coffin was closed by some men who then lifted it up and carried it to the graveyard behind the church where all the other brides before me had been buried.

A hole had already been dug the men carefully laid the coffin in the hole.. I kept my eyes opened.. people stood by including the priest who kept saying words of prayers that sounded like an incantation. He then signalled someone and the first pile of sand landed on the coffin.. I was about shutting my eyes when I felt a pair of eyes on me... Yes I know everyone was staring at me, but this one felt strange...was it the devil?.. I strained my eyes but I could barely see now because my glass coffin was covered with more and more sand.. I took a deep breath and shut my eyes, WELCOMING MY DEATH.