Part of the Twilight Chronicle


Jessica Allen

"Oneira dreamed, silently at the peaceful grounds and stood then up to hail the skies; earlier having cursed the blessed wine of an unknown god"

There was a field upon which grew a wood, and upon this same field the only daughter to be reminisced by the people of town had seen that horrid thing, so malign, so alien and strange that she had killed herself after having caught just one fragile, hasty glimpse of it; this being enough to drive her insane.

People have speculated much of what she might have seen that night and the stars were yet young so that wonder was yet to be found upon these solemn heaths under the shining light of the late autumn's moon.

And then that well known fact which many have pondered and thought much about; why did she kill herself?

The Allens were said to have been queer, though the first ones of the family had moved there during the early years of town, and had established good relations with various authorities; having founded the most successful business in town, they had secured their place as one of the most influential families around.

Many spoke of inbreeding, and most often members of the family would be found at home, and were rarely seen out during day; most often, people claimed to have seen them during late nights.

Much can be said of this small town, and much is left untold and only known to the ancient spectral light of midnight stars.

During early years sometimes when the tide was yet low, and the slimy rocks at the shoreline by the eastern parts of it could be seen, sailors from far of lands used to lay down under the caustic light of twin suns and dream in the bright light of clearest day; and from those same far of lands came to them dreams which only men of the sea can perceive.

Fragrant with blossoming lotus scents and dream and myth, they beheld from their peculiar beds of sand and sometimes, when the waves would rise and be strong and once more hide the slimy rocks at the shoreline, water, the ancient mermaids rising from the dust covered shades of the unknown depths; and then as they rose the men would flee these hollow grounds beneath the sun, screaming in panic and terror.

Many think that Ms. Allen might have seen something similar, though not at the ocean.

I know what she saw.

It was neither a dead daemon of large-coffin worm, nor the Baron of the unholy centennial nights of frost and ice, or that of the shades of his warrior, late autumn's guests.
No, none of the mentioned; but merely the image of herself for the first time in her life reflected upon the still tame waters of an autumn night's pond.







Short story by Christos Tsolakidis
Read 601 times
Written on 2009-04-07 at 09:06

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