The Raven

The Raven (a short story- VERY short)

Silvery flakes fell from the sky, one by one, a gleaming white moon shone overhead, casting a ghostly glow over the forest. While I looked up, sitting on a low branch of tall, strong tree, my eyes made contact with a raven. Its beady, black eyes stared right into mine. Then with a high cawing sound it took off into the black of the night.

I don't understand why, but I was called to it. Without another thought in my mind I hopped off the branch and took off running, snow crunching underneath my feet as I chased after the raven. It soared over me, making complicated motions through the trees, dodging out of sight every now and then.

As the night grew darker it was harder to see it, making it harder to see where I was going. And before I knew it, the sky was black, the only light was the glow from a full moon and the twinkling of an odd scatter of stars. And though I tried to make out the shapes of trees and other obstacles, I couldn't see a thing. I was lost and alone.

And then a whisper, just louder than silence, "Follow the path."

"What path?" I voiced aloud, almost screaming in confusion. Then I looked down, and as if it were magic, there was a glowing line in the snow, trailing far ahead of me, twisting and winding in various patterns.

For some odd reason I listened to the mysterious voice and chased down the path, after a while an old, wooden fencing seemed to enclose the path, the light grew brighter. And then I saw it.

A gaping hole in the ground, light shining out of it, orange and bright, reflecting onto the trees around it. "Enter." The voice hissed almost, sounding angry and impatient.

But why, I thought, why would I do that? It seemed like a stupid thing to do. To just fall in, fall through in a never-ending spiral of emptiness. And yet as I heard a hissing in the background, it seemed more and more appealing. I stepped to the edge of it, almost tipping over the side.

It looked so inviting so without another thought, I fell.

Over the edge, toppling down, darkness surrounding me. Fear erupted in my brain, my panic levels rose and I realized what I'd done. Screams tore through me, my limbs lashed out, wanting to go back, to never go in the hole, to never walk the path, to never follow that stupid raven.

And where was that silly bird anyways?!

And then I saw it, a dark shadow of a raven traced on the last bit of glow in the hole as I still fell. I heard it's caw, I saw its wings, lashing about while it flew, spiralling down with me. And then I felt its sharp talons, driving deep into my skin, scratching my arms, legs, face. Blood burst from the open wounds.

And just as it got ready for one last strike to my eyes, I let out a long, piercing scream. It echoed through the hole, through the forest. Light seemed to shine out with it, connecting to the moon, to the trees, to the ground, to everything.

And with one big burst, I was light, and I was shining, and I was safe, and alive and.... awake?!

Lying in my bed, panting, looking around, safe in my room. And yet when I looked down at my blanket, my eyes immediately caught a single black feather, laying gently in my lap, blossoms of blood on it, and I heard in the distance, a raven calling.