The town was dark and dreary. Large, thick tree branches held onto the houses closest to them. The lanterns were the only available light in the streets, the fog swirling around my feet that trailed the cobblestone path. I trudged along, listening to the clipping and clopping of my booted feet against the pavement. It was the only thing that accompanied me apart from my master's cat that trailed alongside me.
It purred as the black mass nuzzled into my leg. Two glowing yellow eyes stared up at me, the round orbs more than likely staring into my soul, but I couldn't bring myself to care. I had more pressing matters on my hands.
Walking through the town, I felt daggers in my back, but not the literal kind. It was as though someone was watching me. There may even be more than one person doing so. Even so, I kept trudging through the fog, carelessly plodding into puddles from the rain earlier.
The fog thickened into smoke at the end of the pathway near the edge of the town. I looked off to find that a bonfire had been lit by some local children who danced and swirled around the fire. They laughed, some running after each other in the background. I chuckled to myself as I walked on, keeping an eye on the moon's size.
It had been many a week since the last full moon when my master went missing, a great and powerful wizard. It had been in this very town that he had disappeared, not returning to the little cottage in the woodland where I worked beside him as an apprentice. Nevertheless, I found myself in a predicament and I must find my master before the next full moon otherwise all hope would be lost.
With my face cast in shadow by my hood, I stare up at the houses that hover around mockingly. They seem to be taunting my loss, just as those who peered out did. Perhaps I should be grateful I decided to wear my long coat instead of my cardigan. At least this old thing covered me up so that no one would know my appearance.
Something felt off here. My magic curled around me, protective of the shell that it used as its conduit. I shied away from the buildings, turning to the bonfire behind me once more. The children had disappeared and the great wizard himself stood there, one with the rising flames. His dead eyes stared into the abyss of the town, his skin peeling and boiling as he burned.
Fetching the cat into my arms, I spun on my heel and disappeared into thin air. I landed back in the little cottage, packing everything I could find before the eyes that had been watching me came here to burn everything down. With the bag wrapped over my shoulder filled with scrolls of magic, rare herbs and spices and the essentials, I left for the safe, dark forest.
Word count = 500 words
Written for the High Fantasy prompt for Halloween Vault 3D
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Spookerella | Horror Short Stories
Horror- Created for the Halloween Vault contests hosted by Wattpad - On Halloween, things always go bump in the night in the lonely pages of Spookerella. Whilst the dead wander the earth, haunting those still among the living, Spookerella waits for a fool...
