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A Hollow Eve
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A Hollow Eve |
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Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration 
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By Christopher Dedicated to Scott, in thanks for evil dreams... With a lonely sigh and a guilty glance around, Jamie tucked the tattered backpack beneath a nearby bush and turned toward the fence. In the cold of the oncoming night, the wet metal of the wrought iron mocked her, daring her to try it. And try it she would. She angled her knobby knees out, throwing the weight into her arms and catapulted over the slick fence. But her hands slipped at the apex and she came crashing down in the Ferguson's yard with a tearing of flesh and a clipped squeal. Darting a look at the house, she then quickly ducked beneath the giant maple that shielded her from its view. Patiently, she waited for any sound that she'd been seen, and nursed her hand. When her breathing slowed and she was confident she hadn't been seen, she stole a look at her injured fingers. Having slipped at the peak of the fence, the pointy barbs had ripped into her skin tearing a long gash across her hand. The angry wounds pulsed bloodily, gushing down the tips of her fingers and pooling onto the ground. Normally the blood would have soaked right in. But this winter had been the strangest in Carrington's history. For the past two months, the rain had continually poured down, pausing only occasionally to allow a little sun to beat down when nearing dusk. With the deluges, the ground was already past saturation point, and could accept no more... not even blood. Jamie shook her head and forced her attention away from the captivating sight of her own life leaking onto the sodden earth. With a sharp motion, she yanked at the edge of her shirt and pulled loose a good length of fabric. Wrapping it around her hand, she wondered if she'd need stitches. And as the shock faded, the pain began to come. And with the pain, regrets. What was she doing here? Jamie peeked around the tree and saw "it" again. Just as she saw it though, Dan Ferguson walked out of his door and into the storm. Quickly, she dodged back beneath the cover of the leaves. She held her breath for long moments, anticipating the moment of discovery. Surely he'd seen her! Everyone knew the stories of Dan Ferguson, knew he was a mean old man. She didn't even want to think of the consequences if he found her. He'd been to jail twice now for beating up young kids who'd trespassed on his property. And he wasn't beyond telling on someone if he couldn't catch them. For a moment she considered bolting for it-running for safety. But the allure of the glitter kept her firmly rooted in place. She'd only caught a glimpse across the muddy lawn, but what she'd seen had captivated her as surely as a thousand dollar bill. As soon as she'd seen the glimmering light, she had felt an intense feeling of desire. It was almost as if the object was calling out her name. Seeing as how she was seventeen, had straggly hair, wasn't "developed," and was considered ugly, Jamie had no varsity boyfriend to come to her rescue. For that matter, she didn't have a boyfriend at all... or any other friends. She was considered too weird for people to make friends with her. Maybe it was because of her interest in the darkness of the world. She didn't know. All she knew at that moment was that if she did have a boyfriend, she would have made him brave Ferguson's yard to retrieve the object for her. She sighed long and hard, the familiar feelings of longing and despair rising forward once again. She fought to choke them down. But cowering behind a tree in the cold rain and thinking of how hopeless her life was seemed to sap all of her courage. She was about to make a desperate run for it, when she heard the sound of Ferguson's pickup come to life. Hunkering down, she watched with glee as Dan Ferguson slowly pulled out of his driveway and down the road. With a painful stretch, she got up and slowly walked toward the sparkle. The argent blaze called to her. She could hear the echo of her name being repeated over and over. With a grace she didn't know she had, Jamie bent over the shining orb. Her thin knees stuck out on either side as she leaned closer, closer. A bright flash surprised her and she fell backward. She quickly got up and wiped at the mud in her hair. As she stared at the object, a sense of icy dread coursed through her veins, chilling her heart in a way the winter rain could never match. She felt the unexplainable urge to run screaming, to get as far away from the seeming innocuous pearl of light lying before her. But instead, she leaned closer yet. "What the..." she mouthed, but unable to complete her sentence. When the object dimmed, she was subsumed by darkness. ‘Hello child.' A strange voice seemed to call in her head. "W-w-who are you?" ‘Who I am is no longer of consequence,' the voice responded. It was soothing, reminiscent