the grave keepers

All that i can hear are the cries of the crows and the crunches of decaying leaves beneath me as I allow my feet to move at their own pace slowly leading me deeper and deeper into the old forest, the crumbling of dead leaves soon fades away as the tapping of a stone path quickly replaces it and the crows screams get louder as I approach the foreign gate that welcomes me to the old rundown cemetery as it slowly creaks open. I take my first step and the feeling of unsettlement is stabbed into my gut followed by a shiver of my spine.

I begin wondering through the rows of cracked and crumbling tomb stones, each row gradually gaining more moss as I get closer to the mausoleum, as i glare at the aged headstones i hear a door creak open and a whip my head towards the entrance of the old mausoleum, and stood there was a old ghost like man wearing a black tattered trench coat that floats just above his ankles with muddy steel cap boots, who i assume is the old grave keeper, i give him a slight nod and light smile as i head over to introduce myself.

"Hello, you must be the old grave keeper, I'm the new grave keeper. I was told that you would give a quick tour of the place."5

I say holding my hand out for him to shake only to be given a glare and a flick of the head indicating for me to follow him, and don't know what it was but I got a bad feeling as soon as I saw that his coat actually has red splattered all over it's front, he gave off a haunting feeling, but i follow him anyway. He led me straight to the tomb room where he looked at me with a disgusted look and just pointed at a handwritten sign that had all the information i needed to know. I stood there reading it but unable to focus on it because of the feeling from eyes burning holes in the back of my head. I finished reading and turned and nodded to him telling him that i was done and he just turned to drag himself to the next room.

When i entered the room all i could see were shelves filled start to end with books, suddenly i'm almost hit on the face by the hand of the old grave keeper and only then is it that i realize how pale he actually is, it's almost like he's transparent. I get pulled out of my trance by the flick of his hand erging me to look in the direction he is pointing to, i looked over to see another handwritten sign, as i'm reading something in the corner of my eye steals my attention, i glance through the window just to the right of the sign and spot a figure walking, no, floating? No that can't be they must just walk with no bounce, I continue watching them as they stop in front of a much newer looking grave that I don't recall being there before.

Now that they've stopped I can get a better look at them, it's a frail looking lady dressed in a gorgeous but old fashioned dress accompanied by a black lace headband and bouquet of which appears to be dead white Chrysanthemums. They placed the bundle of flowers down at the head of the grave and stood up straight again and said their prayers, they looked up and locked their worried eyes with mine and that's when I realized how similer her and my mother looked, but that thought was gone just as fast as it came as saw the lady slowly fading away into nothingness, i quickly turn to ask the man about it but just as i look i catch a glimpse of him before he's completely gone, 'cough,cough', i jump and dart my eyes to the doorway where they man was now standing, i blamed it on my mind playing tricks on me and begin following him again.

He led me to the last room which just looked just like the entrance, but it was all cracked, dusty and messy it looks like no one has been in for years and I don't anyone has, that thought was supported as a spotted the date on a sheet of paper.

'4th March 1958, Albert Kuyle age 54'

I continue looking around seeing all kinds of different paper work on deaths from past years.

'Hey, so how old is this pla-'

I ask only to find that the man is nowhere to be seen, i leave the building and start walking through the rows of graves trying to find him, but have no luck, i stop a look up and around one last time to try spot him but instead something different catches my attention, it's the new looking grave that the lady was at before, i start walking over to it and once i'm stood right in front of it i read the name, Willow Greenland, wait but that's my name, i reach out to pick up the bouquet of dead Chrysanthemums, i spot the corner of a note and pull it to read it.

'Be aware of the grave keeper!'

I read to myself, what's that supposed to mean?

What this ring sound? Where is it coming from? It only gets louder and louder as I squeeze my head between my hands in a failed attempt to stop the sound. I look up to cry for help but I'm met with the eyes of the lady from before but she's crying and screaming something.

"What? What are you saying!"

I scream, unable to hear anything because of the ringing and it still getting louder by the second, i think she's trying to tell me to turn around. I turn and there he is, the old grave keeper flying at me swinging the shovel in his grip straight for my head. Wack!

Dark silence~