nocturnix
06-13-2013, 05:43 AM
In preparation of nightmare customization I wrote this. Which I found out later from Kastrel is WAY too long. But still wanted to share it anyways, I may revise it into an ultra-short version eventually. The words are my own but can you guess where the story comes from?
You close your eyes and drift into a deep sleep. Strange blurry images flash by. A bear. A turtle. A field of roses with a massive black tower standing over them. The letter R sewn in calligraphy. Then only one thing remains: a man in black with the hood of his robe pulled down concealing his face. The man points to you and summons you to follow him. Without question you do his bidding.
You follow the man in black across vast distances and time. Your vision blurs but you press onward. As hard as you try you are never able to get close enough to engage him. Something keeps pulling you, beckoning you to follow. Who is this man? How does he hold such power over you?
Finally he stops. You look around to find that you are in a vast desert. As far as the eye can see there is nothing but scorched, dry earth. The man in black begins to build a campfire and motions for you to sit. After the fire is started he begins to speak. He tells of something called the Dark Tower and claims it is at the center of everything. This is all you can remember, for after some time you drift to sleep. A sleep so deep your memories are washed away. Washed away by the sands of the hot desert where you lay.
After an indiscernible amount of time you awake. The sun is rising and a hauntingly beautiful sunrise approaches over the dry dusty desert floor. Radiant colors of purple and blue span out into a deep blood red. You notice some dark ominous clouds at the base of this spectacular sunrise.
Before you is a dusty old campfire with what looks to be the remains of whatever was burned as fuel. It seems to be an old log but the shape resembles a piece of a bone. Where is the robed man?
Behind the campfire you spot a pile of some old rubbish. You stand up to get a closer look but your knees are weak and you falter. How long were you asleep for? And where is the man in black? You hope to find some answers.
As you walk closer suddenly you hear the low deep rumble of distant thunder. The hair on the back of your neck raises. Then a *CRASH* as lightning briefly illuminating the darkness. Through the flash you see the rubble pile is not rubble at all but the skeleton of a man.
Judging by the decay of the clothes on the skeleton it has been here a very, very long time. Perhaps even a thousand years. How is this possible? Is this the robed man you had palaver with only the night before? Was your meeting only the night before, or had more time passed?
Suddenly the bones crumble into dust before your eyes. The storm has arrived and the winds have picked up. The dust swirls around the old, dead campfire and pelts you in the face and eyes. You scream and as you do so the dust swirls into your mouth and lungs choking you. Then you awake, screaming and sweating. You have so many questions but do not know where to begin.
You close your eyes and drift into a deep sleep. Strange blurry images flash by. A bear. A turtle. A field of roses with a massive black tower standing over them. The letter R sewn in calligraphy. Then only one thing remains: a man in black with the hood of his robe pulled down concealing his face. The man points to you and summons you to follow him. Without question you do his bidding.
You follow the man in black across vast distances and time. Your vision blurs but you press onward. As hard as you try you are never able to get close enough to engage him. Something keeps pulling you, beckoning you to follow. Who is this man? How does he hold such power over you?
Finally he stops. You look around to find that you are in a vast desert. As far as the eye can see there is nothing but scorched, dry earth. The man in black begins to build a campfire and motions for you to sit. After the fire is started he begins to speak. He tells of something called the Dark Tower and claims it is at the center of everything. This is all you can remember, for after some time you drift to sleep. A sleep so deep your memories are washed away. Washed away by the sands of the hot desert where you lay.
After an indiscernible amount of time you awake. The sun is rising and a hauntingly beautiful sunrise approaches over the dry dusty desert floor. Radiant colors of purple and blue span out into a deep blood red. You notice some dark ominous clouds at the base of this spectacular sunrise.
Before you is a dusty old campfire with what looks to be the remains of whatever was burned as fuel. It seems to be an old log but the shape resembles a piece of a bone. Where is the robed man?
Behind the campfire you spot a pile of some old rubbish. You stand up to get a closer look but your knees are weak and you falter. How long were you asleep for? And where is the man in black? You hope to find some answers.
As you walk closer suddenly you hear the low deep rumble of distant thunder. The hair on the back of your neck raises. Then a *CRASH* as lightning briefly illuminating the darkness. Through the flash you see the rubble pile is not rubble at all but the skeleton of a man.
Judging by the decay of the clothes on the skeleton it has been here a very, very long time. Perhaps even a thousand years. How is this possible? Is this the robed man you had palaver with only the night before? Was your meeting only the night before, or had more time passed?
Suddenly the bones crumble into dust before your eyes. The storm has arrived and the winds have picked up. The dust swirls around the old, dead campfire and pelts you in the face and eyes. You scream and as you do so the dust swirls into your mouth and lungs choking you. Then you awake, screaming and sweating. You have so many questions but do not know where to begin.