Castle Hill

It had been decades since the ghostly figure swaying in the wind had set foot in Castle Hill. She couldn’t explain the need she felt that compelled her here. Her long dark hair thrashed violently in the wind as she stood in front of the Lighthouse, her slender figure glowing in the moonlight. She could hear the sea crashing malevolently against the cliff, smell the salt spray as it coated her face… She could almost let herself remember what life was like here, but that was dangerous. The ancient hurt she locked away years ago would consume entirely if she let herself remember. It would do no good. ‘Why now?’ She begged for an answer within herself. ‘Why?’ Of course there would be no answer. The force that drew her here was beyond her comprehension. There could be no explanation but insanity. Only a fool would come back here. The urgency she felt prior had only grown in intensity. Somehow she knew she had to keep moving forward. Beside herself, she continued to walk until she reached the door that was carved into the stone foundation of the lighthouse. She sheepishly turned the knob, not surprised when the door gave way and opened. The spiral stairs that led to the top were illuminated by the red glow of the beacon. She didn’t bother to close the door as she began to ascend the stairs. Each step grew her urgency, but she kept her pace, terrified of what she might find. It didn’t take long for her to reach the beacon, the stubby stature of the lighthouse sought to that. She could vaguely see the ocean in the distance through the windows. It looked dark and angry, like it knew something she didn’t. She moved forward until her forehead was pressed against the glass. She could feel tears well behind her closed eyes. Her pain had gone septic, seeping into her blood stream. How would she survive this? She wouldn’t. She knew she wouldn’t. This time there would be no coming back. She should have become a memory all those years ago. ‘It’s fate!’ She thought. Fate was finally calling her home… she would welcome its cold embrace this time. The unrelenting march of time had whittled away any desire to prolong living. The only thing that still afforded her some peace, was the notion she’d be reunited with them in the after. She could feel the resolve leave her body as she yearned for the comfort of the floor. She was about to give in when she heard a voice that chilled her to the bone. “Isabel?” This is it. The reaper had come to collect her. “Isabel, is that you?” Her eyes snapped open. Unrelenting, she turned to face the voice. Standing against the circular wall, opposite of her, illuminated by the reddish light from the beacon was a forbidden memory. “Isabel?” The hurt she buried burst. All the years of suppressing her pain had led to this cataclysmic eruption. Tears that waited a century began to fall from her eyes, blurring her vision. 'Why?' She cried. This was life's final act of cruelty before the devil himself would split the earth and drag her into its depths. The figure attempted to close the distance between them, his eyes never leaving her face. "NO!" she managed to choke out between sobs. 'No, he can't be here!' Isabel's feet began to feel unsteady, she could feel herself start to fall. She wasn't sure when his arms wrapped her in his embrace or if it even happened, but his scent soothed the burning in her chest. The world around her began to fade, and the numbing embrace of oblivion taunted her, promising a reprieve from this brutality. "Isabel?" His voice sounded so far away. She did everything in her power to retreat from him, from this pain, this torture. She welcomed the darkness that enveloped her. She could no longer hear, no longer care, no longer wish for anything but to let this darkness consume her entirely.