𝟕. 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐠

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The night fell quickly, Alice had been asleep for hours now and I just had to make sure that she wasn't going to wake up and realize that I am gone. I had to go to the Bridge, someone had to and Alice wasn't going to. She didn't want to get involved but I would.

I wore my warm clothes and slowly opened the front door, I walked outside into the cold, full of mysteries darkness. The night was riding in on a horse of pure midnight velvet, beckoned by the stars under the glow of a full moon. I found the darkness strange, living in the heart of a city I had grown used to having the warming, orange glow of streetlamps outside my window, their light filtering in through the gaps of my curtains.

That was a blackness that I couldn't recall seeing before. One that was almost absolute. When I tilted my head looking up at the sky, I could see clearly millions of bright stars dotted on the black canvas of night, yet none of that light seemed to filter far enough down to make any difference when I turned my eyes away.

I was really doing this. I was going to the Bridge. I didn't know what I was hoping to find there but even the simplest thought of actually finding something made my heart beat faster. I started walking slowly under the black canvas. I was just like a red dot in a painting. A red dot, alone, surrounded by complete and absolute darkness. The night was very cold, it was the type of coldness that reached into my bones, as if my heart was a door left wide open to the icy wind.

As I was passing through the tall, black trees I was thinking of turning back but there was no turning back now. The only thing to do was keep moving, keep heading towards the Bridge with my heart pounding like crazy inside my chest.

The big hill which was next to the Bridge started appearing at the scene. At that point I realized that I was very close, I slowly started walking up in the hill, the Bridge was finally visible, I stopped dead in my tracks and looked around me. Where was the breathtaking view? Where were the peaceful surroundings? I found it peculiar, how night, how darkness could suddenly change something I knew, change it into a place of fear, into a place out of a horror movie.

It was as the life was sucked out of the surroundings, as I approached the famous Bridge I noticed that for sure it had been built many years ago, but still, each block was square and perfectly laid. It was as if in a million years from now, when the rest of the village would not exist, the bridge would probably remain as it is.

I carefully walked towards the lake that was under the Bridge, in the black watery mirror the only visible thing was my shadow. The lake had many rocks inside, I wondered how they even got there, there were no buildings around or tall hills with rocks that could eventually have fallen in the lake. The grass was once again caressing my legs but this time in a vicious way which sent chills down my spine.

The breeze that ran unchecked over the rippled surface blew the water forcefully. I took a step closer focusing my gaze deep in the bottom of the lake, suddenly, a face appeared underwater yelling for help. Out of complete silence the cries arose. Out of complete reverence the things of the world stilled to listen. Like a budding flower it started, slow and gentle but it rose to a wail that tore at my heart. Tens of thousands of voices crying out together in total sorrow.

To the ends of the world the cry traveled. Over lands and seas, through forests and valleys. Every ear in the universe stilled to listen, every heart broke, so heavy so was miserable their song. When it hit my ears I fell to my knees. I felt a weight of sorrow press me into the dirt in which I knelt. My mind clouded with pain, my heart grew cold and numb with pent up emotion. I felt clogged with pain and anger, hurt, and fear.

As I was kneeling down, a hand emerged out of the water trying to catch mine. I took several steps back while screaming until I hit in a stone and fell backwards into the tall grass. Faces appeared in the water, a young girl, she had wolfish amber eyes like limpid pools of gold that adorned her exceptionally pale face, long, dark hair that tumbled over her shoulders like a fountain of molten obsidian, an aquiline nose, and chalky pink lips that were blue with cold. All in all, she looked like a ghost, a very solid one.

My thoughts were blank. What a strange occurrence. Normally my thoughts would twist and turn around suffocating me with their whispers. I shook my head violently. My breaths came in sharp pants and I tried to gain control, but nothing was working. I tried to breath calmly, but every time I looked up I was seeing those helpless, horrifying faces.

I tried getting up but the fear had taken full control over my body. I laid there for what seemed like hours, but eventually I got up and took a final good look around me. I couldn't go deeper into the woods, I had to go home, to the only place I felt safe, or at least I hoped so.

I started walking down the hill, as quickly as I could turning and looking back several times. I watched the hill slowly disappearing behind me. That meant only one thing, I was close to home, close to Alice.

I had hit my head, that was it, I hadn't seen anything, maybe the village was not doing any good to me. There were many stories of old, they spoke of many truths and many lies. What did I believe? One spoke of the forest that slept in the south, the paths that still had the footprints of lost travellers in its dirt.

There were tree stumps within, believed to be possessed by the spirits of children, those who were lost and died in the forest. They told of spirits who control the trees, saw through the trees, trapped travellers so they may never leave. I would normally think it was just old tales...if only, I hadn't seen these faces today. As I reached the front door I turned around and watched the night.

I hadn't seen anything at all. My mind was tired and played several tricks on me, that was it. Just like that I entered the house and went straight to our room, Alice was sleeping. That night, I closed my eyes after the sun rose at the sky.

 That night, I closed my eyes after the sun rose at the sky

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