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Staring into the abyss
Rumble, the dark sky threatened to crack as I hurried back from work.
Suddenly- “Ex…cuse m..e,” a lethargic voice said to me from a dark alley. Looking at the alley felt like staring into the abyss. Its darkness was engulfing. In it, I caught sight of a pale old man so scrawny-looking he could be carried by the wind. I felt pity for the old beggar, approached him, and reached for my wallet—
“Buy… a… book.” The old man refused and beckoned to a small stack of books that I could only make out because of the moon’s rays. They were all tattered and old, but they had this ancient air around them like there were from a lost era; there was something about them.
Consequently, one drew me in. It was black and seemed to swallow the surrounding darkness. I gave the old man some change and picked it up.
“Be careful when staring into the abyss, for It stares right back at you.” He said clearly before he faded into the dark alley. Just as suddenly as he came…
Rumble, the train I boarded goes, pulling me from my thoughts of the strange old man from 2 weeks ago.
The black, tattered book was titled “The Abyss.” A tale of darkness that sought out new worlds to devour. Strangely, it was left unfinished. The book’s last line- “I saw the darkness in her eyes. It was like staring into the abyss. Deep. Like the hole in my chest,” has been stuck in my head ever since and makes me wonder what happened to the writer.
Rumble, the train went again, only this time I could notice it. It’s not the train rumbling. I look out the window and stare at the clear blue sky. There’s no cloud in sight with no sign of rain or thunder.
Out of nowhere, a line from The Abyss jumped into my head. “The earth shall rumble. A cry of 3. The arrival of darkness.”
“I’m getting paranoid. It’s just a prophecy from a fictional book. Nothing more.” I mutter to myself and lean back in my seat. Even after I closed my eyes, a part of me still looked out for vibrations. After about an hour of nothing, I was more than convinced I was being paranoid. So, I let sleep take me.
When I open my eyes, it is to a vast… emptiness. Also, there is darkness all around.
I drifted aimlessly in that void until a light appeared, and instinctively, I moved towards it.
“Please…”
“Help… me”
As I moved closer, I began to hear weak cries. The light dimmed and started to take shape. What awaited was a lady whose body was hidden in the darkness like she was bound by it. Unable to escape. Her face was covered by the only thing that gave light here. Her hair was made of long strands of golden light, but they were dimming, slowly being eroded by her chains of darkness.
I moved closer, trying to find a way to free her from her shackles, but suddenly, she looked at me, and my soul quivered.
“I saw the darkness in her eyes. It was like staring into the abyss. Deep. Like the hole in my chest. “
Screech!!!
The train suddenly stopped, waking me up from my dream.
A dream? But It felt so real, and who was she?
RUMBLE!!!
Another tremor spreads, giving me no time to process my thoughts.
Boom Boom. The tremors intensify. Like someone’s trying to break down a door. As I wonder if that book is about to become a reality, The tremors stop, and silence ensues, but it is deafening, like the calm before the storm.
That’s when we saw it. A crack in the sky. A passage for the darkness that lies on the other side.
Hey there, It’s the Penman again. I hope you enjoyed this short story, but it’s not over yet. The darkness will return. To read more short stories like this, click here. Lastly, remember to like, comment, and share till we meet again.
👏🥰🥰🥰
star boy!
Hooked!