Ominous Tales

by Blake Everstone

  I rise above my body and float to a corner in the ceiling. Puzzled at first to see myself lying on the floor, I realize that I am dead. I watch as Donovan unties my angels. My angels! I mourn at the thought that now I am only able to haunt them but even that small pleasure is being taken away as the demons appear. Without saying a word, they communicate that they are there to take me to my new home. As the demons grab me, I struggle and yell, “I love you!” but no one hears. They mock me as they drag me to hell.

  Ominous Yellow

  Why must it be an ominous yellow today?

  It reminded me of you and the day you went astray.

  It’s supposed to rain. I love the rain and when the clouds are dark blue.

  But today the sky teases me and gives off a yellow hue.

  It’s right before sundown, usually my favorite time.

  But the color reflected off these storm clouds only reminds me of slime.

  Yellow is supposed to represent

  Joy, energy, hope and enlightenment.

  How do I describe it? It’s neither brownish or green.

  It’s that dreadful tint that lies in between.

  When a person is sick and blows their nose,

  Look in their tissue and lo and behold.

  It’s the color of a coward, it’s your aura I see.

  I wish I had noticed it before you did those things to me.

  It’s the color of puss that oozes out of a soar,

  just like your vile heart infected to the core.

  It is not the color of a lemon yet is so sour.

  It’s the gases dry heaved up in your sickest hour.

  Don’t flatter yourself, I don’t sit around thinking of you.

  It was just the storm clouds that gave off your yellow hue.

  Nymph

  As if the light reflecting off her face isn’t bright enough, her small, tattered dress glows intensely. It’s hard for me to determine the colors of her aura because there are so many. They seem separate yet mesh together to make an iridescent hue far grander than any color I’ve ever seen. Her long, silverish-blonde hair flows as if with wind, but there is none tonight. It puzzles me how such an angelic creature would be alone in this daunting forest. Danger lurks around every corner for someone not familiar with its habitat. “Lisa, you’re seeing things.” I survey our surroundings. Dark nebulous trees tower overhead. The full moon competes desperately to shine as bright as she, but fails. Her light appears to be captured within a forcefield. Although she is so radiant, her energy does nothing to illuminate the dark, ominous thicket we are in.

  Frozen in shock. In awe of this glorious being, I begin to believe I am dreaming. “Lisa, wake up!” There is a bitter chill in the woods tonight. Her skin sparkles like frost gleams off a blanket of snow. Despair resonates on her face. It is obvious that something is amiss. All at once, I realize that I hear nothing. Never in my life have I been in these woodlands and heard such silence. No crickets, no croaking frogs, nothing. Her hand has a grasp on her other arm. Finally, she maneuvers it to uncover a wound. She’s hurt! Crimson blood drips onto her white dress. With each drop she seems to lose an ounce of glimmer. She is trembling and I’m unsure if it is more from fear or the cold.

  A faint growl permeates from deep in the forest. It echoes as it bounces off the silence. Although she is turning towards the sound quickly, her majestic manner seems so graceful. A branch cracks vociferously beneath my boot and reverberates through the stillness. She faces me and just before her eyes pierce through my soul, the growl is heard again. This time closer! This divine presence delicately falls to the ground and loses all her luster. Whatever this growl is it is conspicuous that it is coming for her. This beast may have already had a celestial taste and now will stop at nothing for another.

  I rush to her! Preparing all my strength to lift her and carry her was redundant, because she feels as if she only weighs 25 pounds. Dainty within my hands, I wrap my arms around her and run. I can hear each step the beast takes behind us. I imagine it to be at least 400 lbs. worth of fierce viciousness. The ground seems to vibrate as it gets closer. I fear it will not be long before it pounces. My soul quivers with every snarl. My legs feel heavy and are keeping me from running as fast as I sense I need to be. Sweat dripping from my face lands on my frail passenger. She opens her eyes and peers up at me. Her expression exhibits her gratitude as she endearingly snuggles up against me. Hearing another growl and the proximity of it, she realizes that we are still in grave danger. As if she is pulling energy, or what is left of it, from the bottom of her toes and the top of her head and generating all of it towards her mouth, she lets out a deafening screech. As the energy leaves her body, her luminosity dims and she passes back out. Her ear-splitting shriek startles me. Just when I regained my composure, while still running, a large wolf appears. Then two more and before I know it, we were facing a line of wolves in front of us.

