"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary. Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore. While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping. As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. 'Tis some visitor.' I muttered, 'tapping at my chamber door, only this and nothing more.' Ah distinctly, I remember it was in the bleak December. And each separate dying ember, wrought its ghost upon the floor."
These words I knew so well, from the first stanza of Edgar Allan Poe's poem The Raven.
The words echoed through my head as I stared at the raven perched behind my window tapping the glass with it's beak.
It's casted a ghastly giant shadow on the floor. It was fast in its movements and in a moment blocked all the lights coming from the gleaming moon into the room.
I looked at the wall clock and it was almost 1 am.
Jude and I slept in the attic, of the Mack Cottage. It took sometime to set it up as a guest room.
The night before was difficult. Trying to wrap my head around this sleeping town and my Dad did not explain anything to us. Not even about the stunt he pulled at dinner, giving Mr. Mack a children's story as the mystery in this town.
I could not rest.
Jude was fast asleep and snoring quietly. I've always wished to have such an ability to sleep when I want, as if I had a button for sleeping that I could just press and drop into the dream world.
I'm the kind that do not need adaptation to new places since we usually move around in our activities.
My Dad is not who he is anymore, I don't know what we're up against in Sallybrook and on top of all that, I don't know who I am.
There was a vague feeling of sadness in me. I couldn't tell what situation at hand contributed to that sadness, but it was enough to keep me awake.
Another raven joined the tapping one. A third joined and they cawed and tapped the window in a creepy succession.
The light in the room flactuated from lit to dim back and forth.
I angrily got out of bed and walked to the window to scare them off.
I opened it and waved my hands at them, as they flew away and perched on branches of trees near by.
There was a lot them, all perched on the branches staring at my window. First the crows now Ravens?
I know nothing about ravens, maybe except for that poem. I didn't know what to call this sight of about a hundred of them all in one place.
Suddenly I heard a crack on the floor outside, around the base of the trees. Another crack sounded accompanied by rustles in the pile of dead leaves on the floor.
There was a young girl walking quietly ahead, passing in front of the house. She was heading to the higher part of the hills covered with lots trees.
Her hands were stiff on her sides as she walked calmly. There was no gesture or other humane behavior about her walking.
I put on my flip flops and quietly got of the attic and moved downstairs.
Jude was still asleep, he turned and was sleeping when I was leaving.
Downstairs was very dark, I did not take notice of the switch when we were having dinner.
I run my fingers across the walls as I quietly walked, trying to make my way to the main door.
I thought of going to get my Dad. He may help or ruin what I will discover. I didn't know where Minerva was by this time, the last I saw her, she was with the Lola girl. Helping her pack our bags.
"Hey, what are you doing?" S voice came from behind.
It made the hair on my neck stand. I sprang out of fear and struck my leg against something hard.
"Fuck!" I cursed as I held my leg in pain and moved the chair out of the way in the dark.
"Wow, I've never heard you say that before." It was Minerva.
She was fixing her belt well and pulling up her jeans to feel more comfortable.
I sat down on the chair and I comically rubbed my leg as I mourn and squirmed quietly in pain.
"With all the shit that's going on, I thought that word would come out of you earlier." She said.
"What are you doing by this time, I thought you'll be asleep by now." I whispered.
"Uuumm." She paused. "I went to the bathroom."
"Dressed like that?" I whispered.
She was still dressed, in her jeans and black leather jacket. Her hair was messy and the subtle make-up she puts on was gone.
"Why are you whispering?" She asked.
"I don't want to wake the others, there's something you gotta see." I said.
I grabbed her shoulder and pulled her down to make her crouch like me.
We made our way through the dark room to the door.
"Hey, what's going on?" She asked.
"Shhhh."
We saw a lot of people walking in the distance. All walking in that creepy manner. Hands stiff on their sides, no gesture or expressions buh just walking quietly.
We quietly followed them to a dimly lit forest area, up on the hills above the cottage.
We crept behind some of the giant trees and watched them walk.
They were murmuring;
TWELVE PLUS ONE
ELEVEN PLUS TWO
Constantly.
I noticed that some of them were holding sticks and stones. There murmured the mantra as they walked towards a well.
They dropped anything they held in their hands into the well as they got to it. They'll go back and return with another object in their hands to dlbe dropped into the well.
We rushed back to the cottage. More confused and disturbed. We did not intrude on what they were doing to why they doing it.
We know what ever is making them sleep during the day is making them walk at night.
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GREY CAPS
Mystery / ThrillerNev's whole life has been preparing him to stop the return of the man that killed his mother when he was only a baby. Solving the mysteries of his existence and his supposed vendetta, he learns to take a second look at every step he takes. He goes a...
