The LEGEND
It was a typical day. I was standing in the subway station waiting for the train. Out of nowhere, I felt a wave of energy pass through my entire body. The front of the wave was deep and cold, reaching the very marrow of my bones. The tail of the wave was a searing heat that felt as if it would singe the hair right off of my head. As the wave went through me, it took with it every last ounce of energy I had. I was left standing there beside the tracks, trembling like an abandoned child. I could not go to work. I could not do much of anything. With all the strength I could pull from my core, I made my way back home and back to my bed.
Once in bed, I fell into a deep and motionless sleep almost
instantly. I was awakened somewhere near mid-morning by a draft as cold as the front of the wave that swept through me earlier. Groggily, I looked down and watched the covers being pulled from me. My eyes focused on a stranger standing in the middle of my apartment. Still weak from what I can now assume was some sort of psychic attack earlier in the morning, I could barely manage to speak. "Who are you," I asked feebly. "It's OK," she responded soothingly, "you know me." Exhaustion once again overtook me and again I sank into a deep sleep.
Was it an hour later or two? I wasn't sure. Again I felt the draft. Again, half asleep I watched as the covers slid off of me. Again the woman stood in the middle of my one-room apartment. The sleep had done me some good and I was able to sit part-way up. I was definitely awake this time. I looked at her. She had no substance. Instead of an opaque and solid human being I was staring at a translucent version of someone who was no longer with us. I began questioning my sanity. Was I actually awake? Was I still asleep? I asked her again, "Who are you?" I could feel my voice resonating in my chest. I knew I had spoken aloud. "You know me," was the only reply.
Once again I was overcome by exhaustion and crashed into a
deep sleep. No sooner had my head hit the pillow, I went
directly to a dream. I dreamt of a large mansion. It was familiar
to me, yet I did not know where it was or how I knew about it.
My spirit had taken flight and was moving swiftly and silently
through the house. Flying down a hallway, I noticed a picture. It
was a painting of the woman that stood in my apartment twice
this morning. Turning, I saw that she was standing next to me,
even more translucent than before.
"I haven't much time left," she explained. "I shall soon fade into
the darkness. But there are things that must be done and you
are the one that must do them. You must come here. You must
carry on."
Soon afterwards, I awoke. All traces of weakness and
disorientation had passed. I was awake and lucid. The phone
rang shaking me from my thoughts. I answered it. It was one of
my cousins, named Ricky, telling me that a relative had died.
Now doubly curious about the morning's events, I asked my
cousin to email me a picture and he did. When I opened the
email, I was aghast. The eyes in the picture stared directly into
mine and they were the eyes of the woman that was in my
apartment twice this morning.
As quickly as my fingers would allow, I called Ricky back. "What
happened?" I asked, "How did she die?" He explained that she
was getting on in years and this was just the end of a hard life.
She was fading in and out of consciousness throughout the
morning and finally passed away near noon. Ricky was there
with her when she died.
Now, more than ever, I needed to know. Since Ricky was the
genealogy expert of the family, I asked, "Do you know anything
about an old, abandoned mansion that is in the family?" "I do
now!" my cousin exclaimed. "Our aunt told me about it while she
was on her death bed."
Our great-great-grandfather had a brother who had made a
great deal of money. No one really knew what he did to get that
money. He purchased an island and built a great mansion upon
it and chose to live there as a recluse. Occasionally, he would
go into the town across the bay to buy food and other
necessities but he mostly kept to himself.
There were many familial legends that surrounded the strange,
old hermit. One stated hat he had made all of his money by
selling his soul to the devil. There were supposedly ritual sites
all over the island.
Another was that our great-great uncle made his money in oil.
Rather pedestrian compared to the first. According to this myth,
he committed suicide when his wife left him for his business
partner.
A third tale had my ancestor dealing in human trafficking. It was
said that he would buy and sell captives to the English navy for
a rather hefty fee. This story had him meeting his untimely death
at the hands of his wife who wanted to free the slaves from their
bondage.
Yet a fourth had him murdering his wife first then being killed by
one of his sons trying to avenge his mother. He was a traitor
during the war and was giving the enemy classified information.
His wife caught him and threatened to expose him. He
murdered his wife to keep his treason a secret.
No one really knew which, if any of the stories were true. The
stories all had one thing in common, though. After the horrors
and sadness that befell the house, it became haunted to the
extent that no one could stand to be in the house for more than
a week.
The mansion was still in the family, however. It passed to the
youngest daughter when our great-great uncle died. When she
died, it went to her only daughter - our aunt. Our aunt passed
the property onto Ricky
Ricky and I ended the phone call with a promise to go to the
mansion and see what we could discover. We chose a date and
he made arrangements to hop a train from Philadelphia to come
see me in New Jersey. From there, we would journey north
together to our ancestral mansion for a month of research,
exploration and discovery.
The next morning I awoke feeling very strange. I can't describe
exactly how I felt but it was like I wasn't in control of my own
body. I could see my legs swing out of bed, but I was not the
one swinging them. I could see my hands making coffee, but I
was not the one in control of the hands. I watched the coffee
cup ride up to my lips as if it was on an escalator but I was not
bringing the cup to my mouth.
I was disconnected completely from anything that I was actually
trying to do. The most disconcerting part of it all was that I felt
this was by design. It was almost as if I had been taken over by
a master puppeteer. I moved, I spoke and I acted, but it seemed
hollow. All day I tried to shake the feeling that I was not in
control.
And then I heard it. Off in the corner of the room there was a
snicker. Someone was laughing at me. Yet I could not see
anyone in the corner. I could feel whomever it was, though. I
could feel the stare. I was being hunted by something I could
not see. Even worse, I was now sure that I was being controlled
by that same something.
Who could I tell without someone thinking I was crazy? Where
could I go? Years ago, I had turned my back on my faith and
now more than ever I needed it. I tried in vain to remember my
prayers. They would not come back to me. It was as if the words
were being blocked in my brain before they could reach my
consciousness. I knew the words. They were locked in my
subconscious somewhere. Any and all attempts to retrieve them
ended in failure.
I grabbed my phone. If I couldn't remember them, maybe I could
look them up. I watched in shock as my phone battery drained
before my eyes. 100 percent battery life down to 50 percent and
then it suddenly shut off. I could run to the nearest church.
