My Short Stories

The Woman in Black

Faran climbed up the apple tree that was planted right outside of his village. He plucked a bright red one off of the tree and threw it back and forth in his hands. He watched the apple blur between his hands. He caught it in hand and turned the apple around to look at it from every angle. Deciding that it was good to eat he lifted it up to his mouth. Before he could take a bite, a girl sprinted out of the nearby woods.
She yelled and screamed as she ran up the path towards the village. The clothes that were much too big for her flapped in the wind as she made her way up the path.
"She's here! The woman in black! She's coming!" The girl tripped and fell on the ground but quickly picked herself up. As she got closer, Faran could see tears streaming down her face.
Faran looked at the place where the girl and came out of the woods. A few seconds later, a figure dressed in black robes emerged from the shadows. The creature gracefully walked out of the woods. It was almost like she was floating.
All of the color of the world around Faran drained away to shades of black and gray and white. All the emotions that were in the air disappeared and all that was left was nothingness. All the things that made life amazing, gone. All of them taken away from the creature under the robe.
Faran moved among the branches to hide himself from the woman. He gripped the apple tightly. The sticky juice poured from it. He kept his head out just enough to keep a careful eye on the woman as she walked up the dirt path.
Her robes did not move as she did; they stayed perfectly still like they were made of metal. Her face was covered by shadows that her hood created.
She soon made it to the apple tree that Faran was perched in. Every fiber of muscle in him was tighten with stress. A cold sweat dripped down his forehead. She stopped a few feet in front of the apple tree with her head looking forward. Slowly, the creature turned her head up towards Faran. Faran quickly put his head behind the trunk in hopes the woman didn't see him. He curled up into a ball to keep himself from being seen. Once the woman sees you, you cannot escape from her deadly spell.
Faran quickly peeked around to see if the woman was still there. He locked eyes with the woman. Dark, cold spheres looked back into Faran's eyes. He wanted to turn back around but he was frozen in place by fear.
The woman smiled, not showing her teeth. Faran's eyes widened with shock to see that monster smiling at him.
A blinding light came from the woman's eyes and was gone as soon as it happened. Faran dropped the apple and hid his head behind the trunk again, to shaken to do anything else. The woman looked ahead again and continue on into the village to pick her victim.
     Faran dropped down from the tree to pick up his apple. He turned the apple around in his hands feeling for a bruise. The apple, that was now a medium gray, felt empty of life. He picked his head up and looked towards the village entrance.
     Slowly, Faran put one foot in front of the other and made his way to the closet house. The usually crunch of the dirt under his shoes wasn't there. No birds chirped from the trees and no moos came from the cattle.
     Faran peeked his head around the wall of the house. The woman made her way towards the fountain in the center of village. The village felt strange with no one walking or dancing around. It was usually so full of life, now everyone was locked away in their houses. Everyone except for Faran.
     The woman stopped in front of the fountain. Another, distant, flash of light occurred and the fountain sprang into life. Water poured from the top and trickled down into the pool below.
     Faran stepped out in to the open to get a closer look at the creature. He took a few cautious steps forward. Then a few more and a few more and a few more.
     "Curious, aren't you?" He jumped at the sound of the voice. It was gentle and terrifying at the same time. "Most people who look into my eyes are."
     Faran stood frozen in place.
     "You're not like the others in your village, are you?" She stood completely still, staring straight into the fountain. "They don't accept you for you. They don't love you. No one here does."
     She turned her head so Faran could see her bottom half of her face. Her eerily pale skin blended in with the white and gray around them.
     "If you come with me, I will show you a place where they do."
     The woman turned around to face Faran. An arm escaped the robe surrounding her. Her fingers were long, bony, and wrinkled with age.
     "I promise."
     Faran cautiously stepped towards the mysterious woman. He looked at her old hand and reached out his hand to take it.
     "Good choice." The woman smiled to reveal her sharp, vicious teeth. Her eyes shined again and the world around them disappeared.