Whispers in the Dark

The Hanging Tree: Part 1

Let's head on down to the hanging tree,
bodies swaying, dangling in the breeze,
where restless spirits become free,
madness on the winds - beckoning me.
In the darkness you can hear their pleas:
come meet me on down at the hanging tree,
we can play - dancing in the breeze.
Nowhere to flee, down at the hanging tree.
I'll meet thee over by the empty sea.
Let's play, I'll be there to set you free!
We are all here at the hanging tree,
swinging - dancing in death's breeze.
Come and see me at the hanging tree!

~
Ever wondered what it would be like to exist in a world where there was nothing? No sound, no color, no life? Ever imagined how it would feel like to give into that twisted darkness? Like a lone lover it lured, whispered, and caressed; tainting your mind forever.

Caroline had. She had done so ever since she first started hearing the whispers in the dark, calling her.

That darkness beckoned her now as she watched the rain splattered against the glass, forming streams and rivers while the drops slid down it. Fascinating in its own right; the paths chosen as if by chance yet still managing to fall at the exact spot it had meant to. Caroline wondered if life was like that, if we were born where we were meant to or if it was by chance. Maybe her thoughts would be different, maybe she wouldn't feel the guilt.

Sinners. You're all sinners; it calls to us- your soul. We shall come for you; set you free. We'll meet you by the empty sea. Hell is waiting through the raven's eye.

Blowing out a breath of air, Caroline glared at the gloom waiting outside the window that mocked her with her own feelings. However much she had found the rain fascinating, it had been doing so for weeks, turning her thoughts morbid. The restricted confinement of staying inside was wearing on everyone.

The world outside was nothing but muck. There were no trips into town, no outings, and no working the fields. Rivers and streams had risen past their embankments and ran over, making bridges impossible to pass. Dirt roads were turned into a sinking death trap for any foolish enough to venture outside. No one with a horse or wagon would be foolish enough to even attempt it. Though, she vaguely pondered what it would be like if her father had done so. Would she miss him if he died, mourn him? And what if she had gone with him, would she finally find that nothingness that she craved? 

"Caroline!" shouted her mother. "Caroline where are you? It's time for your lessons."

Hearing her mother's exhausted voice filter up from downstairs, she rolled her eyes and stood up from her window seat. With one last glance outside, she thought she saw an outline of an eye formed by the rain. Staring at it, she placed her finger on the glass, tracing the eye.

Let's play, let's dance, let's let the sinners swing free! Can't you hear their pleas? Come, Caroline. Come meet us at the tree!

The voices. She dreaded the voices almost as much as her lessons; whispered words that were never there. Spoken without a source. It was irksome and wrong. And when she told her father, she got spanked for lying. Though even that couldn't compare to how much she detested her lessons. To read the word of God over and over- words she must abide by- was dull. She did not want to spend her days learning how she would either end up in heaven or hell; she wanted to go to that place where there was nothing- no hurt, no love, no happiness. Just the sweet numbness of being empty. Not to mention the tedious needlework that left her fingers aching and her eyes sore from concentrating on getting the stitching right, it was all just so pointless.

Her brother's wails had already reached her ears before she even left her bedroom. No doubt, her mother was trying desperately to sooth him without success. She had tried everything from mint, honey, various teas, sugar water, and a few drops of whiskey- none of which worked. There was no escaping the shrieking baby, and Samuel had been doing so since the very beginning of the first rain showers. For weeks his shrilly squalls had rattled on everyone's nerves. Now, not only did she have to contend with the rain, but with her brother's cries as well. She found it irritating not being able to hear her own voice as she talked, not to mention her own thoughts.