There was one on nearly every street corner here in the city. As
I turned to start walking, I felt like I was wearing cement shoes.
Every step took monumental effort.
Eventually, I made it to the steps of the church. Whatever was in
the corner laughing at me earlier was here now. It wasn't
laughing, though. It was growling and hissing. I could only see
vague black shapes in my peripheral vision. Every time I turned
to see what was there, it was gone, but I could still hear its low
guttural utterances in my ears as if it were standing right next to
me.
My foot landed on the first step leading to the church doors. I
could almost feel icy, invisible hands grab me by the shoulders
and start to pull back. Somehow I managed to get my other foot
on the second step. The invisible hands turned into claws.
Sharp pangs of pain invaded my collarbones like some
extraordinarily large predatory bird had dug its talons into me. I
continued to struggle up the concrete stairway toward salvation.
A priest appeared in the doorway. He was exiting the sanctuary
I sought. I will never know what he saw because I have never
had the courage to ask, but the look of horror on his face told
me he knew exactly what I was going through. He called into
the church for another priest and they both ran down the steps.
As they each took one of my arms and helped me climb into the
heavenly sanctuary, I could feel the icy talons of the demon
tightened and pull even harder.
The priests struggled to save me and eventually they won.
There was an earth-shattering screech that echoed down the
block. Everyone on either side of the church heard it. They all
turned and looked. A few pointed to the sky as the shadow of
demon's wings covered the ground.
My anointed, earthly guardian angels led me into the church and
let me rest on one of the pews.
After the attack, I sat in the church stunned and confused. I had
no idea what was happening or why. There was no energy left
in my body. Every inch of me trembled and shook as if I were
experiencing a personal earthquake. The priests flanked me
like bodyguards. For now, they were.
Once I was able to regain my composure, I relayed the story to
the priests. The younger priest kept shaking his head in
disbelief, but the older priest had a knowing look on his face. His
eyes were sad, yet his chin was set with resolve. He had been
through this battle before. After what seemed to be an entire
Mass full of prayer, I was given holy water to take with me.
I went immediately back home and crawled into the comfort of
my bed, hoping for a few hours of peace. As I drifted into
oblivion, I saw a woman. Not the same woman as the previous
day. She was older and more opaque. There was still a
translucency about her, but she was far more solid than my
other visitor. Long gray hair cascaded down her back. She wore
simple clothes of a time long past.
"You must listen," she said. "Your journey is treacherous but you
must take the risk. That is the only way. Once you arrive upon
the shores of your forefathers, you shall see a cottage on the
beach. Go into the cottage. In its attic, you will find a tiny door.
Behind the door will be a statue and inside the statue a locket.
You must wear the locket always while you are on the island.
The locket will protect you." With that, she was gone.
The remainder of my dreams that night were filled with images
of a beach cottage and wooded paths to a great mansion. I
could see a decrepit shack behind the main house that looked
like it might be a garden shed. Even though I was dreaming, I
could open the door to the shack. As I grabbed the doorknob, I
could feel dread crawling up my arm, slowly taking over my
entire being. Upon opening the door, a wall of horror crashed
through me. The smell of death was overwhelming. Chains and
shackles lined the walls, corroded with blood and rust.
I quickly turned and ran to the main house. I grabbed the
handle on the door but it would not yield. I was able to enter the
shack and the cottage, but the main house would not let me in.
I continued my dream walk of the island. On the far side,
opposite where I had arrived was another dock. It was on the
oceanic side of the island and was obviously built for oceangoing vessels.
My tour complete, I awoke. I had slept late into the following
day and was surprisingly refreshed considering the events of
the past two days. For a fleeting moment, I felt as if I had
dreamt the entire two days. I grabbed my phone hoping to see
the date had not changed. But it had. The past two days were
real.
In the complete absence of thought, my cousin and I discussed
our upcoming adventure over social media. A few friends were
intrigued by our discussions and asked if they could come.
Foolishly, we agreed. I was trying to convince myself that there
was nothing to fear, even after all that had happened. Ricky was
unaware of my misadventures. We were both anxious to have
camaraderie on our journey. There was strength in numbers. I
desperately needed the others there to lessen my growing
apprehension and make me feel secure. It would later turn out
to be a false sense of security.
Everyone gathered at my apartment on the day we set upon our
mystery. We had packed like Boy Scouts. There would surely
be no power on the island and we weren't sure what shape the
furniture would be in or if there would even be furniture. It had
been five or more decades since anyone even tried to live in the
house. We made sure we had a generator and plenty of
sleeping bags.
The five of us loaded everything into our rented van and headed
off before the sun arose. Along the way, we chattered and
speculated. What would we find? I carefully and deliberately
avoided mentioning any of my otherworldly experiences. I had
come to the conclusion that I had gone inexplicably and
completely mad for two days. Insanity was the only sane
choice.
We arrived at the bay. There were three islands between the
mainland and the ocean and the ferries were still in operation to
two of the islands. Unfortunately, the ferryman refused to take
us to the island we were going to. Searching for about an hour,
we finally came up with a boat we could rent for the week.
Ricky returned the rental van while the rest of us loaded up the
boat.
When he returned in a taxi, we all climbed into the boat and set
off across the bay. The closer we got to our destination, the
more the chattering subsided. By the time we made land, all talk
had completely ceased. Only the growl of the boat's motor and
the sloshing of the waves against the boat's hull were audible.
Upon landing, we secured the boat and unloaded all of our
supplies, gear and bags.
Just ahead of us was an overgrown path. It was still visible but
would require some effort to get through. As we walked toward
the path, I noticed a beach cottage tucked away just inside the
woods that lined the beach. It was the same cottage that the
second mystery woman had shown me in my dreams. I had
doubted my reality only to doubt my sanity and now I see that
those two days were both real and sane.
I opened the door to the cottage and started looking for the
entrance to the attic. I could hear the others outside yelling for
me to rejoin them. Ricky popped his head through the cottage
door and yelled up. I had found and ascended the attic stairs
and just inside the door at the top was the statue.
