October

The Tallest Tree in The Woods

Night fell in faster after that, but not as fast as Corbin would have wanted. Nine o'clock crept by and his siblings went to bed. Once ten came around, his mom and dad went to their room. Corbin lay in his bed in the dark, watching the sky through his window. The moon had pulled itself higher. It hung lightly between the stars. Around ten thirty he texted Yleed and said that he was going to bed. He got an answer a few minutes afterwards but didn't bother opening it. He wasn't worried about that.

For a long time he just lay there and watched his alarm clock tick closer and closer to eleven. When it finally struck, he took a deep breath and rose to his feet. Corbin was dressed in black jeans, a black t-shirt, and a black hoodie over his shirt. He even wore black socks. The night was dark. The stars were twinkling. He walked over to the window and looked out once more. Sticking to the shadows would be the key to it all. With that in mind, Corbin slowly crossed his room and eased his door open. It creaked softly on its hinges. He winced. After that, he made his way carefully down the hallway to the stairs. This would be the trickiest part. The fourth stair up always popped if you stepped on it wrong. The others were prone to squeaking. Corbin picked his way down, stepping as quietly as he possibly could. Slowly, slowly down the steps until he got to the fifth stair up. There, he paused. The fourth stair was next and he considered trying to step over it all together.

Instead, he lowered his foot down onto it and crept down to the third step. Luckily, it didn't make any noise. Corbin breathed a sigh of relief as he alighted down onto the main floor. His socks muffled any sound from his feet as he walked onto the tile flooring next to the door. Some streetlight shone in, illuminating the shoes scattered around there. Corbin soon found his sneakers and slipped them on. Then he looked at the front door. This was going to be the worst part. Trying to open and shut the door without making any noise. But he had to do it. He took a breath in to try and still himself before he reached out for the doorknob. His hand met the cool, smooth metal easily. Corbin paused there. Was he really ready to do this? Hell. He might as well be. He turned the doorknob with a shaking hand and barely dared to open the door all the way. Once he did, he stepped outside and shut it behind just as silently. So far, all was well.

Corbin looked at his dark surroundings from his porch. The street was quiet, only illuminated by streetlights, and the yard was covered in heavy dew. It dripped down the leaves and draped the grass in a thick coat. It made the world look like it had been bathed in diamonds. The air was a bit chilly. Not enough to see your breath, but enough that you knew that fall was soon to give way into the bitter jaws of winter. And it smelled crisp. Crisp, clean, and natural. The distinctive smell of night dew lingered in Corbin's nose as he set off across the street and up the block towards Yleed's house.

Every noise was an alert as he jogged along the dark sidewalks. It seemed like every crackle or distant woosh was a car drawing up the street. But everytime Corbin looked over his shoulder, there was no threat. He was fine. Alone, but fine. As long as he stuck to the dark, he would be okay. Soon enough, he had come to the edge of Yleed's yard. Like the rest of the neighborhood, it was quiet and dark. There weren't any lights on. No noise came from the house. Corbin snuck closer. He walked around the house. Nothing.

Just as he started to turn away and head for home, a light flickered into view in a low, basement window. It was warm, and wavering, like a flame or a candle. Corbin crept closer and knelt to the side of the window. He peeked around the edge and watched. The light flickered and grew stronger. A candle came around the corner, held in a familiar and long nailed hand. Corbin's eyes widened. Yleed entered the room. He was wearing all black, as usual, and his long hair hung in his face. As Yleed drew further into the room, more of the scene was illuminated. There was a book sitting at a very old looking desk, as well as bottles and cartons of things scattered around. The room was very cluttered in general. More candles were spread across the desk. Yleed lit them one by one, and soon the whole room was a glow. He knelt in front of the desk and took the book down to the floor with him. Corbin couldn't hear him, but he could tell that he was talking.