Lost Lake
there are ghosts in the walls and they crawl in your head through your ear.
Fog.
Fog all around him, he was breathing it in, pushing it around like the smoke from a fire. It curled around his limbs, clouded up his vision. He flailed his arms try to clear his sight, see where he was.
With sudden clarity he saw a ghostly figure standing to his left, hand outstretched like an angel summoning him from beyond the abyss. He followed dutifully hand outstretched as he marveled her, allowing his mysterious angel to lead him down the path.
Slowly, the angel led him from the fog. It cleared; lifting off him and allowed him to breath. The angel stood ahead on a rough, dirt path cloaked in a white dress, her body luminescent in the dim morning light.
Her features were hidden, her back to him as she seemed to stare blankly into the spread of trees all around them. He longed to see her face. To know what such a saintly creature would look like.
He stepped forward, his hand outstretched once more; reaching for this mystifying angel. Just as his hand brushed her chestnut hair, she was gone like the mist of the fog she had helped him escape. He was left staring at what her attention had been transfixed on.
Lost Lake, the coarse wooden sign read, a bright white arrow pointed towards his left. His gaze turning towards the direction of another trodden path to see the angel standing a few yards ahead. Her back towards him once more and as if sensing his attention, she began to walk, her gait slow and sure.
He followed, his pace becoming frantic as he tried to catch her but every step he took she seemed to float farther from him until she was but a small spec in his vision. Finally, he stopped, his lungs burning as he sucked in his breath.
After long moments he looked around; the lake was in sight, his heart falling as saw the angel once more, her arms outstretched to her sides as she waded deep into the water. He barked a yell of warning and energy renewed he sprinted towards her as she submerged herself.
The crash of the cold water rolled over his body as the water rushed over his head and he reached blindly into the frigid darkness for the russet haired angel. His large hand circled a thin wrist and he pulled until his head broke the surface of the water and he dragged the angel with him.
Dragging the limp body to the shore he heaved her to the rock strewn groan and was finally able to behold her beauty. Though she was no longer an angel that he had quickly revered. The once white gown gone; replaced with the simplest of clothing, the angelic glow that radiated around her was now just ashen gray skin. He stared in horror at the once divine girl to see the face of the devil that haunted him at every turn.
It was a face he had grown to hate, a face that plagued him no matter how he longed to forget. Gone from his world as quickly as she had entered it and now, holding her cold and lifeless form was everything he remembered and despised.
The secrets she had kept shredded his black heart.
And the broken promises ripped it still beating from his chest.
Closing his eyes, he held her gently to him; there had been a time he had prayed to have her in his arms once more but now, unbreathing and unresponsive he begged the pain to stop. With a deep breath he looked down at the features of the girl once more and shouted loudly in shock, releasing her as quickly as he had dived into the dark abyss of the lake.
The eyes of his wife now stared at him hatefully from the corpse that had been in his arms. He scurried backwards in horror, as he watched her lips began to move, no sound coming from them but he could make out the words.
They echoed in his head over and over, you did this to me.
The curse reverberated around him even as he darted to his feet, and dashed into the woods beyond the shore of the lake. Running from his nightmare, his worse fear.
The farther he ran the denser the fog became until he was wading through it once more, its thickness dense enough to cut with a knife. He wandered; aimlessly, unwittingly in any direction but the one that would lead him back to the lake.
All hope was lost until once more an angel stood to his left, the brilliant light he so revered encased the body he had left on the shore. She turned to him, her lifeless eyes locking onto him.
He screamed.
Darkness.
Fog all around him, he was breathing it in, pushing it around like the smoke from a fire. It curled around his limbs, clouded up his vision. He flailed his arms try to clear his sight, see where he was.
With sudden clarity he saw a ghostly figure standing to his left, hand outstretched like an angel summoning him from beyond the abyss. He followed dutifully hand outstretched as he marveled her, allowing his mysterious angel to lead him down the path.
Slowly, the angel led him from the fog. It cleared; lifting off him and allowed him to breath. The angel stood ahead on a rough, dirt path cloaked in a white dress, her body luminescent in the dim morning light.
Her features were hidden, her back to him as she seemed to stare blankly into the spread of trees all around them. He longed to see her face. To know what such a saintly creature would look like.
He stepped forward, his hand outstretched once more; reaching for this mystifying angel. Just as his hand brushed her chestnut hair, she was gone like the mist of the fog she had helped him escape. He was left staring at what her attention had been transfixed on.
Lost Lake, the coarse wooden sign read, a bright white arrow pointed towards his left. His gaze turning towards the direction of another trodden path to see the angel standing a few yards ahead. Her back towards him once more and as if sensing his attention, she began to walk, her gait slow and sure.
He followed, his pace becoming frantic as he tried to catch her but every step he took she seemed to float farther from him until she was but a small spec in his vision. Finally, he stopped, his lungs burning as he sucked in his breath.
After long moments he looked around; the lake was in sight, his heart falling as saw the angel once more, her arms outstretched to her sides as she waded deep into the water. He barked a yell of warning and energy renewed he sprinted towards her as she submerged herself.
The crash of the cold water rolled over his body as the water rushed over his head and he reached blindly into the frigid darkness for the russet haired angel. His large hand circled a thin wrist and he pulled until his head broke the surface of the water and he dragged the angel with him.
Dragging the limp body to the shore he heaved her to the rock strewn groan and was finally able to behold her beauty. Though she was no longer an angel that he had quickly revered. The once white gown gone; replaced with the simplest of clothing, the angelic glow that radiated around her was now just ashen gray skin. He stared in horror at the once divine girl to see the face of the devil that haunted him at every turn.
It was a face he had grown to hate, a face that plagued him no matter how he longed to forget. Gone from his world as quickly as she had entered it and now, holding her cold and lifeless form was everything he remembered and despised.
The secrets she had kept shredded his black heart.
And the broken promises ripped it still beating from his chest.
Closing his eyes, he held her gently to him; there had been a time he had prayed to have her in his arms once more but now, unbreathing and unresponsive he begged the pain to stop. With a deep breath he looked down at the features of the girl once more and shouted loudly in shock, releasing her as quickly as he had dived into the dark abyss of the lake.
The eyes of his wife now stared at him hatefully from the corpse that had been in his arms. He scurried backwards in horror, as he watched her lips began to move, no sound coming from them but he could make out the words.
They echoed in his head over and over, you did this to me.
The curse reverberated around him even as he darted to his feet, and dashed into the woods beyond the shore of the lake. Running from his nightmare, his worse fear.
The farther he ran the denser the fog became until he was wading through it once more, its thickness dense enough to cut with a knife. He wandered; aimlessly, unwittingly in any direction but the one that would lead him back to the lake.
All hope was lost until once more an angel stood to his left, the brilliant light he so revered encased the body he had left on the shore. She turned to him, her lifeless eyes locking onto him.
He screamed.
Darkness.