Red Roses - (FCRAs 2016 Winner)

Cries in the Night

Lorelie arrived at her grandmother's house close to eleven that night. Once again she was allowed to use a carriage to avoid walking through the woods, her horse walking along behind. She had worried about arriving so late; she would surely bother her grandmother when it was nearly midnight, an older woman shouldn't be disturbed once she'd gone to bed after all.

However the cottage was still ablaze with lights and her grandmother opened the door as soon as the carriage stopped outside, like she had known. Jake, who'd travelled through her, settled her horse in around the back of the cottage then bid her goodbye before hurrying home.

Her grandmother had to of been expecting her though she didn't say anything about it when Lorelie asked. But she had the kettle boiled, a plate of cookies set out and, more than anything, Lorelie's old bedroom was ready.

It was the huge attic room she and her brother had used to share when they had been children and visiting. It was much the way Lorelie remembered it and she smiled as she walked into the room, looking at the two sides of the bedroom.

On the left side, her brother's bed was still surrounded by its toy soldiers, adventure books and random trinkets he'd found throughout his youth. On the right, her side still had its dolls house, nature books, teddies and the two beautiful porcelain dolls she'd been devastated to lose yet had chosen to leave them in the woods then ever touch anything that came out of the forest again.

Picking up the pretty brunette in a old fashioned ball gown, she slowly walked to the window and took a seat by the open frame, brushing the hair from the doll's face and smiling slightly, looking out over the forests, which was calm and quiet by that time.

After a moment, she changed into a nightdress her grandmother had lent her, tying her hair back then closing the window and slipping into the bed.

She fell asleep instantly but didn't sleep for long. She wasn't sure when she woke exactly but she knew it was still very early in the morning. She wasn't sure why she woke either.

She opened her eyes and looked into the darkness of the room, the moonlight casting strange, unusual shapes around her and she quickly sat up, pushing her hair from her face.

Her eyes were drawn to the closed window and, after a moment's debate, she slid out of bed, shivering as her bare feet touched the wooden floor and reached for the shawl she'd draped at the end of the bed. Throwing it over her shoulders, she walked to the window and peered out.

She recoiled, eyes wide, hand flying to her mouth to stop any sound she might make that could disturb her grandma.

A wolf!

There was a wolf down below. It stood on the edge of the trees, just inside the moonlight, looking up at the house, possibly even looking at her bedroom window. It was a huge, black thing, so dark it could have been nothing but shadows.

It was really was huge!

So much larger than any normal wolf. So she hadn't imaged it. She thought had just exaggerated the size of that monster she'd come across in the woods when chased by the men. She thought she had fooled herself.

She knew the memory and mind were unreliable.

She had been convinced she'd envisioned a monster in the place of a normal wolf because of her fear.

But that thing down there was no normal sized wolf. That was nothing but a monster!

She flattened herself against the wall then slowly peeked out over her shoulder and her fear vanished.

Confusion replaced it and she leant forwards, frowning.

The wolf was gone.

In that quick instant it had vanished, but the space it had occupied wasn't empty.