|
| 06 Jul 2012 11:57 AM |
October 27, 1893 With the harvest becoming more active, I decided I needed a break. I went for a walk in the old forest behind my cabin. It was still early dusk, and the sun was just beginning to gleam over the mountain rise. The dimly lit dark blue-orange sky gave a strange mixture of light. The morning dew was fresh, and very visible. The trees were losing their leaves for Winter, and the stream was crystal clear, and ice cold. That was when I saw some strange marking in a nearby tree, right next to the stream. It looked like it was carved by fingernails that were equal to that of daggers. The marking was a circle with an ‘x’ in the middle. Yet it was still hard to see with the morning dawn giving little light. I decided to come back to this spot tomorrow evening to see what it could be. Then I left to go back to the harvest.
October 28, 1893 It was mid-day when I almost forgot about my plan to go see the marking again. I decided to hurry, and ran off to the marking. Over the dead leaves, wet soil, and crystal clear stream I went; and I finally got to the tree. The marking was still there, and in vivid detail with the light of the bright sun in the sky. That was when I had the strangest feeling of someone watching me. I turned around, but instead of seeing anyone, I only heard a rustle of branches. I decided it was nothing, along with the marking being some old lumberjack’s doing before I had lived here. Off to the cabin, I went.
October 29, 1893 I awoke to a strange scratching noise outside my cabin. I grabbed my coat, hatchet, and candle. I never thought to connect it to the marking or rustling noises back in the forest, but now I wished I did. Then maybe I wouldn’t have gone out there. When I opened the door, I didn’t see anything at first. I figured it was just the wind. I stepped outside, and looked around. Still nothing, but when I turned around, the entire cabin had scratch marks. The wooden walls were peeled by entire inches. What ever scratched it was beyond that of a dagger. I almost screamed, when I decided it could have heard me, if it didn’t already. I ran back inside the cabin, shut the door, and locked it. I sat in the corner of my cabin for the rest of the night.
October 30, 1893 I refused to leave my cabin for the rest of the night, dawn, and day. Forget the harvest, this is now life or death. Something was out there, and it was watching me. Waiting for me, plotting against me. How easily it could knock down the cabin door, or even the walls, or just.. Scratch through it with its terrible nails. No, claws. That thing could just claw through the cabin like paper, and then it could claw through me like paper. I was nothing compared to this thing. Nothing, at all.
October 31, 1983 Today, I was not going to take it anymore. All day and night I couldn’t sleep, every time I closed my eyes I saw what I believed the beast to be. It was no longer someone, or something. It was just a beast. A terrifying beast. I picked up my hatchet with a rage. I walked out the door, took one last decisive thought, and unlocked the latch. I opened the door, and walked out. The soil was scattered like a hole was made. That was when I realized what it was. It was a design. An circle, with a ‘x’. I turned around, the cloudy sky was giving off a cold atmosphere. A dark soggy mist and fog were colliding in the forest, and around my cabin. That was when I looked at some tree-No, the beast. It was tall, very tall. It had long arms with fierce but yet skinny muscles covering them. On its hands were fingers with claws that seemed to be like steel. I felt like it was looking straight at me, and I went for eye contact- but I saw no face. It had no face. What kind of creature doesn’t have a face? That was when I ran. I ran toward it. I was going to slash it to pieces with the hatchet. It raised its arm, and grabbed the hatchet. I stopped precisely as it did so. Then I awoke.
December 7, 2012 I had my fifth nightmare last night. Different person, different setting, different time. But the same creature. I’m getting tired of these dreams, I really am. But there seems to be a connection between these dreams other than that creature-no, as the last dream called it: Beast. Time to go to the library.
December 8, 2012 My trip to the library, which is a unfortunate thirty miles away, led to nothing. Literally, it led to nothing. The library had been destroyed in a fire just yesterday. A few records were saved however, and were being transferred to an old museum. I decided to go there, maybe they’d have something there I could use to figure out what was going on. Maybe I was insane? Who knew, I just had to get there.
December 9, 2012 I logged onto the museum’s terminal, and found a section about the history of myths and legends. I read their summary, and then went to the exhibit. The place was filled with disturbing wax figurines that looked uncannily realistic. Some with torn up wings, some like demonic cowboys. One of them stood out. It was a tall, creature with long arms. And no face, good god why would it have no face. I looked at the plate, and it said “Tall Man”. I read the rest which said “A creature that is said to haunt people into insanity, and then kill them. An ancient legend that has been passed from generation to generation,”
December 10, 2012 I called the museum to find out where they learned of the “Tall Man”. A woman answered, said she wasn’t sure she could do this, but did it anyway and gave me their largest contributor’s location. I thanked her, and hung up.
December 11, 2012 It finally started to snow, and the roads were covered in thick broken up pieces of ice. My car skidded a few times across the surfaces, and I even almost crashed once. I finally got to my destination. A odd house with snow still on the drive way. I went to the front door, and started to knock as an old crusty man opened the door before I had a chance. He said he knew why I was here, and I asked him about the “Tall Man”. He said I would find out soon enough. He shoved me out the door, slammed it shut, and yelled something I couldn’t understand. I then heard three gunshots.
December 12, 2012 I went outside to get the morning paper, and looked for some sort of exclusive news. One thing stood out. The man I talked to the day before was in the paper. It said murder was listed, but I knew we were the only two there. Unless someone was in his house when the gunshots fired… It said that he was found dead with two bullets found in his chest, and one in his head. Along with a note saying, “There is no way to stop him. Only death.” The papers said that the police stated the note as a murder threat, but I knew what it really was. A warning.
December 13, 2012 I decided to ignore all of it. A simple coincidence. Nothing more, nothing less. All it would do is cause me to go insane, and probably hurtmyself like that old man. I probably just saw it on some TV show and had it stuck in my head. Same with that crazy guy, of course, he just didn’t stop thinking about it.
December 14, 2012 Oh man, was I wrong. Just so wrong. Last night, I heard this strange noise. I thought it was scratching like in that dream, but it wasn’t. It was more like tapping. It was coming from outside my window, and when I opened the blinds to be sure, I saw… that beast. What ever it was, I saw it. Up close, separated only by the thin glass that could easily shatter just by hitting it hard enough. Tall Man, beast, Thing, what ever it was called, it was there. That night it finally came to me. It was real, and I had to find a way to stop it. A way other than death.
December 15, 2012 I’ve thought of everything from contacting the other mythology contributors, to going to a psychiatrist. That was when I figured it out. I couldn’t stop it. But I could keep away from it. I called my police station and told them I was the attacker of the old man from the other day. I acted like I was confessing, and they believed it. Before I knew it police cars surrounded my house, and they picked me up. Off I went to the prison.
December 25, 2012 Five days have passed since I was taken to the prison. Five days without that beast, without worrying about it, without the fear. I know prison is supposed to be a terrifying place, but I was just relieved to get away from it. I sat in the prison cell laughing at my victory, when I heard a door open. Someone was walking up to the cell, very slowly. I suddenly thought of the Tall Man, when I saw a face. Then I knew it wasn’t the Tall Man, but a guard. He said it was time for my interrogation, and he took me into another room. He was actually a detective, not a guard, and asked me why I killed the old man. He told me to be honest, and I decided to tell the truth. I told him about the creature, the man’s warning, the museum description. Everything that has happened. He finally asked me what I thought it was. That was when I had a thought finally break into my head. I told him it wasn’t about what it was, but where it was. As I said that, his face went blank and he looked utterly terrified. Onto my shoulder landed a pale, skeletal hand. The hand of the Tall Man.
|
|
|
| Report Abuse |
|