Lost

She can feel the soft breeze on her soft skin, the lovely weather, and the blue sky. She was so happy it felt almost in heaven. Looking at the shiny sun, comforting her cat “Lucy” they laughed at each other as Edith always thought that cats can understand humans and their emotions, but humans do not.

 “I love you Lucy, can you feel how much I adore you” said Edith.

 “meow” replied Lucy.

 Edith laughed in utter happiness and joy. Admiring the marvelous nature, thinking “what would be greater other than the creator of such nature”.

Falling in deep sleep without a second thought. She wakes up calmly and swiftly as a sleeping princess. Only to find her cat disappeared.

In worrisome started screaming her name helplessly, she found no response.

Edith closed her eyes taking a deep breath listening carefully, she can hear the bells ringing.

 Following the path of the voice, she ended up at huge forest she kept walking around only to find herself lost in the woods. With only two paths she can see , on the right the board written” something village”, on the left she can see the small yellow bells hanging on the trees with trace of broken board on the ground,” it was mere the voice of these bells ringing so what about Lucy!” Edith thought.

She turned right and walked toward the village.

 

 

 

 

Arrival

Edith arrived at a mysterious village. Fog filled the air she can barely see any villagers or buildings.

Standing still at the foot door of a strange inn. Examining the huge inn from the outside Edith knocked the door but no response. Slowly the doors opened by itself as if welcoming her.

The inn looks as old from the outside and inside. Edith was waiting for the innkeeper to say a word but instead she just kept staring at her in weird unfriendly looks.

“Hello, I’m Edith, I got lost and I don’t know where to go can you help me ??”

Key holder was filled with keys, Except for room 6 which was missing. Seven keys for seven rooms.

On instance the inn keeper gave her a key for room 7 without saying a word.

“What a strange woman!!” Edith thought.

 

Everything seemed unreal to Edith. She looked around for any sights of other visitors found noun.

The inn is deadly quiet and lonely. It was much smaller compared to it size from the outside. “a huge eerie building with only and empty first floor, seven rooms, mute innkeeper.

She walks upstairs slowly hearing it cracks with each footstep. She continued fearfully arrived at the corridor counting from room 1 till she reached room 7. Ignoring the fact that room 6 is missing.

Time passed while she was resting, she left her room and closed the door carefully and quietly. She went down the corridor to check on the other rooms. Her room was at the end of the corridor. Walking slowly, she listened carefully for any signs of residence in this place.

Starting at room 1 only silence and peace.

A man and a woman whispering softly in room 2.

Room 3 only arrogance and vanity.

Room 4 “eat it and you shall become a mighty goddess, greater than all gods” mysterious voice whispers.

Room 5 Only repentance.

At last she was standing at an empty wall where room 6 supposed to be so astonished by the fact that she can’t see the door but still hear this strange unmeaningful angry whispers as if there is someone behind this wall.

A child singing lullaby she can hear downstairs. As she became closer it becomes louder and louder.

Suddenly everything turned black, its dark and cold, hearing whispers and children laughing.

 

She found herself at the corridor again but this time all doors has disappeared, except Room 6, which appeared out of nowhere.

She kept trying reaching the door but it seemed so far she couldn’t reach it no matter how long she kept going ,laughs and whispers became louder and closer, so close to her ears she could almost feel the breath of a child singing and laughing.

 She was frightened to death, started running and running. She kept running as fast as she could but the corridor only become narrower and narrower almost to the size of the door Infront of her that she couldn’t ever reach no matter how long she kept running, no matter how fast. She was so tired stopped to take some breath, all voices ceased, now it is all dark and quiet.

 “Join us Edith” children whisper from behind. She turned around so slowly fearing a monster child will be standing behind her, she found nothing but a strange key.

 It fits perfectly at room 6 keyhole. She has a strong desire to open the door but decided it’s better not to be too curious and lastly refrained.

Walking down the stairs to find no trace for any creature or the innkeeper.

 

 

Temple of angels

 

Out of the Inn she followed the bell ring she heard.