Curious, I looked at the bottom of the statue. Sure enough,
there was a tiny door in the bottom of the pedestal. Holding one
hand under the door, I opened it with the other. A locket fell into
my hand. I remember what the second woman told me. Feeling
just a little bit silly, I put the locket on and let it slide under my
blouse.
After finding the locket, I returned to the
rest of the group. They were beginning
to get bored in the small cottage. Every
crack and every crevice had been
explored. Seemingly unprovoked and
for no reason, Ricky reached out, took
hold of a small crucifix and slipped it into
his pocket. We all left through the front
door and grabbed our gear.
Tree branches and brambles scratched,
slapped and stung us as we struggled
through the dense woods toward an
unknown destiny. With each step, the air
closed in around us. It grew heavier
and heavier, pushing in harder and
harder. It felt like a thousand hands
were pushing in on my ribs. We were all
gasping for air as we continued to fight
our way through the brush.
Just when it seemed that none of us
could bear the invisible pressure any
longer, we lurched into a clearing. In the
center of the clearing, stood the once
magnificent mansion. Silently and
cautiously, we crept up to the door. As I
touched the handle to open it, I felt a
familiar feeling crawling up my arm. It
was the dread I had felt in my dream.
Some invisible hand was moving up my
arm and taking all of my body heat with
it as it climbed. It reached my shoulder
and something unexpected happened. It
completely disappeared. Everything
completely disappeared. There was no
heaviness. There was no dread. The air
had suddenly cleared.
"Someone say something!" said one of
my friends. "This is the adventure of a
lifetime, not a funeral." We all chuckled,
uneasily at first but it soon rolled into full
laughter and we all started to relax. I
suggested we look around the rest of
the property before heading into the
mansion. We took a few tools and
flashlights, just in case. Around the left
side of the mansion was an old pool
house and a dried up, abandoned pool.
It was huge. It could have easily held
an Olympic swimming event.
Ricky and I approached the pool house.
This time it was he, not me, reaching for
the doorknob. The door refused to
open. Ricky crashed into the door
shoulder first, only to injure his shoulder.
He then grabbed the key ring that held
all of the keys to the property. After
finding the one that fit and successfully
unlocking the door, he tried once again
to open it. Again, the door would not
yield. I picked up a hatchet that I had
Darkness had begun to settle in over the island. We had been
walking and exploring most of the day. We decided to settle in
as one big group in what appeared to be the main living room.
We rolled out our sleeping bags and got out the camping
lanterns and camping stoves to heat up some dinner. Out of
curiosity, my boyfriend, Luke, walked over to the light switch and
flicked it. His curiosity was rewarded with a blinding light
emanating from the ceiling. I looked at Ricky. He slowly
lowered his eyes from the ceiling and met my gaze. We said
nothing. So far as anyone knew, there should not have been
power to the house. There was no reason for it to have power.
In the morning, we split into two groups to explore the house.
Ricky and I ascended the magnificent spiral staircase coming off
of the main entry. With each step, we saw something new. It
was indicative of an age of workmanship long past. The railing
and its supports were intricately carved and very detailed. It was
adorned with grotesques and gargoyles, no two alike.
Occasionally, I could hear what sounded like a third set of
footsteps coming up behind us. I stopped a couple of times to
turn around and look, but saw nothing.
As we came to the top of the stairs, we both turned intuitively to
the right. There were 3 rooms down that hall. We opened the
first door on the right. As if stepping into the mansion wasn't
enough of a trip back in time, this bedroom was left as it must
have been when the house was built a century ago. The dark,
rich wood on the wall was ornately hand-carved. The furniture,
though a hundred years old or more, looked as if it had been
built only yesterday.
On the dresser sat a perfume set, a hair brush and a comb. It
was as if whomever occupied that room originally was still living
there. As I moved to examine the items on the dresser, I heard
something whisper in my ear. It was a whisper that I was both
familiar with and very uncomfortable with. It did not come from
anything or anyone living.
We moved to the room across the hall. The disembodied
footsteps followed us. Only this time, they were not intermittent
or subtle. Someone or something was following. The second
room was much the same as the first. The furnishings were
different but the atmosphere was identical. Upon exiting the
second room, we headed for the room at the end of the hall. On
the way, we passed two busts - one on either side of the
hallway. One was of what looked like our great-great
grandfather's brother and the other looked like me. I felt like I
was staring into a mirror. A three-dimensional mirror.
With some apprehension, we continued to the room at the end
of the hall. Just as we were approaching the door, we heard
someone downstairs scream followed by a loud crash. We
dashed down the stairs. There was a diabolical laughter in my
ears the whole way down. "Hey!" Ricky shouted. "Over here!"
came the response.
We found the rest of the group in the study. A bookshelf had
collapsed, spilling books all over the floor. My cousin asked
what happened. Luke said "We were just looking around in here
and that shelf almost fell on Shelly."
After much debate, we decided to continue the tour as one big
group.
I stood and looked at the books that fell. Something inside
began gnawing at me. This was not something random, it was
intentional and there was a reason for it. Just as I was about to
give up looking for an answer, I saw it. It was a plain, leatherbound book. There was no title on the spine.
Picking it up, I opened the ancient cover. It was a diary. I started
thumbing through the pages when someone yelled to get my
attention. It was Luke. "Let's go. I'm getting hungry." They
headed back to our camp in the living room. While they were
having dinner, I was leafing through the diary and reading it.
The diary was both informative and frustrating. In classic
Victorian style, any information that may have had to do with our
ancestors' vices were alluded to but not expressly stated.
"Another ship arrived on the ocean side of the island. I know not
whence it came or what it brought. I know only that every
available hand was taken from what tasks they were doing and
reassigned to the ship. There seemed to be a great commotion
coming from behind the house. I had long ago been forbidden
from knowing his business affairs. So I sit here quietly in the
study writing and wondering. I fear his temper. He is not an
agreeable man on the best of days and crossing him has dire
consequences.
"I am sure there are hands that worked here who are no longer
here. I have heard rumors that many were either sent on the
ships as forced labor or have gone missing altogether."
I flipped through several more pages, glancing at some of the
entries.
"The pool house has become off limits. Not because of an order
given me by my husband, but because I have seen the symbols
on the walls. I left there some religious artifacts and blessed
relics to ward off the evil that I am sure lives there. Evil that I
believe has followed to this house and the shed behind this
house."
