Arisu [ #JustWriteIt - Horror - Complete ]

Epilogue

"Don't cry dear white rabbit,
The caretaker did coo.
Now we begin our lives anew."

Trick woke up in a cold sweat, jolting to his feet with a yelp. He looked at his surroundings in a panic, taking big gulps of air as he tried to remember if he'd been knocked out again.

The bell tower was ringing again, though he couldn't keep track of the tolls.

"Mmmk... Feels like I've been spinning in circles..." He mumbled to nobody in particular, bracing himself against a bookshelf as he was hit with a dizzy spell.

~*~*~*~

He could remember that, after telling its sorrowful story, the white rabbit had asked about his own. And so he'd told it - told it all about how he'd lost his parents when he was very young.

Trick went on to tell the tales of his travels with his brother, a brief recalling of the highlights, but narrating in detail about how Coryn had risked his life to save Alice from the fire that claimed her parents.

The little rabbit had been very interested in that, thought that it had been very brave of him.

"He cares a lot about me and Alice; I know he'd die for us if he had to!" Trick had said, his chest swelling with pride.

My friend cares a lot about me too.
But sometimes he goes too far.

I'm not sure if I trust you...
But you're not being mean to me, like those other visitors were.

So... Okay.
I'll tell my friend to stop.

~*~*~*~

His memory ran blank, like the end of a film's reel. For the life of him, he could not recall what happened after that, no matter how much he wanted to.

Trick's breath caught in his throat when his eyes met a window. The lounge window. He reached out to touch it - his hand splayed across brittle glass.

"It's... It's normal?"

He whipped around, frantically searching every inch of the room with his disbelieving eyes. The books were back in the bookshelf - made of yellowing, splotchy paper and hardback covers.

And the door! Oh, the mysterious door with those strange patterns and symbols! It was there, standing in front of him with a foreboding aura! Delightful!

The young apprentice had half a mind to run outside then and there, but he changed his mind when he thought of the little white rabbit. Where had it gone? And what about the bigger, meaner one?

He approached the staircase with wary.

One cautious step onto the hollow case; it held firmly underneath his foot. No tricks, no breaking and no sucking him down into a deep dark abyss.

He sprang up the rest with the energy of a hare in spring. The air he breathed was fresh; beautiful and light.

The halls were exactly as they'd been during his initial scope of the manor - wholesome, spooky and icky with dust and cobweb.

Trick took a fleeting glimpse into each branching corridor and room as he went. There was nothing out of the ordinary. And no rabbits in sight.

He slowed down in front of the study door, panting from his dashing sprint. The sturdy barricade was ajar and no light spilled out of the gap.

The little boy reached out to push it open. His heart hammered in his chest, brimming with a hope that he dared not think of.

Instinctively, he knew who was behind that door. And as it swung open, he was so happy to realize that he was right.

Coryn was sitting upright in the rickety chair with his head tipped back. His chest rose and fell with rhythm as he softly snored.

Alice lay curled up on his lap, comfortably holding fistfuls of his golden cloak in her hands. She was sleeping too - snuggling up to the cozy fabric happily.

Trick burst into the room in a great excitement, bubbling with so much relief. He woke both of them up with his loud exclamations of joy at seeing them alive.

With a drowsy yawn, Coryn's stretched out and over the seat. His robotic eye came back on flawlessly, lighting up as a slit of bright red glow.

"H-Huh? How did I... What happened to..." He looked down and both of his eyes widened with suprise, "A-Alice?"

The little girl waved him off and refused to let go. Her neck was framed by her silky strands of sakura hair - completely unscathed. "Can we buy some jellybeans now, Cory?"

Coryn shifted in his seat. One of his hands absentmindedly rubbed on his stiff shoulder, searching for the absent gash. Was it all a dream?

Trick's head popped up from in front of the desk. He was looking intently at the Halloween costumes, or more specially, the sewing equipment that'd been used to make them.

He ducked his head around a drooping loop of thread and scrutinised it carefully, searching for any traces of blood. Clean.

"Hey... Can we get out of here now? I had a really weird and freaky nightmare..." When had it started? And when had it ended? He wasn't sure.

Coryn moved with unusual enthusiasm, reaching over to bundle up the costumes and equipment back into the rucksack.

"With pleasure..." I really thought I was going to- Ummph. I don't wanna stay here for another second!

With some magic, they were ready to depart within seconds. Alice was still half-asleep - so Coryn carried her over his shoulder when he went down the stairs.

Trick kept his eyes out for any sign of a white rabbit during their final journey through the manor. But he didn't. Not a hide nor hair.

Coryn flung the front door open without a care in the world, holding it for Trick to catch up and run out. Then Alice was inspired to climb down and start walking again.

The dull grass blew with the wind, soft as a peacock's feather. The two children ran ahead towards the old stone bridge with growing anxiety regarding the trick-or-treating fest.

They weren't too late - midnight had passed only moments ago.

Coryn turned around to close the manor's door once more. It might've been a yearning to dissuade anyone else from entering the haunting place, but it was also closure for himself.

For a fraction of a second, his eyes met the gaze of a tiny pair of red orbs. In that moment, time froze once more.

Goodbye now.

The voice wallowed with sorrow, but bittersweetly so...

Half-concealed in the shadowy entrance hall, Coryn saw a white rabbit sitting on its haunches, holding a familiar speckled flower in its paws.

A towering silhouette was standing beside it, looking down meaningfully at the rabbit with scarlet-ringed eyes.

And then the door closed with a firm slam.

The bell sadly chimed a farewell to the three travellers.

Its sound traveled with the wind and filled their ears with its hushing tunes, sealing a memory in their minds that would last beyond a lifetime.

The Real End.

[Hello, dearest reader. I can't express my gratitude about you making it to the very last chapter. You've survived the white rabbit(s), my constant hounding for interaction and a horrorific manor full of horrors!
Move on to the next chapter if you wanna support yours truely, or just find out what music was in my head while writing. Maybe you'll reread it while listening songs? Who knows? It's your choice, dearest reader!
With all the love, from Phantom.]