“Lucy, I’m coming” Edith.

Reaching a beautiful building, thinking “open sesame” would work like magic.

Huge doors opened, Organ music started playing, candles lightened on order.

Walking down the hallway towards the two-angle statue, admiring the beautiful sound of organ playing, Edith found non but a bunch of chairs on her left and right. It looked more like a church.

She noticed a beautiful piano on the left side.

Suddenly darkness and silence fell the place. “What a way to welcome a guest” Edith thought.

Children laughing and singing all she can hear. The piano started playing and candles lightened up again. It felt scary and romantic at the same time. Edith took a seat on the left chairs enjoying the beautiful music and singing.

Everything rhymed with the lullaby. She was wandering who is playing the piano, it seemed the piano was played by itself “What a wonder!” Edith thought.

She felt small cold hands touching her feet so softly reaching her thighs.

Edith started shaking. With only the light of the candles and moonlight through classy windows.

She looked so slowly down her thighs frozen almost to death. She found 7 children down her feet astonished by the fact that they all fit down there. All were staring at her without a blink.

Breathing heavily scared to death. They looked like a living corpse, white-skinned cold as ice.

She got up on instance reaching the door in hope to escape this place, but stopped close reaching the door for a child who continuously whispered “please the god” till the voice became so monstrous and the child started replicating which build up a giant hill of children blocking the way out.

She turned around running only to find herself at a strange alter where a child was asleep. A 5 children appeared wearing white cloths, started singing a ritual song and hammering a wooden nail in the hands of the sleep child on the alter. The sacrifice child started screaming hysterically while blood flooded all over the alter.

“I can hear them laughing while the beautiful sound of the piano is still playing” Edith thinking.

Suddenly all at once they stared at her in silence. She felt breathless and fell into deep sleep.

 

Children's paradise

 

 

“Edith... Edith ... wake up” mysterious child.

Edith opened her eyes so amazed thinking she is already in heaven.

She found herself in this beautiful garden filled with angelic children statues, “It must be children’s paradise in the afterlife” Edith thinking.

 “Then I must be dead by now, rest in peace my soul, I wish cats where allowed in here, miss you Lucy...” Edith.

Children were playing and laughing, in happiness and joy.

Edith sat on the tea table started to drink and eat some biscuits, she almost forgot she didn’t eat or drink anything since she arrived in this village.

She was so happy and smiled in response to the laughter and chatter around her.

The garden was circular in shape, surrounded by bushes and flowers scattered all around.

All lovely kinds of flowers you might think about. She saw an infant with wings flying all around like an angel, playing the flute.

Another pretty child with wings was playing the flute on a big tree.

It’s an angelic scene.

A music box started playing from far away, the most  beautiful music Edith ever heard in her life, couldn’t handle the temptation and followed the sound untill she reached a small door which almost made to fit one child. She knelt reaching the doorknob, and all of a sudden, all voices ceased.

Feeling someone getting closer and closer behind her:

“would you leave such an enchanting place with an everlasting joy and happiness, for such a mundane desire girl?”

Edith replied nothing.

“Here you can see, it is everything a child would want”.

 

“Not everything I want” Edith replied, thinking the end justifies the means.

 

Leaving the heavenly garden walking away until she finally found it.

 

The music box.

 

She found herself lost again in the woods, filled with fog and ghostly whispers.

The wise lady

 

Reaching a strange looking hut at last.

Edith knocked the door politely. Door is opened.

A filthy smell was all over the place, Edith felt the need to puke.

A strange looking lady welcomed Edith and took a seat close to a fireplace giving her back as if she did not want any eye contact with her.

In exchange for answering one question Edith must not ask about anything she sees or witness from the wise lady since she has little knowledge about the matter. Otherwise, she will be sacrificed.

Edith agreed willingly.

“Wise lady without a task, about this village I must ask “said Edith.

Wise lady nodded her head and after a few moments of silence she began.

“Once upon a time, it was a rich and glorious village. Years passed the village sank in poverty and famine. Gods abandoned us, our prayers not to be answered. Hundreds of people died.

