Thursday, May 5, 2011

Thursday Tales: The Apparition

.
A tale is told on moonlit nights of a presence seen gliding soundlessly among the cornrows of a certain field. At this figure’s side appears a crow, equally and eerily silent, though it’s clear those bright avian eyes miss nothing as they relentlessly scan the shadowy landscape.
.
It is said that an aura of foreboding rears up on such nights and smothers all with the dark tint of unspoken menace. Nerves tingle…stomachs churn…and it seems to those who draw near that comfort will never be theirs again.
.
I cannot testify to the truth of this tale. Ever watchful, I eschew this darkened field, wise enough to forgo any shortcut that would allow darkness to swallow me up. Peering in from afar, I am able only to see the faint outline of a tired and ragged scarecrow that has reigned over this domain for as far back as memory takes me. Surely such things do not take on a life of their own.
.
I cannot testify to the truth of this tale, but I have seen men of stature reduced to shadowy shards of themselves in the course of a single night. It does no good to question their fate…eyes bleak with fear, these unfortunates spurn all contact and slide away, unable to hear aught but their own tortured thoughts.
.
You may heed my words or not…I mean only to caution you. But know that I am considered brave, though not stupid, and I state with certainty that some risks are not meant to be undertaken, even by the most adventuresome of spirits.
.
You may choose to disregard what I say. One moonlit night, you may find that your curiosity outweighs your good sense. You may be drawn to this dark spot and find yourself unable to resist the force that blinds and beguiles you. Once sucked into the vortex, only destiny can decide what fate befalls you.
.
I have done all I can in warning you. If your search for truth takes you deep into the world of adumbration, I can only pray for your soul. But prithee...on your return, tell of what you discover that we may know the true end of this tale.
.
That is, if you make it back at all.....
.
.
I'm linking this toThursday Tales, where we're invited to build a story around a picture prompt, using 55-777 words. My story today has 375 words.
For more tales, follow this link....
.
.
Today's photo was provided by Sara Vandermeulen at DeviantArt. Check it out here...
.


6 comments:

Kay L. Davies said...

Ooh, scary, Lynette! Very well done, too, very nice.
"Shadowy shards"...I see I'm not the only one who likes alliteration.
And a word for your readers to look up in the dictionary. Always a good thing. Even in lightweight novels (which you and I might write but never read, LOL) there should be a word like "adumbration" so the reader can feel s/he has learned something from the experience.
Enough nonsense. I must admit that I, for one, can neither write nor even read horror stories. For you, I made an exception, and read 375 words of it with pleasure.
Luv — K

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

adrielleroyale said...

Great short story!! Loved the suspense of it and the feelings behind it... :)

Pat said...

I had to look up "adumbration!" Excellent, eerie tale, Lynette. You paint a spooky picture with your words. I'm never going into a field like that at night!

jabblog said...

Excellent chilling writing! You've captured the magnetism of danger so well.

Anonymous said...

I like your passive voice it adds to the telling a creepy tale atmosphere of this piece :O)

Anonymous said...

Just posted up mine today :O)