Girl at the Lake

I will never forget the first time I saw her. I know that too many people use a word like 'never' as if they understand the true meaning of it, even though they really don't know what it contains; but that is sincerely and truly not the case here. I dare to swear on my heart and soul that I will never forget that first time.

It was a gray, chilly day. The wind was singing a sad tune, making the leaves dance around and the treetops sway. It had been drizzling for most of the day and I guess this made the Angels above sad when they noticed, because suddenly the rain got worse, as if they had started crying. Then our mighty Lord would come along and show them what they were doing and they'd realize that they were just making things worse, so they'd stop their tears. But as the Lord disappeared and the drizzle returned, she sensitive spirits of the Angels world turn melancholy and it would start all over again. I wonder if God ever got tired of this little game?

Anyways, I was taking a walk through the forest of this 'holy' day. You know, to think some things through. I came to a glade. It had this little lake surrounded by trees but in some way it had an openness about it.

From the shore of this lake there was an old bridge made out of wood that went almost half way out through the lake. She was sitting at the end with her back turned against me. She had long, black hair which was soaking wet, along with the purple dress that she was wearing. As if the dress wasn't already too little to wear for such a cold day. Just looking at her gave me the chills.

For what could have been a minute, an hours, a day, I just stood there. There was something about her. On one hand, I was drawn to her. I mean, she was sitting there all alone in the rain, probably going through the exact same pattern of thoughts that I knew all too well. And like all other beings I am more often than not drown to other beings if I can relate to them in some way. But then it hit me. Maybe, just maybe, she was enjoying life. Maybe she lived a completely problem-free life and she had just taken a moment to come out here and reflect over all the great things in her surroundings. But I quickly decided that that was surely a silly, not to mention unrealistic, thought so I simply pushed it away. Come on, that isn't even possible. Right?...

These were my thoughts in that minute or hour or day that I stood there. In one way I wanted to run away. What if I went over there and her life as a matter of fact was perfect and I had been all wrong? Nobody likes to be wrong. But then again, nobody likes to be stupid either and if you're afraid to be enlightened, won't you always be? Plus, let's face it, I was curious. And even though I'm aware of the fact that curiosity kills, I couldn't help it. So I stepped out on the bridge and walked over to her. As I sat down, she didn't react. Not a single motion was to be detected. She didn't even look at me. It was like I was air. I immediately regret but I didn't back out. I was too curious, besides; it's not like I had anything better to do. So I just sat there, looking across the lake.

Again, I honestly have no idea how much time passed by, before she turned her head and looked at me. I responded by looking back at her and smiling politely. She had the clearest blue eyes, so blue, so clear, they could cut directly through your soul.

Unknown Title 1

Tuan looked up. The sun was shining from a cloudless sky and the air was warm, but with the touch of a mild summerbreeze that days like these often lacked. Not this one though. It would actually be perfect if it wasn't for the exception of Tuan's mood being darker than a black winternight. He sigh and kept on walking. His head was one big mess of thoughts that all kept moving around with the result of becoming more and more complicated. He would be in the middle of one though when another one would jump in, interrupt and create five new thoughts. He felt too confused to enjoy this magnificent day.
As he continued walking the hours passed by and darkness slowly descended. While walking through the twilight-covered forest he felt a raindrop. Then another one. And one more. Soon, the rain was pouring down and despite the exhaustation he felt in his legs, he started to run.
It didn't take him long to find shelter under a broad-leaved tree. He sat down with his back against the tree and leaned his head back to let it rest on the stem. He felt a wave of exhaustation roll through his body so he closed his eyes for a minute, but soon, he was far away in a dreamless sleep.

Melody of Death

The mountain terrain was extremely rough and not at all merciful to her bare feet but Serafina just kept on running. She was soaked from the rain and completely disoriented by the darkness but there was no time to think, no time to look back, she had to keep going. Suddenly, she stumbled on an old, dead branch and fell onto her hands and knees. She quickly tried to get back up but the freezing mountain air had filled her lungs with agony and paralyzed her naked legs. Lightning cut across the storm-filled sky and lit up her surroundings. She looked around as she was gasping for air, but she didn't see it. Could she really have lost it? Had it given up the chase? She wasn't sure. Granted, it was nowhere to be seen nor heard, but back in the cabin, when she had first encountered it, she had looked into its eyes, those horrible eyes, and she had seen something extraordinary. She couldn't get the picture out of her head, it was so unrealistic, so hard to explain. The only real way to define what she had seen that second in those eyes would be to say that it almost looked like as if it had no soul. There had been nothing but darkness in its mind, nothing but a savage lust to kill. The mere thought gave her the shivers and she tried once again to get back up, but she was unsuccessful. Lightning struck again and helped her to see in the dark. She was still alone. She took a deep breath of relief and just sat there for a few minutes. Then, suddenly, she heard something. But it wasn't the creature. It was almost impossible to hear at first but it slowly grew louder and louder. It was some kind of a melody, but unlike anything she had ever heard before. It wasn't played by any instruments known to man, it was more like... like a symphony of the storm. The wind, the trees, the mountains, they were all part of this indescribable melody that fascinated her more than anything ever had. But then a thought entered her head. She came to think of the old song:

“All from nature do we come,

so sometimes it must take back some.

