Frozen Solitude

'I know what you saw Edwin'

CLANG! A pot fell off the rack in the corner. I shot a glance over and my eyes were greeted by the empty darkness.  

"I need more candles" I said to the darkness "To banish you and the hell spawn that resides within you with the power of light" 

I sat there for a second and thought about what had just happened. 'Am I going insane?' I thought to myself 'No, snap out of it man!' I wouldn't be able to bear a mental asylum; the stench of urine and faeces, the lack of compassion and emotion in the guards, the restraints, I could never survive in such horrific conditions. Disgusting.

I checked my pocket watch again. Time seemed to be slipping away and the deadline drew closer as my chances of finishing my work grew slimmer. Dawn approached and there was still so much to complete. I sat down and put ink to page after what felt like an eternity. The words seemed to just flow like a waterfall and my chances seemed a little less bleak. The final five pages loomed over me, these five were the deciding factors to whether or not I could provide my family with the home we dreamed of ever since their mother and I first met.

Despite the fact my lack of sleep was attempting to halt me, I managed to gather the concentration and willpower to complete the next two pages in what I believed was a rather short time period. I couldn't help but wonder if I'd imagined the figure and the voices, it all seemed rather absurd and the fact that I'd seen nothing during the previous 2 pages suggested so.

My eyes started to droop again so I decided to rest my head on the table so that I could have a brief sleep before finishing my works. I lowered my head towards the table only for it to shoot back up again. My eyes widened and I sat in shock and awe, staring at my page. Large scribbles and letters filled the page, I held it towards the light and it became clear what was written on the page.

I know what you saw, Edwin.

Repeated across the whole page, I put the paper down and placed my head in my hands. 

"No, no, no, no, NO!"  

I slammed a fist into the table, knocking over the pot of ink and scattering the pages. For years I'd been blocking this memory out, secluding it right at the back of my mind, where I hoped it would never see the light of day.