  With wolves before us and this monster behind us, I start to feel defeated. Instinct took over and I felt an overwhelming responsibility to take care of this innocence in my arms. I fall to my knees and shelter her with my body. To get to her, they were going to have to go through me first but I didn’t see that to be an issue for them. As the wolves started approaching us, I bent my head down and tried to make sure that every bit of her flesh was concealed within mine. I close my eyes and brace myself for attack. I am shaking so intensely that I can hear my teeth chattering. “Is this the way it ends?” “Am I dreaming?” “Will I wake up safe and sound in my bed in the morning?” I’ve experienced a lot in my dreams but never once was I aware of a smell. The stench of the wolves was strong as they came within a few feet of us. “Lisa, this is no dream!” I could even feel their hot breath on the back of my neck. I knew at any minute they were going to tear through my skin and rip me apart.

  I flashback to earlier that day. My mother had come for a visit. Not accompanying her was my father. He has a problem with the fact that I am a lesbian. I was always daddy’s girl and his favorite little tomboy until I came out of the closet. He was mortified. Too embarrassed by my sin, as he calls it, to even acknowledge me as his child any longer. I was ridiculed in our small town. To escape the torture of those, fine, upstanding citizens, I moved out to a cabin in the woods. Very strange sensations are coming over me at this moment. The first being, I want my mother. I mean, I really want to be in the arms of my mother right this minute! I fear that I may never see her again. The second being, I have this motherly instinct towards this creature in my arms. At least that’s what I think it is or would in fact feel like. I’ve never been with a man much less had children so I’m only guessing as to what this peculiar sentiment is. I must at all cost protect her. I decide to no longer cower. My gut-reaction was to stand up and fight till the death. I am a large sturdy woman and can hold my own. Just as I stood, all the wolves passed right by me.

  Stunned and relieved, I turn to watch them. They are heading towards the ungodly snarl. Powerfully soaring through the woods, they seem determined to encounter this beast. “Are they doing this for her?” These wolves appear to have become warriors prepared to protect royalty. I scoop up my enchanting obligation and quickly proceed to the cabin. In the near distance, I could hear a battle. There were loud whimpers and teeth gnashing. Howls and growls. The sound of animals literally tearing one another apart. I suspect it to be a battle between good and evil and in my arms, I hold the prize.

  Entering the house, Kodak meets us at the door. Kodak is my German Shepherd and my best friend. He sniffs the treasure in my arms and whimpers as I lay her in my bed. I dash to bolt the doors and lock the windows. I cannot remember ever locking them before because there has never been a need. Kodak perks his ear up as he hears the conflict in the distance. He looks over to me as if to communicate, “We must be quiet!” Then laying his head down on her, he reiterates that we must protect her. I pull a chair up to examine her arm. No longer bright white she is now a grey color. She has some light but does not
glow as much as when I first encountered her. I shudder to think that there may be a chance that she is dying. The gash in her arm is deep and she has lost much blood. I disinfect it and wrap a bandage around it.

  I look to Kodak and whisper, “Should we take her to a hospital?” He lets out another moan and puts his head on her again. He and I both know that we cannot take her to a doctor. Although she bleeds red, she is not human. She has many human features but is clearly something else. I question myself. She may be an angel but I always thought they had wings. From my knowledge of fairies, she’s much too big and they also have wings. We are far from an ocean so she probably isn’t a mermaid. “Lisa, Listen to yourself.” “Angels, mermaids and fairies?” “You’re losing your mind.” But it seems that I know what she is, I just can’t put my finger on it. You know how when you have something on the tip of your tongue but you brain won’t cooperate. Exhaustion overcomes me. My new job as hero and bodyguard and my sprint through the woods, if you want to call it that, has taken a toll on me. I look over to Kodak and say, “Keep an eye on our guest.” As if he knows exactly what I said, He jumps up on the bed and sits at attention just below her feet. I have never let him sleep on the bed much less sit on it. But I do know that if Kodak is on duty, no one will get even close to this house without him barking resoundingly. Laying on the couch, I drift off to sleep and enter a world of Greek Mythology filled with gods, goddesses, warriors and demons.