Looking around, I found a chair to sit in while I continued
reading various entries in the diary.
"What is this for? It almost seems as if it's a hangman's noose. I
now have no doubt that some of the missing workers are buried
here. If not that, what sort of vice would this serve? The longer I
live with this man, the more evil I know him to be."
It was getting late. Tucking the diary under my arm, I retreated
to the living room. I was welcomed by everyone as
unbeknownst to me, they had returned there while I was still
reading.
I awoke early the next morning, but not from dreams or fear. I
got up to start heading to the kitchen to make some coffee.
Behind me, I heard the rustling of paper as if someone were
leafing through a book. Turning, I saw the diary pages being
flipped by some invisible hand. More curious than scared for
once, I walked over to the diary and just watched the pages go
by. That's when the flipping stopped. After a few seconds of
silence, I allowed myself to believe that the pages were done
turning themselves.
I looked down at the book and began to read.
"I found today, quite by accident, there is a hidden passage that
leads behind the house. I dared to follow it, knowing that
incurring his wrath would likely be the end of me. But I can not
bear half-truths any longer. I must know for myself what is going
on.
"The passage comes in to the left of the top of the staircase. It is
on the far side about halfway down the hall. Going down that
passage leads to a long tunnel and then opens into a room.
There is something dark in that room, but I dared not stick
around to discover it. Ever since going there, I can hear
something. It's something diabolical and wholly unnatural. I can
hear it laughing at me as if it knows something I don't. As if it
knows something is about to happen."
There were two stairs in the house, one leading to the second
floor and the other leading to the basement. Ricky was
beginning to awaken as the first light from the sun broke the
horizon and crept into the room. I showed my cousin the entry in
the journal and explained what I had seen. We took the journal
and climbed the stairs to the second floor.
At the top of the stairs, we turned left. As we proceeded, the air
began to close in around us as if it had solid mass. Breathing
became harder and harder and we were sure we were in the
correct place. One by one, we pressed in on every panel. There
were no obvious triggers that would open a secret door. Getting
frustrated I turned to walk to the other end of the hall to see if
one of the busts would open the secret chamber. I saw her at
the top of the stairs. A woman in white. Translucent and floating
a few feet off the ground. I tapped my cousin's shoulder. He
turned to see what I wanted. I could not speak so I just pointed.
It was the woman from my second dream. We walked slowly
back toward the stairs. She seemed to be motioning for us to
hurry, so we quickened our pace. When we reached the stair
case, she pointed down. We followed her direction and went
down the stairs as quickly as possible. We looked to see where
she was but she had disappeared.
Knowing the secret passage had to then be near the basement
stairs, we made our way over to the kitchen, where the
basement stairs came in. We could not find anything anywhere
around the basement. We searched high, low and in between.
Finally, I leaned back against the wall and looked down the hall
toward the library. There she was. She was standing outside the
library beckoning. We ran to the library.
Off to one side of the library was a spiral staircase. At the top
was a door. We ran up the spiral stair and opened the door.
Sure enough, there was a hallway. And halfway down the hall to
the left was a bust of our great-great grandfather's brother. She was now standing by the bust. We went there and could see a
painting.
I stared unbelievingly at the painting. I saw myself. I saw the
emerald green of my eyes starkly contrasted by my raven hair. I
was dressed in the garb of a bygone era. Turning, I saw the
woman in white backing away, fading into the woodwork as she
floated off. There was a strong familial resemblance. The
portrait was not of me, it was of her.
Suddenly, screams surrounded us. It sounded as if a thousand
would were being viciously tortured like their hides were being
ripped from still-living bodies. Sulfuric acridity filled the air. I
could smell all of the decay of every corpse in the largest of
cemeteries. It was making me physically ill. Hoping I was
imagining this, I looked up at Ricky. He, too was hearing and
smelling the same things I was.
He fell against the bust in the hallway. It tipped back and the
painting moved. The screams became the loudest screeches of
the most determined banshees. The pungency of decaying flesh
and rancid sulfur overtook us.
We were standing at the entrance of the Abyss. Down below,
there was a knocking. Or maybe it was a heavy footstep. Then
another. The whole house seemed to shudder with each
successive thud. They must have been footsteps. The
footsteps of a creature far more massive than any cryptic or
known animal. Each step became louder. The house was
shaking more and more violently.
My cousin managed to reset the bust and the secret door closed
just as the footfalls reached the door but there was nothing
there to make the noise.
After the door closed, we stumbled back to the living room.
We mistakenly expected the living room to give us comfort and
solace. Instead, we found my Luke pacing back and forth like a
caged animal. Predatory eyes darted between Ricky and me.
"You may as well take the medals off," he growled. It was not his
voice, but it was a voice I recognized. It was the same voice that
had been mocking me throughout the entire ordeal. I could feel
myself weakening. The St. Michael locket I had slipped under
my shirt started to warm. It grew hotter and hotter. It actually
began to glow as if it were in a forge.
My boyfriend lunged at me an reached for the locket. Before he
could reach me, he shrieked in agony. "Take it off!" he
screamed. Again the voice was not his. "You can't hide behind a
sliver of bone forever."
I reached down and gingerly took the medal in my hand,
expecting the sharp, searing pain of burning skin. I could feel
the heat emanating from the small oblong medallion, but it did
not burn me. Cautiously, I pried open the locket. Where there
should have been miniature portraits was as tiny sliver of bone.
Upon the revelation of the relic, Luke again howled in agony. It
started as a small sound deep in his bowel, rising in volume and
pitch as it rose through his body until it reached a bloodcurdling
scream that shook the entire room. Lamps fell from tables.
Pictures violently crashed to the floor from the vibrations that
jolted the joists.
He retreated to the far corner of the room, hissing and growling.
Curiously, Ricky removed the crucifix from his pocket. Gingerly,
he slid the back off of it. Inside was another sliver of bone. We
were both armed with relics.
As if on cue, we both moved stealthily toward my boyfriend. We
corralled him in a corner. My cousin and I held him down and
instructed the others to tie him up. He was restrained.
Suddenly, he slumped into a deep sleep.
