Love is Like a Raven [ON (POSSIBLY PERMANENT) HIATUS]

Annabel Lee

"It was many and many a year ago

In a kingdom by the sea,

That a maiden there lived whom you may know

By the name of Annabel Lee.

And this maiden she lived with no other thought

Than to love and be loved by me." ~Edgar Allan Poe, "Annabel Lee"

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Annabel sat upon a cold brick wall. She held her coat tightly around her as the snow fell delicately. She watched as each snowflake floated slowly and delicately to the ground. Everything around her felt dead. The only thing that kept life to the area was the graceful snowflakes. She shuddered as a tear formed in her eye. The tear was cold enough that it burned as it slivered down her face. She was a little surprised that the tear wasn't made of ice itself, but her sorrow was too heavy for her to focus on anything but it. She could only keep her mind on one thing--the mask...

To help get it out of her mind, she walked towards the sea, still holding her coat tightly. She looked over the frozen water as an ice cold wind blew into her face. She took a step on it carefully, making sure it wouldn't break. She slowly and steadily walked over the ice. Each gentle step she took made a crackling sound. She kept walking until she was surrounded by nothing but the frozen water. With a deep breath, she sat down and traced her finger along the ice.

"'The Masque of Red Death'..." she sighed. "I thought you were just a man with good taste in literature..."

The ice exploded with cracks as Annabel fell through into the cold water. She tried swimming back up to the surface, but the freezing water made her limbs not want to move. She tried to do everything to save herself, but it was all futile. She finally gave up and screamed her last word, allowing the water to flood her lungs.

"Nevermore!"