It was a quiet night. There was no rustling of trees to indicate the wind, no chirping of birds or sounds of crickets to indicate life. It was just a quiet and still night unlike any other.
In a woodland so thick with trees and lines with bushes, the darkness was so deep, as if entrenched by the darkest parts of hell, the devil seeming to enclose it within it's grasp, wanting to embody it's territory with an endless gloom with no light, but enticing any weary traveler to take a step into it's embrace and enjoy it's endless slumber.
And deep within these woods once lay a small log cabin used as a residence for two lonely children.
They were poor and very underfed. Their scrawny limbs would scurry everyday to hunt for food, just like the wild animals that inhabit these woods.
One of the child was tall and lanky, his face and body dirty with mud and grime. His face had a long scar from the top of his left eyebrow right down to his left cheek. His eyes were dark and gloomy, no sign of life was seen. Like a cold machine. Lifeless.
The other child was a bit shorter than the boy. She too was covered with dirt and grime, Only less so than the boy. Her hands were full of blisters and bruises, whilst the boys' was filled with callouses, small and large minuscule cuts and spots of blood. Obviously the other child's scavenging was not as hard as the boy's. The short child was wearing a long dress down to her ankles, covered with holes and tears. Her hair was matty and dirty, visibly unwashed and filthy. Lice and bugs burrowed deep to the scalp.
The children were around 14 and 10.
They had no parents. Or better yet, their parents abandoned them in these dark and dangerous woods.
The children lived here. Day after day. Year after year, hoping that their parents would keep their promise and come back for them. It's now been four years and six months and eventually, the light in the little boy's eyes gradually faded.
The girl was too young to understand and her brother never speaks so she has developed the tendency to be completely naïve and oblivious to the truths of the world. She still clung to the hope that her parents are on their way, they would come back for them eventually and by then, she will be able to leave this dark and dreary forest that hurts her brother, and see the big and fascinating blue sky of the outside world that she can only glimpse on the periphery of the trees.
This naivety has been the only sustenance that has kept the young boy from completely falling into the abyss.
Until one day, the little girl disappeared.
The boy spent days, weeks, months searching. Straying farther and farther into woods, wishing and hoping to find the little girl swiftly.
But after a year of continuous searching but to no avail, the boy fell.
His thoughts being that just like his parents, the little girl, his sister, the only sliver of light shining in his pitch black world...Abandoned him.
He went mad.
***
"Hey Danny!", shouted Jim from in the living room. Venice was snuggling up to him watching television, whilst her friend Daola was in the kitchen cooking and Danny was sitting around the kitchen table watching her.
"Yeah man?", Danny responded lethargically. He's been feeling out-of-sorts lately. Like he can never muster up any energy no matter how much he eats, sleeps. excersie and drink coffee. It's been having him feel too low and down a lot and it's a feeling Danny doesn't really appreciates. As an extreme sport enthusiast (and Jim's number one energy fan), it's really abnormal.
"Where's that emo girl?", Jim questioned rudely, not much caring for Danny's unusual state of mind.
"What emo girl?"
"You know, that one that always has to say something dumb. I can't remember her name, what's it called...Mora, Lora, Dora--"
"You mean Tora?", asked Danny unbelievingly.
"Yeah that's the one!"
"You know she's Venice's cousin right? So not remembering even her name..."
"Oh shoot!". Jim exclaimed. "Sorry babe, you know you're the only girl in my heart", he flirted, throwing a wink he thought looked seductive.
Venice giggled foolishily, smiling at Jimmy with a shy look. "It's okay. Who can remember anyway", she beguiled.
Jim stared into her eyes with a dazed look in his eyes, seeming entranced. Venice's bright green eyes where like a vortex, sucking his soul right from his body into her eyes. Jim leaned down. He didn't know why, but he just felt as if he wanted to get closer. Closer to those forest green eyes, wanting to just stare into them forever. Just lean down a little further-
"Hey! Jim?!", came a questioning but loud tone from a far distance. Walking Jim from his trance-like state, snapping him back to reality.
