Followers

Wednesday 31 October 2012

A TALE FOR HALLOWE'EN

Whether you believe it's true,
or you believe it isn't,
you're probably right...


I

Late August,
half past midnight.
A dense luminous fog
oozes from beneath
cemetery mausoleum doors
to roll slowly across the road
and into her garden,
gradually engulfing it
in opaque grey-green nothingness
that creeps ominously
up the house wall
and onto her balcony.

She wakes abruptly
from a nightmarish dream
to see him standing motionless,
so close to the locked doors
that his breath forms
a circle of mist on the glass.
His powerful, penetrating stare
paralyses her - she's
unable to move a muscle,
in spite of being acutely aware
of something probing the depths
of her consciousness.
A scream dies in her throat,
and she's compelled
to open the doors...



II

The night time has become
a million voices calling her.
One, far more bewitching
than the rest, sings a strange
hypnotic lullaby
that promises eternity;
drawing her ever closer
to his world.
The fog comes nightly now.
No matter how cold the air outside,
she makes sure her doors
remain ajar; for his
excruciating kisses
are tinged with an ecstasy
she has never known before.
She craves him
with an all-embracing hunger
that blinds her to the darkness
insidiously taking root
in the core of her Soul.



III

It's the debilitating weakness
that finally confines her to bed.
'Pernicious anaemia,' they diagnose.
'Complete bed-rest and iron pills,
combined with plenty of fresh air - so
keep the windows open at all times,
especially at night,' is their remedy.
(Although I'd have suggested
sealing them with fresh garlic
and crucifixes!
But this is century twenty-one
and no one believes
in folklore anymore.)

Why does no one listen
when she tells them
daylight burns?
Still they insist on opening
the curtains every morning,
in spite of these angry red welts
they can clearly see
appearing on the exposed flesh
of her arms and legs.
Their misguided response
is an accusation of  'self-harming'
and a demand for psychiatric assessment.

Her skeletal appearance
and zombie-like state,
combined with vomiting
when they force her to eat
convinces him that she's
'Classic text book case:
Eating disorder, most likely bulimia.'
Surely such a learned man as he
should realise she has no choice?
Solid food is no longer an option.



IV 

She passed away two months ago
and now lies buried
in the cemetery across the road.
Her devoted boyfriend visits daily.
He's here again this evening.
As the Sun sets, he whispers,
'I have to go now, my love,
but I'll come again tomorrow.'
And he lovingly places a bouquet
of white roses on her grave.
Suddenly, he's grabbed from behind
and a split second before long fangs
pierce his jugular
he glimpses two deep puncture wounds
in her lily white neck.

Cause of death:
'Unexplained heart failure - probably
brought on by grief.'
And his neck wounds?
'Accidental contact with rose thorns
as he fell.'

And to think we live
in such an enlightened age...















 

11 comments:

  1. May your Samhain night and day celebrations be as you wish.

    I believe it's true. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you Gnome.
    I do so love this time of year. It's just made for sharing, nurturing and story telling.

    I thought it was time for a little light relief!!
    Many thanks for reading :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ygraine...wowness.. your words and stories always so rich with deep powers , textures..and so easily conjure visual spells within my mind..you are awesome!
    Wishing you many blessings of Samhain to you and yours.. and your loved ones across the veil.
    Hugs and Sparkles
    Victora

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Victoria, you are so kind; thank you.
      Just wanted to write something tongue-in-cheek for Hallowe'en. I am so glad you enjoyed it.
      Hope your Samhain celebrations were awesome. Mine were wonderful.
      Blessings & Hugs
      xxx

      Delete
  4. Very vivid imagery because it reminded me of those old black & white monster/ghost movies of the past.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh how I used to love those old horror movies!
      As a child, I used to stay up alone and watch them when my parents were in bed.
      Then, of course, I was too scared to climb the stairs to my room!!
      Fond memories :)

      Delete
  5. What a fabulous tale, chilling and seasonal and of course the best I've read! You have certainly woven a lovely tale Ygraine - almost credible :D
    Your imagery is excellent I could see it all happening as I read it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Many many thanks Rose.
      I really enjoyed writing this. Vampires have always facinated me, and I thought 'What if...'
      then just started writing.
      Hope you had a great Hallowe'en :)

      Delete
  6. More things there are than this world drams of... but you seem to have thought most of them from their hidey holes. Totally brilliant. Creepy as creepy could ever be. Love it to bits!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Dave.
      As I began to write I thought of the possible explanations the modern medical mind would come up with for the symptoms of vampirism.
      I mean, no one would believe it, would they?
      Really hope it never happens to me!! Hehehe :D

      Delete
  7. Hi Giancarlo, hope you had a great Hallowe'en!
    Hugs :)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment on my posts.
I really appreciate hearing your opinions...:)