We took turns watching over him while the others slept.
We awoke only partially refreshed after the previous day's
tribulations. Red was left behind to watch my now-possessed
boyfriend.
The rest of us trudged back up to the secret passage. It was
already open. The air was heavy and dank but there were no
traces of the sulfuric rot that made up the air the previous night.
We had only a portion of a plan.
Ricky and I would take the forward and rear positions with
Shelly in the middle. That should afford her enough protection
against whatever was down there.
Just as I stepped through the door we all heard shouting
followed by a loud, sinister, bellowing laughter. As quickly as we
could, we ran back to the living room. Upon arriving, we tried to
open the door. It would not open.
From behind the door we could hear Red screaming, "Where
are you guys?" "We're here! Open the door!" Ricky shouted.
The laughter turned to growling. There was a loud crash. The
door opened on its own.
We ran in. Red was lying on the floor. He had no pulse. His eyes
were fixed open and staring.
Luke was nowhere to be found. Had he snuck out while we tried
to revive Red?
There were technically four of us left, but we had doubts about
one.
Defeated and dejected, we decided to
continue what we set out to do. We went
back to the passage. The door had been
closed. The cackling started in a far
corner of the hallway. Slowly and
steadily it grew until it was coming from
everywhere at once. We were
surrounded by a deep and dark
maniacal laughter. There seemed to be
no source. Resolvedly, Ricky tilted the
bust back and the painting slid once
more to reveal the passage.
We stepped through in a single-file line.
My cousin and I, the ones with relics,
took the lead and the tail. No sooner did
we start down the hall, the door
slammed shut behind us. I went back to
the door. It was no use. The door would
not open from the inside. We looked for
a trigger of some sort in the hall near the
door or even further down the hall but
there was nothing we could find. There
had to be another way out and that must
lay ahead of us.
Onward we marched, soldiers drafted in
an other-worldly war. An invisible talon
clawed at Shelly, leaving three distinct
marks across her back. The welts were
deep enough to draw blood. Ricky and I
looked at each other, horrified. We
never considered the possibility of a
bodiless, mercurial assailant. We
thought only of Luke.
The tunnel was comprised of steep
steps and sharp turns. It went down
quickly and the passage was narrow.
The wall was barely thicker than normal
for the time and the passage was
crammed into the wall, almost as an
afterthought. As we would down the
steep and uncomfortable spiral, the air
grew heavier. The journey seemed
endless and we had no idea where it
would end.
Finally, we broke free from the confines
of the tarnal downward spiral. In front of
us there was a door. It was thick and
heavy. Far thicker and heavier than any
others in the house. Approaching the
door cautiously, my cousin reached for
the door.
With the force of many, it was slammed
open. Luke knocked Ricky to the floor
with one swipe of his arm. My boyfriend
then climbed past Ricky and went
straight for Shelly, the only unarmed
member of the group. Without thinking, I
tried to get between them. He reached
her before I did. I grabbed the locket
and closed my fist around it. With
strength far beyond what I was normally
capable of, I struck him. He howled in
pain at the touch of the relic.
We helped Shelly up and dashed
through the door. It was the only way to
go. I had just cleared the door and he
was up again. Sparks flew as he drug
his claws along the walls of the corridor.
The walls were no longer wood but
carved out of rock. We were
underground. He was close behind
bellowing curses in tongues I could not
understand.
As suddenly as the attack began, all
was quiet. He was no longer behind us.
We slowed to a walk and continued
walking through the tunnel. There was
an intersecting tunnel off to the right.
Briefly, we debated. Continue straight or
go to the right? Peering harder into the
darkness, we realized there was light
coming in straight ahead. Desperate to
get out of this subterranean hell, we
unanimously decided to go straight. The
tunnel abruptly ended with only a ladder
leading up to a hatch. There wasn't
much daylight coming in but any
daylight was welcome at this point.
Ricky started up the ladder. The hatch
was thrown open and Luke sneered
down at us, eyes glowing red. This was
clearly not a good sign. My cousin
jumped from the ladder. We scrambled
to keep Shelly between us as we ran
back to the intersection we saw earlier.
We veered off the main tunnel and ran
with the speed of adrenalized fear. The
tunnel seemed to begin a slight ascent.
We might escape relatively unscathed,
after all. The earth under our feet gave
way to wooden planking. Rock walls
transitioned to wooden structure. The
salty smell of the sea grew stronger and
stronger.
Before we knew it we were outside in
the daylight. We stood on the dock on
the oceanic side of the island. We all fell
to the ground and breathed deeply as
the salted air cleared our lungs and our
minds.
The three of us lay on the dock breathing in the purifying salt air.
No one spoke. As if someone or something was intentionally
trying to destroy our all to brief moment of respite there was a
loud wash. It sounded like a tidal wave coming in. We jumped
to our feet. The water was still, but the noise continued. A wind
was gathering in the distance. The powerful gust moved trees
like they were nothing more than paper. As it got closer, it grew
in strength. Hundred year-old trees were bending like twigs.
When it reached us, it knocked us to the ground. We were all
winded.
As quickly as it started, it was over. We stood up. I held out my
hand to help Shelly up. She dug her nails into my arm and
began to claw my skin. She looked up and her eyes were as red
as flames. Once more, I took the locket into my hand. When
Shelly saw me close my fist around it, she let go and ran off into
the woods.
Ricky and I dashed after her. We smashed and crashed our
way through tree limbs and brambles. When we finally had to
admit that we lost her, we were in front of the old shack.
Cautiously, we circled the shack trying to peer in the windows.
The dirt and grime of over a hundred years blurred our vision,
but it seemed to be empty. I could barely make out the outline
of an open trap door in the center of the floor.
That's where the tunnel led and that's where my boyfriend was
standing to "greet" us.
My cousin and I turned to walk around the back of the shack to
see if we could get a better look inside from any of the other
windows. Luke was standing there, eyes still glowing. We
started backing away slowly. That's when we heard the hissing
behind us. Shelly was there. We could run into the woods and
hope to outpace them or we could stand and fight. Not knowing
exactly what we were up against, we ran.
