Stardust, Timemakers, Healing Trees
Far above the study below, bookshelves give way to twisting gears, chiming bells, swinging pendulums, and a bewildering system of catwalks and ladders. The metal feels warm, though the air's thin and cold. Starlight shines through exposed bits of the tower, filtered through the silver clockwork that seems to stretch on forever up above. There's no other light.
Judging by touch the first ladder has led to a narrow walkway. A bell clangs loudly overhead, and the railing gives a small shake. The grinding of gears close by seem to become louder. A ways into the blind journey to the other side the sound of footsteps seems to fall, well, out of time. When movement stops...
...they keep going.
So keep moving.
The next ladder is taken more hastily. One foot slips in the scramble, and nearly takes the rest of the body with it.
Someone pushes it back into place.
There's no sign that anyone else is on the ladder, but it still feels like someone's there. Just barely out of sight there's an occaisional glimpse of movement, or a shadow where there should not be. Even when one dares to not look at anything at all, there's the faintest little whisper, just barely heard above the gears...
The damn bell chimes again, much louder than before.
Was that laughter?
Another catwalk. After the first one a ladder was chosen anywhere it could be, but now it's the only way forward. It's hard to think of going down... they could still be down.
Looking up, you can see the top now. The blue glow of the clockface seeps over the alcove above. There's a--
Clank.
A figure lands a few feet away, and there's enough light to see it turn to look at the one that's climbed all the way up here before vanishing up into the final room.
Tnk, tnk, tnk, tnk...
The fright's almost enough to chase someone all the way down again. The railing doesn't feel enough support.
It gives one a moment to rethink reaching the top.
Their whispering can be heard from here...
YOU ARE READING
The Icebound Clocktower and Other Noise Inspired Stories
FantasySo my friend introduced me to this website: http://mynoise.net/noiseMachines.php and I discovered by opening different tabs and playing different combinations of sounds at once made some pretty cool ambient sounds. Thus, I started writing what I pic...