Jim blinked rapidly, confused on what just happened. He leaned back from his downward position and straightened his spine. He glanced quickly at the kitchen entrance, then looked at Venice who was still snuggling up to him, watching tv with a happy smile on her face, bewildered.
'What was I...?'
"Jim?", came the same voice again, and upon clearer hearing, Jimmy recognised it as Dan's.
He shook his head again, clearing his muffled mind and responded, "Yeah man...what's up?"
"Nothing...weren't you just asking me about Tora?", asked Danny confused as to why Jim was acting weird all of sudden.
"I was?", Jim asked perturbed. He hated that weirdo, why would he ask about Dan her?
"Yeah, not too long ago you were asking where she was", Dan responded.
"Are you sure? Because I don't think I did". Jim kept asking, his face scrunched up in bewilderment. Not only was he sure he didn't ask for that Tora, he kept feeling like there was something urgent he needed to do. But he couldn't remember what!
"You really did. If you don't believe me, ask Venice", shrugged Danny uncaringly. He really didn't have the time to care about why Jim didn't remember asking for Tora and why he was behaving strangely. Danny already had a lot on his plate, for example, his constantly draining energy, to be using the little brain cells he had to be trying to figure out Jim's issue. Plus, he thought Jim was more than likely making out with Venice and forgot whatever it was he wanted to say before. 'It's not like it'll be the first that happened'. Danny scrunched up his face in annoyance at the mere thought of that scenario.
He was particularly annoyed at the fact that Jimmy had the energy to makeout with his girlfriend, whilst he was here struggling to last one night with Daola. He didn't know what got her so hyperactive, but she's been really persistent lately.
Danny sighed dejectedly at the thought.
Jim on the other hand was in the middle of his own conundrum.
He just realised that he's been forgetting a lot of things lately. And whilst he will- begrudgingly- admit that he's forgetful sometimes, this forgetfulness he's facing now is ten times worse. Sometimes he'd even fliting forget who is!
Jim didn't like that. He didn't like that one bit.
As the center of attention wherever he goes, as a guy whose life is literally to be treated as the emperor of the court. Being held in the palm of hands and being bowed down to like the god of Gods, this forgetting has him feeling out of control.
Jim looked at Venice, and a surge of anger took over his heart.
He didn't know why, but he just wanted to get rid of her! Jim took a deep breathe to calm down the surging of emotions flooding through his veins, and got up off the sofa. Venice looked at Jim with her confused innocent looking forest green eyes, as if asking him what's the matter with him.
"I'm going upstairs", Jim reported, then his face scrunched up in anger, and threw a resentful look at Venice.
'Why am I telling her where i'm going like i'm some dog and she's my owner, and she must know my ever move?! Sh*t! Have I been getting all soft lately?!'
Jim threw another resentful look at Venice, turned around fuming in anger, and marched up the stairs angrily and puzzled.
He really felt out-of-sorts recently. He's been forgetting things, remembering things he has no clue about, and feeling like someone has been watching him a lot lately. But he doesn't know who or why, or if he's even being paranoid. As a matter of fact, he feels like things seem unreal. Like the state he's been living in now, is not what it should be. But he's confused as to why. Going upstairs, a thought flashed through Jim's mind so quick he couldn't even grasp it.
But unbeknownst to Jim, if he had just taken the time to really look at what Venice was watching, he would have noticed that she was not watching the television at all. But was staring straight through the living room window at the back to the right-side of the flat screen television, right in to a thick and frightening darkness. A darkness that is surprising when the all other windows reveal the daytime.
And inside this darkness, was a tall dark silhouette that could be seen. Seeming as if to blend into the surrounding blackness, yet at the same time, stands out completely. Darker then the darkness around it, standing out like a black rose among white ones. The silhouette showed the structure of a tall and muscular man. Swaying at the movement of Jim's angry walking.
But upon the flicker of a little light into that deep and scary darkness, one would realise that the silhouette was empty.
There was no man there to cause the outline.
Just an extremely pitch black silhouette, rooted in one spot, no facial features. Just the shadow of a man once alive.
A man shrouded in darkness.
~~~~~~~~
Nuttyweird says: 'Human's are not afraid of the dark, only what lies within it'.