Our one and only hope was a woman who lived far away from the village.

Rumor has it she possessed a strange power; no ordinary human can have which was the reason she was banished years ago from the village for practice of “black magic””.

The lady stopped briefly.

A black dog appeared out of nowhere. The lady cried in happiness knelt on her feet for the dog, taking it closer and started kissing him with lust and making out with the dog.

Edith asked nothing about it.

After they finished the wise lady continued.

“The lady of the woods would answer our prayers and have mercy on our children, but first we must fulfil the rituals” said the witch.

For Sacred rituals to take effect incent and pure blood must be sacrificed.

Children recite the ritual lullaby by heart. Parent where to send their children to the forest singing and following the yellow bells hanged on the trees which will direct them to the right direction to the lady of the woods.

 

Our children can die no longer from hunger and sickness, the Lady of the woods will take better care of them, and parents will be relived from the burden.

Children who sent to the forest were never to be seen again.

Family’s where happy and relieved nothing more to think about for their children. Yet people continued dying of hunger and sickness.

Only for the witch to be blamed, for laying and treason. She was burnt alive.

Her last words were the exact lyrics of the ritual song.”

 

Wise lady stopped and stood up walking toward the cradle picking up an infant kissing him goodnight and threw him in the fireplace. Hearing a horse footstep.

 

Edith asked nothing about it.

 

The wise lady continued:

“You must have crossed the temple of angels on your way here”

 

“Yes lady” Edith replied.

 

“They are the two angles whom god sent thousands of years ago to Babylon,

They taught human the power of magic, only those who asked for it”.

 

“a white-clothed children are called children of light, they were to perform the sacred rituals, either soul or flesh to be sacrificed”.

 

“We are all children of the devil”.

 

Getting so close as she can, she saw that the wise lady was half human half animal.

Edith asked nothing about it.

 

“Are you scared of death girl?”

 

“Yes, I think so” Edith replied.

 

“What a wonder, humans experience death every day, they need it to live, death is always the answer.”

 

“Wise girl and smart, it’s time we part” said the wise lady.

The Forest

Following the bell ring reaching the forest at last.

It was the ring of these bells she heard all along, thinking sadly it was her cat.

Edith stopped for a moment thinking what would be the fate that awaits her, is it the end or the beginning of the end.

“Join us” children whispered from the woods repeatedly.

She can hear the children singing while she is following the path of the bell-hanged trees.

She saw the children all around her increasing in number, some are happy others are crying.

Walking deep the forest, darkness and fog filled the air, children voices turned into monstrous one , they kept singing and singing.

Edith kept walking, it felt almost a whole day have passed, she was so hungry and thirsty, but kept going.

Walking into the unknown she has been lost in these woods it seemed like a never-ending maze.

They turned to dark shadows she can’t see them as a children anymore.

A huge pentagram was there on the floor, where a child was lying, children of light were to carry the sacred rituals. It is a sacrifice for the devil.

She can hear the demons whisper with joy, children’s soul was to be sacrificed.

The sacrificed child was vanished, leaving no trace left behind.

All eyes on her, now it must be her time, so scared and trembling.

She tried running away but, alas there seemed no way out.

 She kept getting back to where she has started.

It’s a circle, a never-ending cycle.

The end

 

Edith felt so desperate, it felt out of her control, she remembered the down times on her life, when she was screaming for help from the inside, screaming and dying.

“No one will feel what you feel, nobody really does, they just pretend”.

“You were born alone; and die alone”.

I’m tired, so tired…

Living is tiring …

Life is tiring…

I can’t take it anymore

I can’t breathe…

Why I am a crying …

I just want it to stop

Please

Just stop…”.

Edith cried so deeply closing her eyes, she can finally sleep deeply in silence as she was in her mother’s womb.

 

 

I just want to rest …

                                                      forever…”.

Impressum

Texte: Yardel Valentine
Bildmaterialien: Yardel Valentine
Cover: Yardel Valentine
Lektorat: Yardel Valentine
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 25.06.2020

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