  The morning light shines through my eyelids and the events of last night come to mind. I open my eyes hoping to see her awake and illuminated again, but she is not. Her grey color has not changed. Kodak is laying up against her side with a paw on her. I must help her but how? I look up to see a female cardinal in the window. My mother told me many times that if you see a cardinal it is a spirit come to visit you. She also said that it was important to give the visiting spirit respect by taking time to acknowledge its presence. I usually would, because I very much enjoy bird watching, but at this precise moment, I am just a little busy. I wake Kodak and let him outside. Sitting in the chair, I watch this delicate creature. Her breathing is very shallow. If I don’t do something soon I am going to lose her. I open the door to let Kodak back in and the cardinal flies in the house while the door is ajar. She perches herself on the headboard above sleeping beauty. I go to grab the broom to shoo it out and Kodak stands in between me and the bird. The cardinal does not even flinch. Setting the broom down, I say aloud, “Maybe Bethany can help!”

  Bethany is the woman that I am in love with. It is apparent she loves me too but just won’t come out of the closet or so I believe. Her passes are subtle but know when a woman wants me. When I go into town, I make a point to see her. We’ve even had lunch a couple of times. She moved to our little town about 6 years ago to take over the Pharmacy after her great uncle passed. He had been the owner for over 40 years. Bethany is breathtaking. Shoulder length blonde hair that feathers around her face. To say her eyes are blue is too simple, they are more a turquoise. I could stare in them for hours and never get bored. She is an absolute stunning piece of artwork. I believe I am not good enough for her which inhibits me from pursuing a relationship other than friends. I’ve had many fantasies of disappearing between her hips. One of the reasons I love her so much is she has the sweetest spirit of anyone I’ve ever met and I imagine she tastes just as sweet. Her days are spent helping people with illnesses. I bet Bethany would know what to do. She would never hurt a living soul. I trust her. I’m calling her.

  Kodak and the cardinal watch me intensely as I make the call. As I ‘m talking to Bethany, I hear pecking on the window. Another cardinal. This time a beautiful red male. I explain to Bethany that I need her help, that a friend of mine has a wound that may be infected. I tell her that she does not have any insurance. Bethany says that she will be over at once. I knew she would. Although she said at once, it takes at least twenty-five minutes to get out to my cabin. She has never been here before and I hate that I don’t have time to make it nice for her. I’ve always pictured the house being clean; wine, candles and dinner on the table; and a blazing fire in the fireplace. I glance over to the cardinal and inform her that I believe her mate is in the window looking for her. Pointing to the window, I see an awe-inspiring sight. It’s a large whitetail buck. At least 10 point. Until last night, I’ve always thought that deer were the most beautiful and majestic creatures in the forest. I understand many people hunt them but I just never could. His breath fogs the window. Then he is gone leaving me to wonder if he was ever there as the vapor disappears. My little pixie, look-a-like, still asleep is struggling to breathe. It’s right there on my tongue again! I am searching every brain cell trying to figure out what she is. I know, I just can’t think of it. Just then the phone rings. It’s Bethany.

  “Lisa, I’m outside.” I wonder as to why she is calling rather than just knocking on the door. She has an odd tone to her voice. Then she says, “You’ve got to see this.” I rush outside and what I see is unbelievable. Every type of animal in the forest has surrounded my house. There are deer, squirrel, coyotes, raccoons, rabbits, possums, armadillos, wolves, fox, chipmunks and a ton of different birds. Many of the deer are lying on the ground panting. Some are swollen and there are a few that appear to be dead. The wolves have joined in a circle around the sick deer and are facing outwards as if to defend them if needed. The rest of the animals move to make a pathway to the car. Bethany exits the car and runs to me and we both go into the house. Shock on her face, she is unable to speak and is trying to catch her breath. Right then, it dawns on me. Nymph! Our guest is a Nymph!