of a warm summer breeze. The voice urged her to trust in it. ‘Who you are is all that matters now.' "Me?" Jamie asked in surprise. She'd never had anyone tell her that she mattered. "I'm sorry, but you must be mistaken." ‘Never.' Never? Jamie thought to herself. Yet the voice sounded so persuasive, so assuring. Perhaps it was right, why else would it be talking to her. "What happened?" She asked tentatively. ‘You opened the barrier and freed me from my prison,' was the confident response. "I don't understand..." she sputtered. "I didn't open anything! All I remember is bending down to pick up... something, and then I must have passed out." ‘No,' the voice assured her. ‘You did not pass out. I placed the world in a temporary stasis.' In her confusion, Jamie could think of no response. ‘Your blood, coupled with the tears of the earth called me forth from my long rest and into the world of man. I have been captive for a thousand eons, always aware. I have watched mankind grow from an infant to the state it is now. I have witnessed wars and destruction and I have followed man out to the stars. I have breathed the breath of newborn children and cried over the loss of many lives. And I have waited. Waited all this time to be set free. ‘You have set me free.' "I still don't understand!" she exclaimed. "Who are you?" ‘I am many things,' the voice responded. ‘I am the morning son and the father of night. I am the evil that men do and the reason for them to do good. I am the father of lies, yet bear no tale but the truth. I am time and I am change. I am the order in the world and I am the entropy.' "Then you are God?" ‘Some call me god, others call me Satan. I am also known as the Devil, as Beelzebub, Belial, Lucifer and many more. I am the one whom all denounce, yet carry in their hearts. I am the fallen angel.' "What do you want from me?" Jamie asked, suddenly nervous, yet still curious. For some reason, she wasn't as afraid as she would have thought. That he was who he said he was, was not an issue. She believed, beyond a doubt that he was Satan. Somehow, all doubt was gone. ‘I want nothing more than you have already given, and this chance to thank you before I pass on.' "Thank me for freeing you?" ‘Thank you for taking my place.' "But... but..." ‘I am truly sorry. It is not by my choice. It saddens me at the same time as it makes me joyous. That the one who frees me is required to take my place seems an unjust irony. Yet I do not make the rules, I only abide by them as they have been lain down.' "You mean," Jamie started. "I am going to be Satan now?" ‘Satan, Lucifer, whatever you so desire. You may take a new appellation if that is what you wish.' The voice sighed in her head. ‘Or many. One grows tired of many things after eons of enslavement.' "Enslavement," she asked. "But don't you get to go about and do things... I mean aren't you what causes all the evil in the world?" Another sigh. ‘No, yet I am required to bear the burden of blame. Understand this: The evil men bear in their hearts is not something spawned by me. It is something that is born inside them. I am merely the name attached to something undesirable that no one wishes to claim responsibility for. That I was required to watch and bear witness to all the evil in the world, as well as bear the weight of blame is what makes me long for the sweet kiss of oblivion. It is a post which I gladly pass on. May your enslavement be less strenuous than mine.' The voice started to fade away. Feeling helpless, Jamie called out for it to wait. ‘Yes?' it queried. ‘Hurry, I can feel the peace of nothingness calling to me.' "What am I to do?" Jamie asked hurriedly. ‘Do? You do nothing but watch and feel. Feel the weight of every pain, every death. Every foul thought and every evil act done will be felt by you. That is your purpose now. It is the purpose I alone have borne since time began. Now it is your turn.' "But why! Why me?" Jamie screamed at the fading voice. ‘Because you did not run away.' And the voice was gone. Jamie waited. And waited. Nothing. She wailed loudly into the emptiness of her mind, screaming for something, anything. In a rush the world resumed its pace. And Jamie, now Meaphoar, was afraid. . . . [This message has been edited by Christopher (edited 09-26-1999).] |
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| © Copyright 1999 C.G. Ward - All Rights Reserved | |||
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DreamEvil Member Elite
since 1999-06-22
Posts 2396 |
Well told my friend. Very well in fact. I truly like the idea of Lucifer's post being a prison as well as an office to be passed on. This is a delightfully crafted tale which I am proud to find dedicated to me. Thank you much.  ------------------ Now and forever my heart hears ~one voice~. DreamEvil© |
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Artur Hawkwing Member
since 1999-06-30
Posts 444USA |
Christopher, who is Meaphoar, if you got that from anywhere outside your head? I have never heard of her but that is an intriguing story. I enjoyed the riddles he playe with his words. This was an excellent and humorous maneuver in words. |
