Try Again

Upon the hill there is a lady. You approach her with cautious intent; you don’t know where or who you are. There are trees made purely of bark and cobwebs. The stones of the path you have chosen to follow are worn and as you step, you begin to believe that these stones were new at one point and there were many like you who have made this journey.

As you approach the woman, her features become clearer and clearer. Her dark hair and light skin cause contrast to the landscape around you; everything is black with a lilac hue. The woman’s back is faced to you and her hair stands still to her back due to the lack of wind. You now realize, there’s no wind. There’s no sound either; you can’t even hear your own footsteps.

You are directly behind the woman and you reach out to press her shoulder so you can ask where you are. Before your hand reaches her shoulder, she turns to you; her face is torn to shreds and her eyes are red as if they were bloodshot. For some reason, this doesn’t scare you; it only makes you more curious. As you ask where you are, she suddenly silences you with a finger to her lips.

“If He hears you, you’ll be sorry,” she mutters under her breath. Before you begin to ask who He is, you find out.

A tall figure in a top hat and suit sprints toward you with a crooked smile and legs twice the length of its body. Its skin is like paper and its eyes bulge out of its head.

The creature stops before you and bends down to touch your face, “Try again,” the creature mutters in a raspy voice.

As the creature touches your skin with its papery fingers you feel drowsy and limp; you fall to the floor and wake up at the end of a pathway.

Upon the hill there is a lady. You approach her with cautious intent; you don’t know where or who you are.