Jet Black Feeling
Sweet Pandemonium
I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. The most I could manage was craning my neck slightly, seeing the pale hand rested there.
It was just some college student or a classmate tying to scare me....
"Snow!"
The grip immediately released, and barking was heard from a distance, dead leaves crunching and the warmth of the person behind me disappearing.
"You alright?" Old Blue asked, breathless as he stopped beside me, his dog Bruno panting as he looked up at me.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little shocked," I said, slipping off the headstone and gazing out over the cemetery into the shadows. Who'd been standing there a second ago?
Old Blue put his arm around my shoulder, Bruno letting out a bark as his master led us back to the cemetery gates.
"There are things in this cemetery that ain't safe Em," he said, this being one of the rare times when he used anything close to my real name. "I think it's best you get home now."
"What things?" I asked, turning to look up at him. There was something he was trying to protect me from..
"I've never lied to you Snow-"
"Old Blue, just tell me who was standing behind me, what's so dangerous? It was probably just some college kid trying to scare me. It is a month before Halloween ya know," I tried to reason.
"It wasn't human Snow, I know that much," he sighed, unlocking the gate and shutting it behind us. "I'll walk you home."
***
I tossed and turned all night, images of that hand flashing through my dreams. It was trying to hold me down, keep me from leaving. But what danger had I been? Could some drunk teenager in a Halloween mask do much damage? Yet there were a few flaws with my theory. One, the person was close enough that I easily would've detected alcohol, there was none. Two, and probably most important, there was no one in this whole neighborhood that was as pale as me. The hand on my shoulder was almost paler than me. In a town where everyone had a tanning spa on speed dial, that gave my theory very little hope.
It was two in the morning when I sat up in bed, knowing that sleep would be impossible at this point. Dressed in baggy pajama pants and a tank top, my mission began. I shoved a flashlight and jeans inside a bag, grabbing some shoes and making my way down the hall toward the door. I've never been one to sneak into the cemetery, but I'd learned how to avoid making much noise.
"Just calm down, there's nothing spooky out here. Old Blue was just playing," I assured myself as I passed the headstone where I'd been previously, the moonlight giving me a sense of direction. I didn't know what I was doing. Maybe I'd go farther into the woods, see if there was really anything out here. Camp out for the rest of the night to see if they'd come back? Genius plan, but not if I froze to death first. Out in autumn weather with a tank top and no jacket, I really should know better.
Leaves seemed to crackle all around me as I walked, but finally I stopped in an area I was familiar with, sitting against an old oak tree. My bag lay beside me, the flashlight in my lap as I shined it across the ground in front of me. There were no creepy shadows, nothing to hurt me out here...
I think my blood stopped flowing when the battery started to die, and even scarier was when things went eerily quiet. I was used to owl's hooting and birds fluttering through trees and bushes, but when even the crickets shut up their chirping, I knew things weren't right. It might've just been my mind playing tricks on me, but goose bumps were racing up my arms when the crackling of leaves changed to echoing footsteps. So I prepared myself to choose the lesser of two evils, not following Old Blue's orders and loosing his trust, or being a sitting duck for some mystery 'danger'?
There's this theory I've heard of in school, that in cases of extreme, it's instinct for a human to dart off the second they feel threatened. Apparently I'd been born without it, because when I discovered that a person was indeed coming towards me, I was glued to where I sat. My mouth was covered before I could even scream.
"I'm not going to hurt you, calm down."
Definitely not a college kid.
"Just promise me you won't scream," he said, waiting for my nod.
He let go, a stream of questions letting loose in my head. First I had to get through the important one.
"Was that...was that you a few hours ago? Were you the one behind me?" I breathed out. My knees were pulled up to my chest at last minute, and he was crouched down in front of me, about to answer my question.
"It wasn't me behind you. I have a question for you though, why did you come back?" he said, taking a second to glance down at my bag before looking back up at me.
"Why did you?"
It was just some college student or a classmate tying to scare me....
"Snow!"
The grip immediately released, and barking was heard from a distance, dead leaves crunching and the warmth of the person behind me disappearing.
"You alright?" Old Blue asked, breathless as he stopped beside me, his dog Bruno panting as he looked up at me.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little shocked," I said, slipping off the headstone and gazing out over the cemetery into the shadows. Who'd been standing there a second ago?
Old Blue put his arm around my shoulder, Bruno letting out a bark as his master led us back to the cemetery gates.
"There are things in this cemetery that ain't safe Em," he said, this being one of the rare times when he used anything close to my real name. "I think it's best you get home now."
"What things?" I asked, turning to look up at him. There was something he was trying to protect me from..
"I've never lied to you Snow-"
"Old Blue, just tell me who was standing behind me, what's so dangerous? It was probably just some college kid trying to scare me. It is a month before Halloween ya know," I tried to reason.
"It wasn't human Snow, I know that much," he sighed, unlocking the gate and shutting it behind us. "I'll walk you home."
***
I tossed and turned all night, images of that hand flashing through my dreams. It was trying to hold me down, keep me from leaving. But what danger had I been? Could some drunk teenager in a Halloween mask do much damage? Yet there were a few flaws with my theory. One, the person was close enough that I easily would've detected alcohol, there was none. Two, and probably most important, there was no one in this whole neighborhood that was as pale as me. The hand on my shoulder was almost paler than me. In a town where everyone had a tanning spa on speed dial, that gave my theory very little hope.
It was two in the morning when I sat up in bed, knowing that sleep would be impossible at this point. Dressed in baggy pajama pants and a tank top, my mission began. I shoved a flashlight and jeans inside a bag, grabbing some shoes and making my way down the hall toward the door. I've never been one to sneak into the cemetery, but I'd learned how to avoid making much noise.
"Just calm down, there's nothing spooky out here. Old Blue was just playing," I assured myself as I passed the headstone where I'd been previously, the moonlight giving me a sense of direction. I didn't know what I was doing. Maybe I'd go farther into the woods, see if there was really anything out here. Camp out for the rest of the night to see if they'd come back? Genius plan, but not if I froze to death first. Out in autumn weather with a tank top and no jacket, I really should know better.
Leaves seemed to crackle all around me as I walked, but finally I stopped in an area I was familiar with, sitting against an old oak tree. My bag lay beside me, the flashlight in my lap as I shined it across the ground in front of me. There were no creepy shadows, nothing to hurt me out here...
I think my blood stopped flowing when the battery started to die, and even scarier was when things went eerily quiet. I was used to owl's hooting and birds fluttering through trees and bushes, but when even the crickets shut up their chirping, I knew things weren't right. It might've just been my mind playing tricks on me, but goose bumps were racing up my arms when the crackling of leaves changed to echoing footsteps. So I prepared myself to choose the lesser of two evils, not following Old Blue's orders and loosing his trust, or being a sitting duck for some mystery 'danger'?
There's this theory I've heard of in school, that in cases of extreme, it's instinct for a human to dart off the second they feel threatened. Apparently I'd been born without it, because when I discovered that a person was indeed coming towards me, I was glued to where I sat. My mouth was covered before I could even scream.
"I'm not going to hurt you, calm down."
Definitely not a college kid.
"Just promise me you won't scream," he said, waiting for my nod.
He let go, a stream of questions letting loose in my head. First I had to get through the important one.
"Was that...was that you a few hours ago? Were you the one behind me?" I breathed out. My knees were pulled up to my chest at last minute, and he was crouched down in front of me, about to answer my question.
"It wasn't me behind you. I have a question for you though, why did you come back?" he said, taking a second to glance down at my bag before looking back up at me.
"Why did you?"