She walks alone, it's only she,

but close is death with a melody.”

She panicked. It was the melody of death. She hysterically attempted to force herself back up onto her feet, as the melody continued to get louder, but it was too late. Again lightning lit the sky and that's when she saw death and its merciless eyes. A scream was heard only by the mountains and soon washed away by the stormy winds. Her head fell onto the ground with a bump and then there was silence.

The Dream

Chase suddenly woke up by the sound of somebody crying. He slowly forced his eyes open, only to see, that it was still dark outside. He sat half-way up and let his hand search along the bed, till he encountered what he was looking for. He felt his girlfriends body twitch as his hand touched her naked back and slid up to her shoulder. He carefully pulled her close and kissed her neck, to let her know, that he was awake. “Baby, are you okay?” he whispered almost as if he was afraid of waking anybody, even though they were all alone in the house. She just nod. “I'm fine, I'm sorry if I woke you up. Just go back to sleep.” He could hear that she was lying. He pulled her closer and held her tight. “What's wrong? Why are you crying?” He could almost feel how she was fighting to hold back her tears, as she attempted to utter the words that would answer his questions. “I had Hunter's dream,” she said before bursting back into tears. He caressed her shoulder and arm to help her calm down and to let her know, that he was there. “Hunter? Your brother?” He could feel her nod again while she wiped away her tears. “One day, a few years ago, Hunter came into my room to tell me about an odd dream that he had had that night.” She took a deep breath before she could continue. “He had been dreaming that he had been walking through the forest, and then suddenly, out of nowhere, this old man had appeared. The man had approached him and gave him a riddle: 'The man who invented it doesn't want it. The man who bought it doesn't need it. The man who needs it doesn't know it. What is it?' After thinking for a few minutes Hunter had told the old man that he didn't know it. The old man had just smiled and answered that of course he didn't know it, but he would need it in two days. Then, right before Hunter woke up, the man had touched Hunter's forehead with the tip of his finger and Hunter had fallen onto the ground and died right there.” Chase could feel her shaking and he pulled the cover further over her even though he was pretty sure that it wasn't because she was cold. “Two days later, Hunter was hit by a car and killed.” It was almost impossible for her to utter the last couple of words, as tears began falling from her eyes again. “And now I just had the exact same dream. And I even knew the answer, but I didn't know it in the dream!” She was getting hysterical. Chase wrapped his arms around her and shushed her. “Honey, you know that that was just a coincidence. That's not going to happen to you.” She sniffled. “Then how did the man know that Hunter would die after two days? Huh?” He sigh. “I admit, it's very odd, but nevertheless a coincidence. It is not going to happen to you baby. You probably just had the dream because Hunter's birthday is coming up and you've been thinking of him a lot and probably the dream too. I promise you, you are not going to die.” He kissed her cheek. “You and I are going to grow old together, okay? You're stuck with me for the rest of your life. From now on, every morning that you are going to wake up for at least the next sixty or seventy years, my face will be the first you see. And trust me, I'm not that easy to get rid of. And when I get old, you'll hear me complain about everything all the time, especially the young people who has no respect for the elderly!” She laughed. He smiled and kissed her cheek again. “Don't worry angel, you'll be perfectly fine.” He lied back down, still with his arms wrapped around her and told her to try and get some sleep. After about 10 minutes her breathing became relaxed and calm, and after about 5 more minutes, she had fallen asleep. He finally allowed himself to close his eyes and fall asleep.

5 days later, he went to her funeral.

The Last Walk (The Walk of Sins)

It was pouring down rain, but Melody knew that she had to keep walking. Even if she could find shelter out here in the middle of nowhere, the merciless, freezing cold of this night would most certainly finish her off the second she'd been foolish enough to let herself fall asleep. She forced her tired legs to continue moving. She hadn't eaten for three days and she was quickly running out of energy. Every single inch of her body was feeling tired and worn out, and for every step that she took, her legs came closer and closer to caving in. After only a few more minutes of walking, she finally had to admit defeat. She dragged herself a few more feet and sat down with her back against one of the trees standing by the side of the road. Even though she knew that she had lost, her body felt more free and relieved than ever. There was no more pain. She leaned her head against the trunk of the tree and closed her eyes. She could hear the engine of a car somewhere in the distance. But she paid no attention to its approach. She had given up getting a ride hours ago, nobody trusted gypsies nowadays. Not that she blamed them. She hadn't exactly been a saint herself, despite what she'd tried telling herself all these years. She wanted to believe that all her actions could be justified or even rationalized in some way but sitting here all alone awaiting Death and confessing all of her sins, she knew that she had just been fooling herself. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with ice cold agony. Such a wonderful feeling. She silently whispered a last prayer of hope and regret to herself. Then, right before she passed out, she heard a car stop nearby and footsteps quickly approaching. She used her last drop of energy to smile before freeing her immortal soul into the light.