No matter how hard or how fast we ran, we could hear them
right at our heels. Realizing that we were about to come back up
on the dock, we decided to loop back around to the shack. My
boyfriend's talons missed me by a fraction of an inch as I
doubled back.
When my cousin and I got back to the shack, the other two
didn't seem to be anywhere in sight. We went in and locked the
door. We closed the hatch in the floor and bolted it. The
windows were already bolted. We tried to find a way to make the
windows more secure. Ricky was looking closely at the windows
and realized that they were extremely thick. They had been
designed a century ago so no one would be able to escape the
shack.
Red eyes glowered in at us. There were far more than just our
two comrades. We had barricaded ourselves in with no hope of
escape. Going back out the tunnels to the dock would just leave
us trapped there, assuming no one was waiting in the tunnels
for us. Getting back into the house wouldn't help either,
because we wouldn't be able to reopen the secret passage
door. We were stuck.
A thunderous pounding began on the door.
I spun, looking for something I could use as a weapon. She was
there behind me. The lady in white was there. As if entranced, a
story began to weave itself into my brain. The story of how my
great-great grandfather's brother had become the way he was.
Stranger than Fiction
A boy born into the world
Into blinding lights
Into Mother's arms
Into Mother's charms
Doctors washed his body
Mother washed his brain
Isolated, separated
I'm the only one you need
Vision faded, degenerated
I'm all you need to see
You are my lifeline
Blood in my pipeline
Your life swings
Marionette strings
Stranger than fiction
Dangerous addiction
To intense constriction
Excessive friction
Of this bohemian affliction
Stranger than fiction
Visionary, missionary
Your conversion is complete
Apothecary, poisoned berry
I'll keep you on your leash
Symbiotic lives
Conquer and divide
Walls and moat guard
My little boy's heart
Tempting Fate
Proved fatal
Her hand unable
To abate
Its icy grip upon you
Drugless high
Reaper nigh
Vindictive
Craven lies
The nails in your casket lid
Were you so alone
Were you so numb
A live pendulum
The ultimate bone
The knot was tied
Life-ending rockslide
Never made sense
Can't understand
Done by your own hand
Off into the wood
Yield to temptation
Reaper's invitation
Remember, Man, that thou art dust
And unto dust thou shalt return
Before disappearing again, the lady in white pointed to the relic I
wore around my neck.
The door crashed open. Ricky removed the crucifix in his
pocket. I pulled the locket out from under my blouse. Luke and
Shelly stood before us. Behind them was a multitude of demonic
minions, practically licking their chops to get at us.
Instinctively, my cousin and moved closer together. When the
relics were about six inches apart, they began to form a glowing
orb. It started as a small dot, equidistant between the two relics.
It began to brighten and grow like an explosion. The minions
began crashing through the door like waves. By the time they
got to us, the orb completely surrounded us. As each minion
tried to reach through the light that engulfed us, it was
instantaneously vaporized.
The light surrounding us had become as bright as the sun.
Minions continued to attack and be vaporized until the only two
left were Shelly and Luke. Pure white light continued to
surround and protect us. Like rabid wolves, the remaining two
circled us. Their growls were so deep, we could feel the noise in
our bodies.
Shelly leapt first. As soon as she came into contact with the
bubble of light, she began to scream. It started as a moan and
continued to grow. Black mist was being pulled slowly from her
body. Finally, her agony stopped and she fell to the ground as
the last of the mist was pulled from her.
Luke lunged forward. The same happened to him as soon as he
touched our light shield. Black mist was pulled from him. Having
had longer to infest him, it seemed to take nearly twice as long
to leave him. He writhed in agony as his tormentor was pulled
out of his body. With one final, inhuman screech, he fell to the
floor unconscious.
Just as we thought our nightmare was over, we looked at the
door. Taking up the entire doorway was a large, black mass. It
had the vague form of a human but was far more massive. A
cloven hoof crossed the threshold with a loud, reverberating
thud. Its other foot followed. Only two red eyes were discernible
within the dark mass.
No light came through the door. No light could come through the
door. Though barely translucent, the massive black shadow
before us blocked out any and all light. The only light visible was
the light coming from the relics.
But that light was starting to waiver. This thing was actually able
to approach us without the repercussions suffered by its
minions. Two red eyes pierced our shield. Black, misty talons
wrapped around our throats. Its laugh was deep and guttural.
Slowly, it tightened its grip. We struggled and strained for each
breath of air.
I was beginning to lose consciousness. I couldn't quite read
Ricky's face, but I was sure he was close to unconsciousness,
too. He had to be. No living creature could withstand that force. I
was on the ground and the beast still had its chokehold on me.
My cousin was still standing.
Suddenly, from behind us we heard someone scream, "BE
GONE!"
Still being held down by this monstrosity, I could only look back
with my eyes. She was there. The lady in white was standing
behind us. She stepped into the fading ball of light and it
suddenly regained its luster. She began pelting the monster with
brilliant flames of pure, white light. Every strike seemed to take
some of the creature's mass with it.
Daylight became visible in the doorway behind the beast. The
flames coming from the lady's hands became brighter and
stronger with each strike. By now, the beast had become just a
few wisps of black smoke.
One final gust of flame from her hands took all that was left of
the monster. It dissipated like campfire smoke. The island had
gone completely quiet. With a soft smile, she disappeared.
We went to Luke and Shelly. They were beginning to awaken.
We helped them up and we made our way slowly and
deliberately back to the house. Hoping against reality, we
checked on Red. He had not been miraculously brought back to
life. He lay there right where we left him, eyes still open.
Packing up the rest of our belongings, we headed back to the
dock at which we arrived. Still in shock over what had
happened, we packed the boat slowly. We made several trips
back to the house trying to make sure we didn't forget anything.
Partially out of caution, partially out of fear, Ricky and I kept our
relics.
We stepped onto the boat and headed back to the mainland.
On the way back, Luke d came over to me. I'm not sure, but I
thought I saw him wince when he came in contact with the
locket.