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Dragoness Senior Member
since 1999-08-07
Posts 513 |
I enjoyed this very much....fabulous read! ------------------ Set you heart free and your mind will follow. |
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Systematic Decay Senior Member
since 1999-09-15
Posts 1301That place with padded walls and funny people in white......... |
Christopher, Wonderful story. I specialy liked the point made about how man's evil is always in his heart, and Satan is just the common scapegoat. ------------------ "Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage." -Billy Corgan- |
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Isis Member Ascendant
since 1999-09-06
Posts 6296Sunny Queensland |
Wonderful story Chris, thought I'd pop over and say hello.. ------------------ A hero is a man who does what he can. ~Isis~ (The Fragile Rose) |
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Severn Member Rara Avis
since 1999-07-17
Posts 7704 |
This is astounding. I love it! I finally had the time to read it and I am mightily impressed. Some of your sentences took my breath away - such as 'the morning son and the father of night...' I want that sentence!!!! Beat me again... More more!!! Encore x 100. |
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Nicole Senior Member
since 1999-06-23
Posts 1835Florida |
Oh excellent!  What an intriguing concept! |
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Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
Since I have been so lax lately in posting, I thought I'd cheat, and bring 'round an older piece in the hopes that those who've recently come on the scene can see that I CAN write! "O human race, born to fly upward, wherefore at a little wind dost thou so fall?" Dante Alighieri |
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Dusk Treader
Moderator
Senior Member
since 1999-06-18
Posts 1187St. Paul, MN |
That was incredible!!! I really enjoyed this piece, the idea of Satan being appointed and enslaved and Jamie's horror as the tale closed, ooooohhh... I got goosebumps! I loved this piece! P.S. Welcome back! It's been awhile since I've seen you moving around in here, remember seeing your HD crashed... I'm certainly glad to see you back! In flames I shall not be consumed, but reborn. -- Abrahm Simons |
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merlynh Member
since 1999-09-26
Posts 411deer park, wa |
I'm just an author; one who practices writing as a profession. Reading your last two posts and the style of writing your doing, if you would merely develop your characters a little more at the beginning. As to why they are where they are, would fill the missing void to your story telling. Your writing is very good. |
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patchoulipumpkin Member
since 2000-01-01
Posts 196Bermuda |
This is a really cool story i enjoyed it a lot. What a crappy deal Jamie got, i guess it goes with the curious spirit though. Wow, well done. |
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Poet deVine
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-26
Posts 22612Hurricane Alley |
A little pre-Halloween bump in the night!  |
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Midnitesun
since 2001-05-18
Posts 28647Gaia |
Wow, I wasn't a member when you posted this one. Enjoyed the read. Thanks deVine, for allowing this one to go bump in the night. Now, I think I shall run away quickly and not look at that glittery object. Bye! |
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Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
Sharon! Ack! You would have to pull up something like this... this... ick! LOL Now i will have to go finish the adaptation i began on this earlier this year and post it... really? i understand that one has to grow, but i almost feel ashamed of this.  Sincerely, thank you my friend, for thinking of this and me... uhm, i just had a thought - unless it's just because the writing's so scary that you felt it fit halloween!  MidniteSun - thank you as well... no touchy the little crystal! hugs you two C |
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Midnitesun
since 2001-05-18
Posts 28647Gaia |
ok Christopher, so I won't add my editing comments, as it is a longterm work-in-progress? BOO! BTW, I'm looking forward to something REALLY REALLY scary for Halloween...this was an excellent start, but I want more.  |
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bsquirrel
since 2000-01-03
Posts 7855 |
Sharon really does know where all the bodies are buried, doesn't she? Sure, it's a bit stumbly here and there, but I enjoyed the idea, and can't wait to see what you do with it now. One question. What does the name Meaphoar signify? She lit upon a name rather quickly.Don't worry, Christopher. My old stuff is MUCH more embarrassing than this. I'm glad Sharon remembered it. |
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