Reminiscence of Life

The leaves danced around me like a colourless tempest. Mud squelched under my shoes, painting a landscape on the soles of my useless sandals. Trains raced in the distance like race cars, determined to reach the finish line first. The pitch-black clouds were covering the luminous full moon, obscuring my only guide through the sinister and enigmatic night. The taste of the damp air echoed in my mouth, daunting my mind.

The paint on the once new slides was scraped, leaving them drained of colour and invisible against the ghostly background. The climbing frames succumbed to a similarly unfortunate fate - rusted and broken, some parts floated in the air, only being supported by their steel friends. This place was abandoned and dangerously forbidden like ancient catacombs. I could feel faint uneasiness swaying in the air, mocking my downgraded senses in the dark. I slowly breathed in, but still felt strange when I heard quiet rustling of branches and a murder of crows cawing, giving an unsettling sign of life. The lampposts flickered repeatedly when I passed them, warning that something may happen. The pavement was cracked all over - I stepped in one of the deepest trenches. I wasn't the one to believe in superstitions.

They started off slow and distant. Not long after, they matched my own speed. Either they were steps. Or just my misleading sense of reality. Too much video games. Yes, that must be it. I didn't even try to turn around, obviously it was just biased sense of imagination. My stupid feeling of bravery was my only shield against fright. And fainting. But my heart. My heart told me otherwise. So I sped up my trot. I knew this playground like the back of my hand. I could lose that stalker. My blood was boiling. It could be anyone. Man, woman, kidnapper, serial murderer - anyone. I thought I saw bats flying around. I was horribly pathetic. Of course pinching wouldn't work. Meanwhile, the steps persisted. Same speed, same sound. I was too frightened to turn around. My mind was having a psychological overload. Howling of wolves. The smell of fresh blood. Screaming of girls in my head. I tried to take the most complicated way around the playground. To lose them. Maybe they would give up. I hid in an alcove. I was desperately holding onto the hard metal frame. Feeling its icy touch didn't calm me in the slightest. Then the steps stopped. I was panicking. Running on the spot. Ready to flee. Then, I heard my mother's voice behind me. I smiled. I wasn't terrified anymore. I turned around, ran up to her and burrowed into her arms. The moon created a circle of light around us, encasing us in a luminous cage. I was so unbelievably happy. First, I felt a heart-warming hug. Then, I felt a cold knife forcibly pushed into that warm heart.