You Know Me
Starting my day
Waiting for the train
Deep freeze invades my soul
Volcanic heat melts my core
A wave of shock
Steals from me
All my strength
Scared and wounded
I crawl home
Drained of life I sleep the sleep of the dead
Awakened to the cold of a mid-winter freeze
Watch in dreamy disbelief as my covers slip away
My child, I mean you no harm
I have only come to warn
Come with me and do not fear
Come with me across the years
I am not
A banshee calling
I am not
A devil in disguise
You know me
You know me
An hour maybe 2
How long I never knew
Consciousness had gone
Winter chill again had come
Am I asleep?
Or awake?
Who are you?
Will you tell me whence you came?
For the third and final time I slip away
My spirit took flight over land and sea
Visions of bygone days concealed by London fog
I shall soon fade away
I have shown what you must do
You must carry on
You must carry on.
Mystery and Mayhem
Man & Mansion
Mystery & Mayhem
Legends once born never die
History seeks but cannot define
Mystery & Mayhem
Called him back, “How did she die?”
“She was old, it was just her time.
Fading in and out that final morning,
She told me a tale of Mystery & Mayhem
She told me of an ancient mansion.”
Family lore, so many tales
Legends, lies, fact & fiction meld
Did he move onto an island
Where it's said he sold his soul?
Traded immortality for gold.
Was he a traitor bent on revenge?
Did he drown the rat, was her death avenged?
Skull and bones on a field of black
Hung upon the center mast
Treasure in the hold below
Kidnapped crew – enslaved in chains
Feel the whip, feel the pain
Which tales are true?
Demons by the light eschewed
Shrieking to come through
Living are not welcome here
Death encroach; drawing near
Demons feed upon our fear
Not Myself
New day dawning
The sun shines
Can’t clear the clouds from my head
A puppet
Someone pulls the lines
Disconnected
By design
All that I do seems hollow
Voice, body
Someone else in my mind
I hear you
Laugh and jeer
Can’t see you
I know you’re here
Must be going crazy
Voices in my head
Turned my back on salvation
Put myself through hell
I am not myself
Stole my memory
Want it back
Run for sanctuary
Invisible
Hands hold me back
Demon:
You’re in a dark room. I have you, you’re mine. Don’t hide in the
corner, take my hand. I’ve opened a door for you. Stop pulling;
stop turning the other way. There’s no place to go. Turn to me.
Accept your fate. Why have you gone here? There’s nothing for
you here. They can’t help you. Don’t take another step. Let me take
the steps for you. Why are they coming for me? Don’t talk to him,
he’s lying. Why is there light in this room? DON’T LOOK AT THE
LIGHT! Turn AWAY! WHY IS THE LIGHT HERE?!?!?!?! NEVER!
Finally arrive
Steps of redemption
Shapeless shades
Hungry wolves with no shame
Howling and growling
Grabbing hold of me
Earthly Guardian Angels
Lead me to a place of rest
Immortality secured
Sanctity of soul restored
Dark as Nights
I am finally free
But deflated like a balloon
I wonder how this could be
A spiritual fault line
Earthly Angels comfort me
Composure has been regained
Slowly I begin my tale
One stares with color all drained
The other knowingly
“Take with you this vial ordained”
“Days as dark as night await
But you must go forth
Days as dark as night await
You must confront the past
Days as dark as night await
Be the torch shining bright
Days as dark as night await
Crawl back home once more
Draw the drapes to block the world
Try to sleep but toss and turn
Another ghost then comes
She showed me
A forest dark and deep
Unseen menace
Hunting me
Tried to hide
It would always find
Lurking in my mind
There stands a mansion
But the door does not yield
Continue on
To a dock where
The open sea appeals
Dust in the Attic
Never thought
About the careless words
Can’t explain
But I’m glad you’re here
I am glad you’re here
Here we stand
False security
Outnumbered
Day to end days we leave
End of days we leave
Dust in the attic
We seek the answer
Dust in the attic
Salvation evermore
Dust in the attic
Key to the mystery’s door
We’re loaded up
Nervous chattering
Truth untold
Want to tell you everything
Want to say everything
Almost there
Across the bay
The island sits
No one dares where we go
No one dares to go
Out on the sea
Motor growling
Waves splashing
Hit the land and breathe
Overgrown path
Destiny at last
Detour in the way
I’ve seen this place
Doubt my sanity
Doubt my reality
Writing on the Wall
Scratch, slapped and stung
Whipped by invisible ones
Air too heavy to breathe
A thousand bodies crushing me
At the cusp of giving up
We seem to break free
Something stares at us
Evil Unseen
Feel the pull of a thousand souls
Rising wave of fear
Soon as it comes, it goes
The air once more is clear
Pull of a thousand souls
Ride a wave of fear
No sooner comes than goes
Cleared atmosphere
Stale air assaults
Something lurks just out of sight
Demons stirring in the night
No one there
Nowhere to hide
Writing on the wall
in plain sight
Writing on the wall
Warning us all
Voice of the living
Shattering our silence
Halting, nervous laughter
It's time we end our tour
Heading for the door
But it will not yield
Try to break it down
The door remains sealed
I pick up an axe
Thrown through the window
Climb through the hole
Bleeding as we go
Back the way we came
Away from the insane
As we ran, it stalked
We feared getting caught
Seek solace in numbers
We rejoin the group
We find no comfort
Stench of decaying flesh
Solace in numbers
Rejoin the others
Decrepit old shack
Reeks of decaying flesh
Chains of rust and blood
Souls of the tortured
Strength leaving us
As they try to arise
Seeking refuge
No place to hide
Nothing lurking
Brief respite
Something Behind Me
Sun set - exploration
Set up camp - snuggle in
Light from the starkness
Light - there should be darkness
Split into groups
Climb the stairs
Dancing figurines, whispers in between, nothing in view
Something behind me
Mocking every step I take
Hear every sound it makes
Something unseen behind me
A scream - forced to cease
Something not at peace
Walk the edge of a knife
And run for our lives
We see you there
Worse for wear
Breathing and alive, Death’s dance you’ve survived - one
vicious scare
Reach the summit
No sign of battle
Then I hear the voice
Cloaked within white noise
Vice and Valor
Debris strewn on the floor
No random act
Someone telling lore
Ancient artifact
Loud crack shows its age
Pulled up a chair
I became so engaged
Noticed no-one there.
