Halloween Vault 3D Entries

Day #2: AmbassadorsUK || The Wailing Banshee

Selected Prompt - #3: The Wailing Banshee

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The Banshee had begun her shouting when I was eating breakfast with my friend in the cafeteria that day.

"Why is that woman screaming?" I asked, quickly covering my ears.

My friend laughed. "Huh? Why would women scream at you anyway?"

"You don't believe me."

"Hmm?" She chewed her bread slowly. "A woman. Screaming. In the school? Nah, even illiterates wouldn't believe that." Looking at my angry stare, she cleared her throat. "The guard must've chased her by now."

"True..." I mumbled, disappointed. Who'd scream in the cafeteria anyways? Her ear-splitting screeching was deafening – and I could hear it though no one else seemed to.

After a just a few hours, I could no longer take it. It was long-shot, and I was probably wasting my time, but I visited that local library I frequented.

"...Screaming...?" The Librarian raised her eyebrows. "Miss Fern, did I hear... right...? ...what you said?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am..." I said slowly. "Any books on women screaming only at... teenagers? Few people in particular?"

She tilted her head, clearly judging 'young folks and their weird tastes these days'. "Why don't you...? Something... you."

"I-I'm sorry?" I leaned closer. I was missing essential words from her speech – and my mind couldn't fill in much of the blanks.

"The Wailing Banshee!"

I could make out something – a phrase – and from her panting it was clear that she was literally screaming in my ear, but all I heard was an old woman screeching. Lots of angry yelling.

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I could hear nothing but shrieks. My condition was getting progressively worse with each passing day.

My parents called for several doctors, but no one seemed to know the issue. It was as if an old hag was right near me, but I couldn't even see her. My mind felt numb, unable to make out anything, speech or text – neither what my parents and friends were trying to tell me in form of notes nor their voices.

But that phrase always came back to me: "The Wailing Banshee!"

Only if I knew what that was.

Thereafter, I had to be forcibly fed because there was too much pressure on my brain. I couldn't even sleep in the night.

In desperation, my parents even turned to spiritualists – but would I even live that long? I would probably I die like that – from some new mental disorder, because I honestly had very slim chances of survival.

Just three days after, my ears had begun bleeding. Now, that friend of mine couldn't even deny I was hearing screams. Even the Librarian had come to give me a Get-Well-Soon card.

All the time, I saw someone's crestfallen face, tearful eyes and moving lips. Until the day my vision was filled with black and blue dots.

But Humans are adaptive creatures.

Things became normal after one unfortunate incident in my life.

I was going to a special school now, regrettably I couldn't continue with the previous one. My physical health was better – I could walk, eat, read like a normal person.

Ever since I had woken up from my horrible condition – close to coma, maybe even death – I had begun to appreciate small things. Happiness, for me, came from the littlest things.

I had probably picked up a few important life lessons due to the Wailing Banshee – who, as I later found out, was often a spirit or an old hag whose screaming foretold the death of those who could hear her.

I walked up to my new school and, by force of habit, I craned my neck upwards to see the huge letters – The Integrated Institute for the Deaf.

That Banshee may still be bawling for all I care.

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Total word count (according to Wattpad without my notes): 669 words. I honestly struggled in this one. It was so hard to keep her alive! It's the first person in this book (so far) who had actually lived. It's probably not the best work I've done so far, but I really wanted to write for this prompt. Next one is a very interesting one - and I hope my flash fiction turns out to be just as thrilling!