a story by NickB
I pulled my jacket collar up against my neck to shield me from the wind as I hurried down the abandoned street. There were leaves and newspapers scattered through the streets by the oncoming storm. I quickened my pace as I glanced down at my watch: 5:30. My mum will kill me for being this late. I decided to take the shortcut, instead of walking around the park. The shortcut goes right past the cemetery.
I turned off the street into the shortcut alley when I saw a woman looking at me through a window. But this was no ordinary woman. She was wearing a yellowing wedding dress that looked decayed, as if she had worn it for years, her finger nails were long and hooked and she held a rotten bouquet of roses in them. But it was the ghastly face that frightened me, her skin was rotting away and had a dank, greenish tinge to it; and her eyes were nothing but sunken, hollow pits. I focused on her and saw deep in her sockets the squirming of maggots. I turned away and doubled over. With the bitter taste of bile in my mouth I turned back to the window to find that she was gone. I quickly continued down the alley.
I spent the time in silence praying that what I saw was just my imagination. As I was thinking I had the sudden urge deep down in my stomach to stop. I wondered why and looked up to see where I was, there in front of me were the large iron gates of the cemetery, looming down like the gates of hell itself. A sudden icy chill raced down my spine like the raking fingers of a skeleton, but when I turned I saw nothing. I shivered and turned again to see a long yellowing dress disappear around through the gates. I ran to them and looked inside: nothing. Maybe it was just a piece of newspaper blowing away. I turned again before a feeling of being watched stopped me. I glanced to my left and there she was.
The woman stood over six feet tall, her body was muscular, well defined and quite beautiful, but her face shattered the illusion of beauty. She raised her arm and beckoned me with one finger before gliding off further into the graveyard. It felt like she needed my help so I sprinted after her. As I descended deeper into the heart of the graveyard, I lost sight of her several times only shown where she was by a fleeting glimpse of her dress. As I ran, I started to get tired. The graveyard just went on forever.
Finally I lost her, there was no fleeting dress to guide me this time, I was all alone. I looked around and saw a beautiful marble staircase with healthy gardens on either side. I noticed there were a lot of trees around making visibility low. In the background I saw the statue of a man which served as a base for a glimmering fountain. That was when I noticed how thirsty I was. I slowly ascended the staircase, the strange light glimmering off the marble as if it had been recently shined. As I got closer and closer to the fountain, the quiet trickling of the water was increasing in volume, filling my head with an unbearable urge to drink.
The water had a slight tinge of pink in it and looked delicious. I cupped my hands and dipped them into the water. As I brought the water to my mouth I realised that it smelt of rotten, decaying roses and I threw it away immediately. From the water rose a plume of black dust, it turned into a swirling vortex and took on the form of the woman. She glared at me with her hollow eyes and I felt as if something was stabbing into my brain. The pain in my head was growing and then I heard her voice, but her mouth wasn’t moving it was in my head “Drink!” she commanded. “No” I screamed at her, again the voice commanded me “drink”. My body started to move, bending down to the water against my will.
My hands cupped themselves and filled with water, I raised my hands to my mouth and felt the control this woman had over me weaken as she was already infatuated with her own success. The loss of control gave me strength, I took the water and threw it into her eyes, it wouldn’t harm her but it gave me a chance. I made a dash for it. I turned just in time to see the oncoming tree and knocked myself out cold.
I awoke in my bed with the sound of my alarm buzzing in my ears. I was drenched in sweat and breathed a huge sigh of relief when I realised I was back in my bedroom. I grabbed the glass of water on my bedside table and had a long drink, the water tasted rotten. Suddenly my vision started to go a strange pinkish colour and I started to sit up against my will, with the last ounce of willpower in my body I sniffed the water: decayed roses.
The photo used with this story is from Flickr Creative Commons and is The Cemetery by alterallensteiner.
We are seeking one or more original illustrations to go with The Cemetery. Use the “Contribute to storyLines” link at the top left of the page or contact Mrs Thomson if you would like to submit one.