Allusions
Questions answered in riddles
Illusions
Riddles written in symbols
“Commotion all around
Sit in darkness and silence
Orders coming down
Sit in quiet defiance
The better part of vice and valor
The better part of vice and valor”
Writing on the wall
Blood once innocent
Fell under its thrall
Quite unpenitent
Clue after clue revealed
Mystery holds fast
Did I see crimes concealed
Hear voices from the past?
Long ago
More were here
Where they went
I’ve yet to hear
Rumors fly
Yet answers hide
We Search
Rooster crows - Before dawn
Cup of coffee - Make it strong
Pages turn - Without a hand
Turn to see them flip again
When they stop - start to read
Dusty pages - ancient history
Secret passage - hidden there
Cryptic code - know not where
Beckoning
She comes again
Enlightening
What we cannot see
We can only feel
For the mystery
For the hidden key
We search, we search
“Top of the stair - gates of hell
Passage long - Dark despair
I must hide - lest it sees
Evil dwells - Hunting me”
Red Herring - To deceive
‘Nother turn - Nothing here
At the end - Secret revealed
Open Door - portal unsealed
She floats above the floor
We do not understand
Message coming through
What does she point to?
Abandon All Hope
Showed us a portrait
Looking in a mirror
Raven hair, emerald eyes
Ancestry revealed
Faded into black
Then the screams began
Screeches of agony
Stench of rotting flesh
It knows we’re here
Hatred fueled by fear
On the edge
Stare into blackness
It knows your fear
Abandon all hope, ye who enter here
Silence overtakes
Replaced by thunder
Comes ever closer
Soon it will be too late
Thunder shakes the earth
Death getting closer
Damnation in sight
Try to stay in the light
Bust on a pedestal
Nods to reveal
Hell in all it’s fury
Get out in a hurry
The Revelation
Voice not your own
Eyes hide your soul
“You sought, you found
Let your guard down”
Relic in my hand
Holy guardian
“It’s just a charm
Won’t keep you from harm”
“I am your revelation – a mirror for your soul”
You are no revelation – the dark is all you know
Circle each other
Prey and Hunter
Begin the battle
Souls in the balance
“Come and know me
No escaping”
We’ll not dance tonight
I choose the light
“You’ll come with me
In misery”
Tonight I rise
And win this fight
Move On
First rays of dawn
Still exhausted
Time to move on
Leave one behind
Door already open
Air heavy, dank
Time to jump in
No time to plan
Laughter echoes through the halls
Run back to our sanctuary
Locked out by the beast
Locked out by the beast
“Where are you?
I need you!
Can’t hear you answer
Sinister laughte
r
Nothing can save me now.
No one can save me now.”
Armed with relics
Guard the unarmed
Keep moving on
Awaken the beast
Finally open the door
Battle-worn and wary
No pulse in your veins
There should be two here
Soldiers
Defeated, dejected
Must go on
Demon is laughing
He’s already won
Secret passage
Door slams shut
The walls shake
Can’t go back whence we came
Darkness is spreading
Long for the sun
Keep moving forward
Keep pushing on
We have become soldiers
First blood already drawn
We have been drafted
Immortal war rages on
We have become soldiers
Path steep and twisted
Descend to hell
Spiraling downward
When tolls the knell
See a way out
Passage ends
Door up ahead
Between us and the dead
We hear it lurking
On the other side
We cannot retreat
Nowhere to hide
Door flies open
The hinges creak
Speed and strength
Of a wild beast
Enemy lunges
As we flee the dungeon
We gather our wounded
Run for daylight
Demon close behind
Clawing with all his might
Fork in the road
Light shines through
Dead end again
Back to the darkness and din
It ends as it began
Too quiet
A storm approaching
Cannot deny it
Not Over After All
We fall to the ground
Breathless & exhausted
Salt air & sea sound
Our souls assaulted
Nothing else in sight
Noise intensifies
We combat growing fright
Wind howling, coming closer
Trees bending, genuflecting
Stay and wait until it’s over
Or run as fast as we can
It’s all over now
I reach to help you up
Your hands now claws
Eyes glow like fire
It’s not over after all
End where we began
No hope of escape
Fueled by adrenaline
We’ve again become prey
Windows thick with grime
On an old, crumbling shack
<br
Inside a century of crime
An empty shack
Conceals a trap door
It opens up
Reveals below the floor
Catacombs
Paths to secret doors
Legends and lores
Wailing
Here we stand
Surrounded
No escape
Fight ’til someone’s won
Cannot turn and run
Run fast, run hard
Footsteps close behind
Run fast, run hard
Claws reach, claws grasp
We hear the wailing of the dead
Closing in around us
Heart rates start to speed
Pour with fear and dread
Hide inside
Lock the door
Trapped ourselves
Red eyes stare glowing
Look outside knowing
The dark army beating at the door
We prepare to defend
Our time is up, of this we’re sure
But she’s standing there
White-hot and pure
Recites a lurid history
Into my memory
Go Into the Light
They broke through our defenses
And stood there threatening
The sun was choked by darkness
Final round within the ring
Armed and waiting
A glow surrounds us
One by one they stormed
One by one fell to the floor
Growling
Howling
Screeching
Trapped by the accursed
Shattered our nerves
Walls are shaking
Floor vibrating
Windows breaking
Set the past right
Set the dark alight
Go into the light
No longer blocked, the sun warms
Carnage strewn all about
Something wicked this way comes
Deep and guttural the sound
One left standing
And meets with destiny
Light extracts the dark
And lets the soul embark
Look like it’s over
And it comes again
Eyes like flames glower
This must be the end
Be Gone
Trapped by death & darkness
Protection starts to fade
This one stronger than the rest
Breaks through our barricade
“Be Gone!”
She stands, glowing white
Shooting flames of light
Burns the madness
And the darkness
Choking, I start to fade
Cannot break its grip
For a miracle I pray
Sneers behind snarling lips
Piece by piece
The light we see
Until the sheath
Of darkness fails
Just In Case
You wake up
Hopefully
Remember nothing
Finally
Nightmare is over
Head on back
Still hoping
Dead come back to life
Barely coping
We bury our dead
Keep our charms
Still cause for alarm
Do not ask for whom toll the bells
Just in case
Pack it up
Back to the boat
Still in shock
Moving slow
Don’t get what has happened