  I run to the bookshelf and pull out a book on Greek Mythology. Scanning the table of contents, I quickly find what I am looking for. Nymphs. Protectors of Nature. They are also known to be stunningly gorgeous and innocently sensuous. Many evil gods and men have manipulated these delicate beings for their own selfish pleasure over many centuries. Although she doesn’t quite fit the description there is no doubt in my mind that is what she is. Bethany finally lets out, “What in the world is going on here?”

  I point to the nymph on the bed and say, “I think she’s dying.”

  As if forgetting that there is a fortress of animals outside, Bethany goes over to examine her. While looking the nymph over, she tells me about a disease that’s been infecting the deer called hemorrhagic. “The park rangers gave a press conference on the news a couple of days ago.” “Said they have already lost hundreds of deer to this disease.” “It may be why the animals are acting so weird.” “Do you think one of them attacked this poor girl?” “They say it cannot be transformed to humans but why in the world does her skin color look like this?” She changes the dressing on the wound. “I need to go back out to the car to get the antibiotics I brought”. “She going to need a shot.” As she stood up Kodak positioned himself between her and the door and would not let her go outside. Just as I stood up to help Bethany, a butterfly landed on her hand. Then one landed on her arm. Then another and another. You could tell that Bethany was desperately racking her brain to figure out the mysterious events that were happening. I get passed Kodak and open the door and a shower rains down. The animals move again and make another path. This time the path is not for me or Bethany, it is for another nymph that is walking towards our house.

  Her gracefulness makes it seem as if she is floating as she walks. She is as bright as the one I found last night. The rain stops and another nymph joins her on the pathway to my house. She has a tiara of flowers on her head. As they are just a few feet from the house another one joins them. This bright being has many butterflies following her. The light from these three is so bright you would think that you would not be able to look at it, but you can. The fact is, you cannot look away. Although they are similar in illumination and skin tone, they are quite different in appearance. The first one has ebony hair with a blue tint. She is a little heavier than the other two but not overweight. It is difficult to distinguish their eye color because of the brig
htness that radiates from them. Her dress is long and flowing and looks to be made from a magical blue silk. Her aura is the color of ice. The nymph with flowers on her head has short red hair. Her dress is mini and is a lustrous lime green. Her aura is a strange mesh between forest green and rainbow. The last one with the butterflies has long brown hair that is tucked behind her ears. The freckles against her bright skin look like little brown specs. She has a red tint aura. Mixed with the bright light it should glow pink yet it does not. It is crimson, scarlet and wine swirling together. They all three have no shoes and as they walk it seems as if their feet barely touch the ground. A growl is heard from far away, deep in the woods.

  These three beauties begin running towards us. As soon as they enter the house, we slam the door behind them. A male cardinal and 2 racoons make it through the doorway with the nymphs. The bird perches on the bed along with its mate. The racoons stand with their black paws, that eerily look like human hands, on the mattress and are moving their heads left to right over the nymph. The ice blue nymph grabs my hand and takes me to the kitchen sink. The other two are desperately going through the house and opening the blinds and curtains. Before I can attest to opening the blinds when we have a monster loose in the woods, she turns on the faucet and puts my hand under the water. My mind is bombarded with information. Knowledge that it would take me years and years to gain. I begin to think I’m going to pass out. It’s just way too much to process at one time yet my brain is in fact taking it all in. This Nymph is the protector over the water of this forest. Not only rivers, creeks or ponds but also clouds and rain. I know everything about her. She has been alive for centuries and centuries and she has now given me all her memories and knowledge. I move away from the sink and sit at the kitchen table trying to regain my equilibrium. Another nymph comes to me. She lifts my hand and a butterfly lands on it. Holding my hand, I receive all her knowledge as well. She is the protector of insects. I now have knowledge as to how every single bug in this forest is important to the stabilization of the ecosystem.