A Collection of my Writer's Games Entries

Hourglass Games: Task 6 (Maisy Bellon) D10

The night fell quicker than usual. But the day had left me exhausted, and Ransom had gone insane — I was glad that soon it would all be over. Verena was one less to contend with, and Ransom was one more to care for: the world always balanced itself out, somehow.

I sighed and lifted my head up to watch who the Capitol had killed today. Three faces, two of whom I hadn't bothered to learn the names of and one who I had been talking to just hours ago. I dropped my gaze down from the District 13 boy and stared at the rose maze across the shimmering lake. The place which was once so beautiful was now reduced to a muddy swamp. The mud shimmered in the moonlight and gave the impression that it was moving — not to mention the rest of the ground, which was still covered in glitter from the flood.

I turned my head to Ransom, he was sitting on the bank of a crater — well, he was supposed to. I stood up, wandering where he possibly could have gone if he was blind.

"Ransom?" I called as loud as I dared. I thought he called back in return but a sweet melody filled my ears ever so softly. It was haunting, but beautiful. Voices sang foreign words quietly, almost like whispers in the wind. As the voices overlapped, I felt the urge to follow the eerie sound but I shook my head.

I saw him.

He walked slowly and robotically — as if he were follow something unintentionally.

"Ransom," I called again softly. But he either didn't hear me or was ignoring me because he kept the same pace. I grabbed my dagger from the ground and jogged after him. He might be blind, but I knew he wasn't deaf. Something was up.

**

I followed him until he disappeared down a hole in the mud. The music was much clearer now and the voices were getting much more intense in my mind. I wasn't sure if I was following Ransom or the music anymore. But my legs made me crawl down the muddy bank into the darkness.

I tried to imagine what Ransom was going through. I closed my eyes — purely focusing on following the spooky song that got louder and louder. I could feel the soft clay in my hands. I could feel the air getting colder and colder. My foot, every now and then, would clip a rock. The smell was earthy, almost the same as the smell after a rainy day. Ransom had to rely on everything else but his eyes. I would have gone insane by now if I was him.

The voices were distinguishable now; the deep voice of a teenager boy; the high-pitched screaming of a young girl. They all sounded in distress or desperate in a way. Begging for... I couldn't quite make out what.

I opened my eyes as I fell a metre, or two, to the ground. I stood up and brushed the cobwebs off my clothes. Ransom began walking somewhere but I grabbed his wrist.

"Maisy?" he asked softly.

"It's me." I said, giving his hand a squeeze. He seemed to relax.

"Do you hear voices?" he asked.

"Yes,"

"What do you see?"

It made me look around. And rather than think about my surroundings, I voiced them as I saw them.

"The place is beautiful. It's a sanctuary for all the ghosts who have lost their lives. A small lake shimmers in the sunlight that comes through the dirt above us, birds and squirrels roam freely. Ancient trees spiral up and their roots acts as small trails for the animals. Creepers and vines crawl up the rocky walls. No one else is here, we are safe." I finished in a soft voice, as if I were narrating a story to a child who was preparing for bed. My heart twisted because I saw the corners of his mouth turn up slightly.

I lied.

Every other tribute was here, there were ten of us here. We were underground and an eerily glow cast shadows around the walls. Vines twisted up the walls and around the ground and curled around ancient headstones that covered the place. The headstones were cracked and spotted with mildew and spiders. It was bleak and spooky — the exact opposite of what I had told Ransom. I don't know why I did it.