Short Stories

Dancing in the Wind

Wind caresses my cheek as I dance in the midst of a field. The whirlwind picks up, my movements match its speed. My eyes close as my light hair whips around my face. The gray dress that encases my body flies along the wind as I twirl. My movements fluid, it's as if I'm on top of a cloud, far away from the world and all its problems. The soft grass disappears beneath my feet as I begin to rise. The breeze regains its calm state as my dance slows with it. The gust blows with a tremendous force, and I find myself being pushed away from the field.

The wind twists and turns me wherever it sees fit. It treats me as if I were a leaf. It takes care of me, makes sure I stay safe despite the forest that surrounds me.

I remain calm, happy to dance with the breeze no matter where it takes me.

But the wind leaves me. Alone in the forest, all is quiet. Even birds have taken up silence. The murky air fills my lungs, causing my chest to tighten. My dance comes to a halt as agitation slithers into my cold limbs. Quiet as the forest that encompasses me, I scan my surroundings. The wind abandoned me in the middle of the forest, and I cannot see a way out. The light shining in through the leaves starts to leave me, too. I must find a way out before nightfall. I've heard the tales, and I don't want to know if they're true.

I start heading in the direction I'm facing, hoping it will lead me home. It soon becomes difficult for me to travel swiftly through the fading light, and I find myself stumbling. Branches reach out and whip across my face, but I do not dare cry out in pain.

In the distance I see a luminous green light, bobbling up and down as if being carried. I begin to tremble as I start heading in the other direction, but the light comes from there, too. No matter what direction I turn, the light is there, slowly getting closer. Yet deep down I know there is only one light.

I think back on the tales I've heard, all the children's stories that before this moment I thought to be legend.

There is no way out of this.

I stand frozen in place as she approaches. A green lantern illuminates the figure of a little girl, her pale skin appearing green against the light. She wears a hooded cloak, the purple hood draped over her wavy hair. She stands mere feet away, her eyes hollowing out my soul.

"Follow me."

Her hollow voice sends a tingle down my neck. I trail behind her, petrified.

"Why are you here?" Her speech sounds of a song, soft yet beautiful in its horrid gracefulness.

"The wind brought me," I say as I fidget with my dress. She nods, as if it happens all the time.

We continue to walk in silence until we arrive at a little house. Like the girl, it gives off a foreboding yet enchanting vibe that seems to call me.

"This is my home," she tells me, "You will be staying here tonight."

She sees the hesitation glinting in my eyes and tells me, "Fear not my darling. You will be safe here tonight." She gestures for me to enter first.

I do.

Soon after I step in, the door slams shut behind me. I whirl around, expecting to see the girl, but I come face to face with the door. Trying the handle, I realize it is locked. I turn my back to the door, fearing any horrors that I may have been trapped with.

I take a step forward, ready to meet my fate, but the floor disappears beneath my feet, hurling me into the abyss. Descending farther and farther, I feel as if I've been dropping for a lifetime. I'm too afraid to scream.

I hit the ground, falling directly onto my forearm, causing it to produce a loud crack.

I lie face down in the red dust, listening to the demonic chant around me. I force myself to sit up, tenderly holding my broken arm. In front of me lies a grand throne, intricate and as black as the the night. On the throne sits the little girl, her lantern gone. She stares into my eyes, piercing my soul with her beautiful yet harsh glare. She fixes me a snake like smile, and says something in a language I do not know. It sounds harsh and brutal to my ears, yet thought provoking at the same time. Footsteps sound behind me, but I do not have the strength to turn.

A sharp, sudden pain pierces my back, sucking the breath out of me. Again and again, the pain returns as the chanting gets louder. The girl cackles with madness as I feel some otherworldly part of myself begin to rise. I look below to the demented figures surrounding my body, cheering.

But the girl sees something they cannot.

She watches me rise, and her face contorts into horror, pain, and anger all at once as she begins to scream. Her voice pierces my ears. I flinch, looking away to where I am going. I rise through a soft cloud, a paradise before me.

And I realize the wind was taking care of me the whole time.