The Darkness returns.

The wooden stairs creaked as we tiptoed across them. Towards the attic, we ventured; a somewhat frightful expectation swam around us. Motes of dust drifted around the room, illuminated by shafts of light peeking through the dilapidated ceiling. This was the first time we had been here, our nervousness overcome by curiosity. To our surprise, the room was a myriad of oddities. From an assortment of jewels and keys to a collection of animal bones and paintings. I glimpsed my reflection on a mirror that hung against a wall - I was young (seven or eight years of age); of course, I did not pay any attention to this.

As my friend and I scanned the room, the dust split and a man appeared. He was garbed in grey robes with a silver blade set into his hand. I stood transfixed by his Cheshire smile as he rushed for me. The dagger made contact with the air as my friend tackled me out of the way. Snarling spitting rage, almost beast-like, escaped his lips. He grabbed my accomplice by the neck and hoisted him up. The wild kicking and screaming of my friend did little to dissuade the grey man.  Repeatedly, with almost surgical precision, the blade was thrust into his body, producing rivers of blood and gore. Abruptly all was quiet. With a final twitch, the light left my companions eyes. Once satisfied the man tossed the shredded body aside, flashed his Cheshire smile at me once again and disappeared. When my paralysis broke, I crawled to what now lay on the floor and clutched it for a while. 

Sometime later (as time flows in dreams), I walked downstairs in a blood-covered stupor. Construction to the house was ongoing and my family dotted the premises. I wondered why nobody took notice of me or called out to me. Considering my current state, it should have been apparent that something had gone wrong. Finally, the frozen glaze of my trance was pierced by a panic provoking shriek. I realised then that I was screaming...it took some determination to recall how my jaws worked but eventually I closed them. People began to take action around me; some ran towards me, others dialed the authorities. A towel was placed over me as I was led to where the two police officers were now waiting. I pulled the towel close as if it was my last defence against the outside world.

We sat in the outside patio as the two officers glowered down at me. They began to question me about the incident, however for all they knew I could have been a mute. Their focus drifted to the other adults present. When I looked up, I realized for the first time that all of my family members’ faces were blurred out. This did not capture my attention for long as I picked up movement at the edges of my vision. Two ‘things’ sauntered towards us and sat down at the officers’ feet. I say ‘things’ because the nouns I saw before me, did not exist in any mortal book. They had the bone structure of a dog, a patchwork of flesh and exposed muscle fused with machine components, and the maw split diagonally in four to reveal the serrated teeth of a serpent. They also had no eyes! Luckily (or so I thought at that time) I felt a tugging sensation in my mind, as if somebody was beckoning me from afar. This was all the excuse I needed to escape the patio.

I walked some distance onto the lawn that somehow transitioned into an open field of withered grass. The alteration in scenery did not bemuse me as the distressing voice in my head intensified. I ran. My motion (and the voice) was halted by a figure looming ahead of me. It was a tiger. She was beautiful, and yet her elegance petrified me. We stared at each for a moment and then she pounced. When she made contact with me, the ground evaporated and blackness swallowed me whole. Her body was gone and I was alone surrounded by midnight. She spoke to me then. Her ethereal voice was ancient yet dripping with seduction. Five simple words dawned fear within my soul. As her desire echoed into nothingness, I realised that she was Death.

Deaths edict was (and always will be), “I am coming for You.” With the last prophetic syllable waning, the silence crackled and pure darkness returned.

~

The Sandman