Chamomile

The warm sun rays melt into my pale skin as they peek through the tree foliage dotting my grey dress an orange -brown tint. Damp moss and dead leaves ooze under my leather boots from last night's down pour creating a grassy and earthly smell.

I clench the twig- woven basket close to my side as I admire the exotic flowers sprinkled amongst the lush planes. Azaleas and tulips spring up from the moist dirt creating a collage of colour.

Large dark oak trees tower down on me as their vines hang down into the ponds, as frogs hop amongst lily pads creating commotion in the streams. I walk down to an incline in terrace, gravel and pebbles crunch under my boots as I approach the waters edge. Small tadpole like creatures gently glide with the streams flow, some colliding with the moss, some admiring the foreign objects plunged into the water.

A great sense of tranquillity overcomes me. Undisturbed, stunning and peaceful.

I ought to bring mother here,

Taking in a large breath and recoiling from the flowing water I place the hand-crafted basket to my ankles. Birds chirp harmonically with beautiful tune within the canopy. Standing back to get a greater picture of the prairie, I recite the flowers needed for mothers tea and medicine in my head.

Chamomile, Juhi, Calendula and Aniseed;

A cluster of Chamomile sway in the sun some distance from where I stand. The yellow and white heads of the Chamomile flower are used to make teas and herbal remedies. Mother says if you put the petals in warm water and the stalks float upright, good fortune will fall upon you. Brother, of course doesn't believe in such nonsense; I sit somewhere in the middle.

I should hurry, mother awaits

Taking notice to a rather straight twig I lunge over to its whereabouts, picking it up and pushing it down into the soft soil. Small pinkish worms wriggle in surprise at the sudden movement and retreat back into the dirt; their slimy texture glistening in the sun.

The twig casts a long shadow across the grass in a north- east direction. I look up at the sun, my light blue eyes shimmering like crystal, yet squinting at the brightness.

Four o'clock

Brushing my tan cloak behind my back I feel a presence latch onto me. An unwanted presence, a disturbing presence. My body tenses, senses sharpening as I stand paralysed.

My eyes shift back into the dark trees. Darting around in every nook and cranny, searching... searching. I sit alone in the eerie open field watching, waiting. Rising from the damp grass a wave of nausea overwhelms me. Head spinning, I rotate my body to face the other direction in one quick swift move.

I come faced again to an open field, empty yet unsettled. I grip my golden hair and grit my teeth as the presence grows stronger until I can hear my very heartbeat pound and echo through my ears. Slowly slipping into insanity I kick the grass hard with my heel flinging small bits of dirt and let out a forced breath.

Still unconsciously tensing my abdomen I reach for the basket and distract myself by looking up to the unfazed clouds.

They swiftly glide through the endless and open sky for miles and miles. Wind gently passes by my face, yet my underlying instincts force me to grow a hard grip on the basket and jolt to face the trees once more.

Once again, I'm driving myself crazy,

Kneeling to the soil my fingers race to the flower, piling them up one by one into my basket. The birds return to their hymn and the wind slowly dies off again as a sigh of relief overcomes me.

I wipe the grass from my grazed knees, gently pushing the dirt out of the cuts. Wincing at the touch I look back at the stream once more before jogging off towards the village, slowly picking up pace imagining a bear was chasing me like a little child, running as fast I could. The rosemary scented air rushes past my face as a bright smile spreads from cheek to cheek.

I extend my arms like an eagle and let out a giggle.

Oh, how I wish I could fly,

Colourful birds dart through the sky like black dots amongst the blue, my sprint halts into a slow jog and then eventually a standstill as I notice the sheer horror in their faces. I grimace and clutch my stomach as a shiver pierces down my spine. The hairs stand upright on the back of my next as I slowly turn around.

As I turned, I saw something through the corner of my eye, it was like a blur of pitch black, I didn't see much of it but just from that I felt terrified. I grabbed my basket now full of flowers and ran as fast as my legs could carry me.

I felt as if my lungs were on fire, but the creature was still following me. I could feel it. I scanned the forest floor ahead of me, and I took a sharp left and I almost ran into a tree. I kept running until I saw a little cave in a sort of rocky area, using my remaining energy, I sprinted into the cover of the rocks.

I held my breath as I heard the creature roaming around outside, trying to find a lead as to where I had gone. After a few minutes I finally began to relax.

It had been a couple of minutes, but I finally built up the courage to check if the creature was gone. I peeked my head around the corner of the sharp rocks letting out a sigh as I realized the creature was gone. I did not dare take my eyes off the trees, but I sat at the mouth of the cave.

I was staring into the dark depths of the trees daydreaming, when a loud thud ripped me out of my comfy little dream world. I looked around wide eyed waiting for something to move. Suddenly, I felt a searing pain from my neck all the way down my back. I spun around as fast as I could, and I was terrified at what I saw.

Empty black sockets where eyes should have been and blood soaking the edges of its skull. It's hard to describe it was like a wolf with a skull for a head but that's all I know because after that there was nothing, everything just went black. I screamed hoping someone would hear me, but it was hopeless, hour after hour all I was screaming was "Please someone help me I'm trapped." I was trapped in the blood-soaked flowers I had picked for my mother.

The stench of blood was overwhelming but now I'mhere, awaiting the next victim to take my place.