Falling Into Words

The Haunting

Her fingers first broke the rotted, wet layer of vegetation outside the manor walls as she clawed her way out of the old drainage tube. A few pieces of her tattered dress tore loose and were left behind, modesty had long ago been forsaken in favor of survival. The blood, gore and slimy bracken clinging to her body gave her a monstrous nymph like appearance. She took a few stumbling steps forward, oblivious to the stones cutting into her bare feet. The sun pierced through the thinning storm clouds allowing her a moment to apricate and breathe air not fouled with the stench of death. She was free and alive. More than she expected since this nightmare had started. She focused her gaze to the nearby trees knowing that just two miles lay between her and the nearest village. After everything she had been through two miles of hiking through a rain soaked wood was a simple challenge. Time was disjointed, seeming to flow quickly one moment then dragging the next as she pushed on. Pausing only in the random patches of sun for one more touch of warmth. She could see the trees thinning ahead of her. She increased her pace the village was just beyond full of people and true safety at last! She burst through the treeline pulling on her fading strength with a feral cry of joy. Only to have it strangle her in her throat as she stumbled through the open front gate of the cursed manor she had just escaped. Impossible! She had been facing east when she escaped and had kept the rising sun on her face as she traversed the woods. There was no way she could have circled around the massive grounds of the manor to reach the western entrance. She swallowed down the scream building in her chest and backed up slowly keeping her eyes on the manor looking sharply for any movement not wanting to be caught again. The trees began to envelope her hiding the manor from her sight. She turned to run deeper into the woods desperate not to be caught again. She slammed into scale covered stone as the gargoyles hands clamped down on her pinning her arms to her sides. It lifted her up to eye level and growled softly. " Welcome back little bird. " Her screams echoed into the woods as it lifted off on massive wings of living, feathered stone, heading for the tower at the top of the manor where her nightmare had started just one day ago. The creaking of the stones and wood as they parted to let them in sounded just like soft laughter.