The Last Sprite (ManxMan)

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I saw awareness in the crimson stare; however, before I could dwell on how little time I had left alive or sit back and watch my life flash before my eyes, another flash of lightning filled the sky, erasing everything in its path including the eyes. When the light faded, I was staring at the tree line, and I was alone.

Wide eyed and with my jaw unhinged, I didn't waste a single second of the life I still had. Throwing the door open, I made a beeline for my home. The entire time my bare feet slapped against the soggy earth, I didn't dare glance over my shoulder.

I was too scared to see what might be behind me.

Instead, I locked my gaze to the door and ran. Everything else faded from existence. Despite how quickly I knew I was moving, it felt like it took an entire lifetime to reach the steps, but when I did, I hit the door with enough force to rattle the glass and jar my teeth. Flecks of ruby tinted pain grabbed at my senses, but I ignored them.

Once inside the safety of my home, I bolted the door shut and stepped backwards until my body touched the edge of the counter. As I stared through the door's glass, I half expected those red eyes to appear with each flash of light, but nothing came. No monsters arrived on my door to drag me to hell, and Bigfoot was nowhere to be seen.

Relief washed over me so suddenly that my knees buckled, and I collapsed under my own weight. I exhaled, releasing a breath I hadn't known I was holding. My lungs burned as I finally managed to rake air into my lungs. At first, my breaths were rapid, erratic, but after a few moments, they reached a normality. With a still shaking hand, I wiped the free flowing droplets of water from my brow.

"What is happening to me?" I asked; my words came out hoarse and a little too loud. The sound of my own voice unlocked the flood gate to my emotions. I began to cry. Though my side protested, I pulled my knees to my chest and buried my face into my crossed arms.

The rational part of my brain begged me to realize that what I saw was nothing more than a figment of my overactive imagination. It told me that it all made perfect sense; after all, I was all alone in the woods, and being alone in the woods was the perfect backdrop for a mind to run rampant. What I saw was just my mind filling in the missing pieces, I mentally rationalized. I freaked myself out in the woods, and my mind is just amplifying those thoughts.

There was absolutely no way in the entire universe that anything I experienced was real. This was the real world, and in the real world, trees don't glow, and monsters don't exist.

It was a simple fact.

Inhaling deeply, I found the resolve to stop crying. Wiping away my snot and tears with my forearm, I shakily used the counter as support and pulled myself to my feet. I knew exactly what I had to do. Walking to the living room, I sat on the edge of the couch, positioned my body to face the window, and closed my eyes.

"The tree won't be glowing," I muttered to myself. "If the tree is glowing, you have completely lost your mind." With a nod, I stole one last breath before opening my eyes.

My heart clinched in my chest then plummeted to my feet.

Sure enough, the tree still stood in the clearing. It's white trunk radiating with an intensity that made it appear as if the trunk and limbs were surrounded by a soft white halo. The leaves glowed intently in the darkness; the amber luminosity nearly pulsating in the bleakness. Even as the lighting flashed, the tree stood like a beacon in the night.

"That settles it then," I whispered. Fresh tears welled in my eyes as I planted my feet onto the hardwood and spun around. Slowly, I climbed the stairs and made my way into the bathroom. Without a word, I flipped the light on and stepped into the tub fully clothed. I turned the tap on and sat completely cut off from my senses as the water began to surround my body. At first, it was icy; though, within a moment, the water came out scalding. I knew I should feel something, but that part of my brain must have switched off. I sat with my arms around my knees, anchoring myself as if at any moment I would blow away. Once the steaming water nearly reached the brim, I turned the tap off and simply sat.