CHRISTMAS HAUNTINGS

ENTRY 12: Beyond the All-White Veil

Title: Beyond the All-White Veil

Pen Name: evrryever

Word Count: 828

Entry:

December 24, 20xx

11: 45 PM

There's something sinister lurking beyond the thick layers of snow outside our home.

I've never once seen it, but my skin tingles and my blood runs cold from its daunting presence. It leaves no traces of its existence at daylight and bides its time until the onset of winter nights, when the relentless snowfall morphs into a veil, obscuring our vision of the world beyond our home. Once on the move, it takes advantage of the shadows and the continuous flight of the snowflakes to conceal its stealthy movements. But such effort is meaningless when the deafening sounds of crashes and piercing shrieks of terror follow in its wake.

One night, when I could no longer stomach those horrific noises, I took my sole chance to peek through the closed curtains while everyone was fast asleep. You can say that my curiosity got the better of me, I know, but come on, don't you also think that it's better if you're at least aware of what is happening around you? Or is that just me?

But before my fingertips could even graze the fabric that had long acted as a blindfold for my unknowing eyes, my mother appeared from behind me and held my wrist with a stern look on her gaunt face.

"It's just the spirits, child. I told you, right? Get away from the window if you don't want to catch their attention."

I can still remember those unsettling words that escaped from her trembling lips.

My mother is terrified of it too. Not the so-called spirits she claimed, but the real fiend behind that weak excuse of hers.

So every midnight, I must force down the lump of guilt forming in my throat as I ignore the faint echoes for help that pierce through the thin walls of our room. The questions left unsaid from my failed attempt to know the truth still haunt me today, making my heart tremble in fear for whatever form of monstrosity is happening outside.

But things are different this night.

There are no sounds of glasses shattering from a distance or the high-pitched howls that used to keep my mind buzzing with questions. Everything is as hushed as it can be.

This oddity birthed a reckless thought in my head. I know this may be a bad idea, but can you blame me for wanting to know what lies beyond those piles of snow?

It's now or never.

***

December 25, 20xx

12:30 AM

A sea of raging fire.

A pile of bodies drowning in the wrath of flames.

A group of unknown men laughing maniacally, watching those unrecognizable remains slowly turn into ashes while chanting, "Burn! Burn these spawns of the devil! Burn these wicked witches! Burn all those who mock the holy on this sacred day!"

It was the most savage act of mankind that first tainted my unshakable hope in this world.

With the growing dread in my heart, I tried to get away as fast as possible without making much noise, but they saw me.

Those wretched monsters saw me.

So I kept running, never once looking back. What seemed like an eternity was only a few minutes in reality, but it was the most frightening sprint I've ever done in my life.

I'm losing my breath the more I force this trembling hand of mine to write and recount my experience with such madness, but this is the only way you'll know the truth.

I'm losing time now, so please, if you're that kind of person who snoops around for belongings that aren't theirs and somehow finds this diary, read the next line carefully.

Tell the world about these atrocities of our own kind.

That's right; you read that right.

Let everyone in the whole wide world know of my story.

I don't know how many days I have left or how long I can keep writing, but only one thing is certain: our tomorrow is not guaranteed anymore.

If this simple way of venting out my fear of this cruelty can bring hope to those in the same situation as me, then I guess I won't mind leaving this world. I've done everything I can by my means, so the rest is up to you, who still bear that sense of humanity, and everyone else in this world, to make a change.

I pray you never experience this nightmare.

***

The man flipped over to the next page, but nothing else followed. A small breath of disappointment escaped from his lips before he offered a silent prayer at the wrecked cabin before him.

As he turned one last time to bid his final farewell, a warm, gentle breeze blew past his face. Though winter had long begun, and it shouldn't make sense for this to happen, the man only smiled by himself and pressed forward to bring judgment to all those who dared cross the line.