willow

As the clouds unveiled the bright crescent moon, a man steps into a clearing. He is tired from his midnight hike through the woods, and was glad to find a break.

The clearing was empty. A sea of soft grass stretched across till it melted into the trees on the other side. Surveying this ethereal ocean, he noticed a tall, lone willow tree, dancing in the gentle breeze. The man began to walk toward the seemingly misplaced tree, when a twinkle by his foot caught his attention. It was a silver locket engraved with intricate runes on its face.

He picked it up, wondering who left it, and if the person was possibly still around. A cold chill suddenly swept over him, as if winter had suddenly thrust itself upon him with an angry vengeance. Looking up, he sees a pale, ghostly figure glide out from behind the lonely willow.

The man’s heart began to beat franticly. The hair on his neck stretched as if it was going to rip itself free. A bead of sweat slithered down his cheek, leaving a cold, frozen trail. He did not breathe. Nor did he even blink for fear that she, if that’s even what it was, would notice him. To late.

Fear…an ultimate dread of knowing. Even if he did not understand it. The fear coiled around him like a starving anaconda. Constricting his thoughts. Freezing his muscles. Petrified. Bound to the very spot he stood. The spectral figure smiled then. A sweet, alluring smile that should have charmed him, or any other man for that matter. But on this thing, this female spirit, the smile was twisted into something horrible. Her perfect lips slightly turned upward forming an evil sneer in the man’s mind. Slimy bile rose up in his mouth. Choking him as he continued to stare, still petrified at the sight.