blood of the forgotten

Water swallowed me. Deep and dark and cold. My body was sinking, heavy and stiff as I barreled for the bottom. Clang A dull, heavy thunk that vibrated through the water. I felt the weight of the sound in the waves, the currents surrounding me reverberating with it. Clang My body jerked for air. Squirming this way and that, as some unseen force pulled me to the bottom where my body hit cold, muddy earth. I couldn't see anything. clang Couldn't hear my own screams. Oh gods oh gods oh gods Something moved in the abyss. Not the water. Not me. Something else. A flicker of silver, too smooth, too fluid, like liquid metal shifting just beyond reach. I gasped, instinct, stupid instinct, only to choke on the icy water pouring down my throat, filling my lungs, my belly with ice-cold water. CLANG. The sound split through the deep like a war drum. Hands. Cold, unyielding hands, gripping my arms, my legs, my face. The pressure built, the weight of them pressing me further, deeper, until the darkness wasn’t just around me. It was in me. A voice—low and whispering, laced with something terrible, slithered through the crushing silence. Wake up. The hands tightened. Wake up A jolt, like lightning in my veins—I screamed but nothing came- I jostled awake with a loud gasp, with no clocks or rails nearby, it was impossible for me to tell what time it was. Another nightmare I sighed as I wiped the sweat formed on my brow. Kiko nuzzled me closer, purring softly as I rubbed behind his ears, his soft fur a comfort against my too-warm skin. I pushed off the bed and padded across the threshold of my small cabin toward the door. It was a four-cornered wooden cabin I found one year ago. It was abandoned, but somehow Kiko and I managed to make a home out of it with what little we had. The soft animal pelts I bought from the markets in the nearby town are now stiff and stale with time, I felt like I was suffocating. I slipped on my brown leather shoes and pushed open the creaky wooden door, and went into the cold autumn night. Immediately, I was hit with a cold gust of crisp air that tousled my shoulder-length brown hair. I straightened my plain blue nightdress and stepped outside, pulling the door closed behind me quietly. Kiko meowed loudly, as if in disapproval of being left alone. “I’ll be back soon, Kiko, stay here” I hushed at him even though it didn’t really stop his yowling. Winter was coming fast… hopefully, I’d have enough to buy warmer clothes before the frost set in. A dull ache gnawed at my stomach as I stepped into a familiar clearing, the path ahead swallowed by the dense woods. Too quiet. Never go into the woods alone. My mother’s voice echoed like a distant warning. Sorry, Mother. I don’t have a choice. The nightmare had left me completely disoriented, and I couldn't bear to be in an enclosed space much longer. A nice little stroll would surely help clear my mind. i often had these nightmares, and just as often, against my better judgment, i took late-night strolls. I wasn't going far, I never went far. I had to heed my mother’s warning somehow. The moonlight, a pearly wash across the forest floor, painted the woods in shades of silver and deepest indigo. Silhouettes of towering trees, their leaves like delicate lace against the night sky, stood sentinel in the stillness. Shadows danced and stretched, transforming familiar shapes into fantastical creatures in the periphery. The air, crisp and cool, carried the scent of damp earth and pine needles, mingled with the fainter, sweeter perfume of night-blooming flowers. An owl's soft hoot echoed through the quiet, a lone sound in the vast, hushed cathedral of trees. The forest, usually vibrant with daytime activity, held its breath under the moon's gentle glow, a place of mystery and quiet magic. I went down the narrow path that led into the clearing where my little cottage stood, pushing a low-hanging branch away as I stepped under it, moving toward the same spot by the creek I usually strayed whenever I couldn’t sleep. Nothing ever happened in these woods anyway. We were too close to the large, abandoned castle-looking house that everyone said was haunted, and too close to the village to have any monsters anyway. Occasionally we'd hear that there's been a mauling in the western woods, or near the southern border. A child that has fallen and drowned or a burglary somewhere in some nobleman's house. Nothing this far north. there were no nobles here. There was no one here. When I reached the small clearing of trees, the gentle sound of trickling water filled my ears before the creek came into view. There was a large rock with moss covering the underside and grass that grew all the way to the small pathway people passed on a daily basis. There was a large willow tree hovering over the edge of the creek, its leaves painted silver in the soft glow of moonlight. I sat under the large willow, closing my eyes as I listened to the hushed forest, waiting to hear if something would chirp or croak. Nothing. It's too quiet. Blinking away my thoughts, I kicked off my shoes and moved closer to the flowing water, dipping my toes into the too cold water. Tiny fishes swam closer to nibble and poke at my feet, the gesture all too familiar considering how often I did this. It was another half hour later when I got bored and rose from my spot in the grass. Well, that didn't help me at all. Perhaps if I took the longer way back… Go home! My senses screamed at me but, like every other sensible human roaming the woods at midnight, I chose to ignore it. I slipped on my shoes again and headed back the same way I came. Too quiet. Should I be wandering outside in the woods in the dead of night? No. Could I potentially run into something that might kill me? Yes. Yes I probably could. Did I have any sense of self-preservation? Why, no. No I did not. Idiot. Shut up. So I forged on, aimlessly parading the woods, tugging on leaves and kicking rocks. The surrounding air seemed to chill the further I went. If anyone saw me now, they’d lose their marbles and run screaming ‘ghost’. A small smile made its way to my face at the thought, then a giggle. Oh look, she’s finally cracked. Shut up. Stupid inner voice I should've gone home. I know I should've. Kiko was waiting. Kiko hates being alone. I would know, we both did. Yet somehow, I wandered toward the edge of the forest, closer and closer toward the abandoned castle on the other side of the forest from where my small cabin was. To be honest, it was nothing short of ugly. The crumbling stone walls, stained with moss and writings on the wall, hinted at a forgotten grandeur. Empty window sockets stared out like vacant eyes, offering glimpses into decaying rooms filled with rubble and the ghosts of memories past. Overgrown vines crawled up the walls and gaudy tree branches sprouted from overgrown trees around the estate. The mere sight had me shuddering and yet it was enough to make me forget about the nightmare that plagued me as I couldn't help the embrace of wistfulness I felt as I took it all in. I suppose it could've been magnificent once, this sprawling structure. Perhaps they would have been the kind of people that had servants and footmen and were with several different sizes of forks. I wonder who used to stay here. Even I knew better than to go there…. For once, we can agree on something! I rolled my eyes at the nagging voice in my head. I was just about ready to turn around the way i came, ready to pad home feeling the gentle crunch of leaves beneath my feet to my little abode, humble as it may be, just about ready to dive back under my flimsy thin covers with Kiko and find sweet, blissful slumber. I turned back, finally feeling the exhaustion settle in my bones from all the aimless wandering I’d been doing. It was then, that i saw him.