Tales of Aridia

Grey Wolf

Summer had just hit and I was out of prison and the chaos that came with it. A weight had been lifted off my shoulder and I finally felt free. I spent most of my days walking fields and parks with Max, someone who was now a close friend to me. Hope and Lucy did not know much about him. I preferred to keep him as my little secret, and no one had to know about him. Hope and Lucy didn't see me much that summer. I often laid there at night worrying if there was something wrong.

I would tell Max about everything and he would put my fears to rest by taking me to the edge of the pond beyond the hills of where I lived. I was drawn to the pond, it's beauty and serenity. It calmed me in ways nothing else could. He would teach me about the flowers and their origins. I was often amazed about all this knowledge he had about history, and when I asked him about it he would shrug if off like it was nothing.

My favourite was the Kadupal flower. He would take me out five minutes before midnight and we would sit on the banks of the lake waiting for them to blossom under moonlight.  Their petals would rise high, reaching out for the moon, and soon they would stop growing and glow brightly for a few peaceful hours. Sometimes we would stay there for an hour, and other times we would watch their full cycle and witness them shrivel into nothing but a lump of white floating on waters surface.

It was around 10pm and I felt the anxiety creeping up my throat over why my best friends still hadn't contacted me. I fiddled with the buttons on my phone and tried to assemble a convincing paragraph about how much I missed them and how I needed to speak with them.

I new what I had to do to settle my thoughts. I messaged Max, briefing him on my worries. Not too soon later he replied. "Meet me by the Lake x"

My heart skipped a beat and I slipped on some shoes and a nightgown. I pranced downstairs as silently as I could, as to not wake my mother up. I walked through the hallway and out to the front door. The house was big and empty, like something was missing. I shivered as the wind crept in through gaps in the windows. The curtains swayed softly in the gentle breeze. The air was cold and my breath left a trail of smoke behind me as I escaped from the house. 

My house was desolate compared to others I had visited. It stood on its own, alone. The path  leading to my house split into two, one to the road that travelled to the town and the other to the forest that sat on the outskirts.

The path winded through trees and ran along the side of rivers. The sky was lit with light and the wind roared powerfully. The moon peeked through the clouds and I walked through the midnight mist.

"Max?" I called out amongst the trees. I heard a rustle among the leaves and I knew he was messing with me, or so I thought. Playing along  I hid behind a towering oak tree. The bark of the tree pressed into my back, poking me with its edges. I felt the presence of someone behind me.

Without turning around I raced off through the maze of woodland, beyond his sight. I approached the lake.

Backing into the bank of the lake I shouted his name. No one replied and soon my enjoyment began to fade.

"Max?"

Startled, I turned around to see if anybody was there. "Lucy, if this is you!" I shouted with the hint of a whimper in my voice. "Lucy?" The wind howled unnaturally with irregular breezes.  There was something in front of me, I could not see it but I could tell I was being stared at from a distance like a predator stalking it's prey. My heart began to beat out of my chest and all I could hear were my shallow breaths, and the roar of the wind. I stepped back but my foot slipped off the bank and I fell awkwardly on my feet in the lake. Whatever it was, it was closer now.

The edge of my night dress was dark from the water and clung to my skin. Edging even further back into the lake I started to make out a pair of eyes glaring at me. "Max?" A tear started to trickle down my face and it made a soft tap on the surface of the lake.

"Look closer."

I shivered at the sound of the voice and took a couple more steps backwards. I had not noticed out of fear how deep I was into the lake. I could barely touch the ground. The weight of my cotton dress was taking a toll on me now and I started to get tired.

I looked down into the depths of the water. It was dark and cold down there, except for one particular bit. I noticed a glimmer of light protruding from the lake and prepared to delve myself underwater. I took a few deep breaths and slowly lowered my body down. I thought the lake was shallow, how I was so mistaken. I pushed down through the water, letting bubbles of air seep out of my mouth and float to the surface.

I stretched my arm out to the illuminated item and scooped up what appeared to be a piece of jewellery. I was not able to describe the pendant that I held in my hand but I was entranced by its beauty, mesmerised even.

Leaves in front of me rustled and I diverted my eyes away from the pendant. "Who's there?" I called out. The bearer of all my troubles did not answer and my tension started to build up yet again. Silence cloaked the lake, it suffocated me. I didn't dare look behind me, or anywhere else. I was fixated in one still position.

A moment of silence lapped over again until I was struck with an unbearable force. Two blue eyes leapt out of the darkness, followed by the monstrous body of a grey wolf.  It's claws were outstretched and its fangs ready to attack. The wolf leapt at such a pace that I did not have time to defend my body and I waited for the impending massacre.

It struck me....but I felt nothing. Not even pain. I felt so overwhelmed by this powerful force that I was thrown back violently into the dark depths of the lake. The wolf was gone and I had not suffered any injuries.

I started to sink, further and further down.