by Ivory Autumn
Chapter Fifteen
Illusions
Ivory stared out into the thick fog with troubled eyes. The mist covered the earth and sky hiding what was ahead. The fog resembled her life in so many ways. Everything about it was so uncertain, so obscure, so untrustworthy.
She glanced back to the light of the small campfire, where her friends were, and then back at the fog. How she wished the fog of her life would lift, and that she could see the answers, that she could see beyond herself to a future that was clear, defined, and beautiful.
She froze, hearing a hissing sort of whisper and then a low mournful clank, clink, clink, like the rattling of chains and the tinkling of small bells ringing out through the mist.
“Hello?” she called.
Clank, clank, clink, click. The sound started again, only nearer this time.
“Hello?” she said, stepping further into the fog.
The odd clinking stopped.
She peered anxiously over her shoulder, only to discover that the tree and the comforting light of the fire had disappeared behind her, replaced by a wall of fog, so thick that she could not tell where she was. She must have strayed further than she thought.
“Okay,” she shivered. “Time to go back.” She turned in the direction she thought she’d come. The unusual clanking sound started up again, only much louder.
“Who are you?” she asked, turning around. But she saw no one. The swirling fog was all she could see.
The clinking continued to grow louder. Clank, clang, clang, clink, clink, clink, like mournful church bells ringing someone's death. She shuddered, and quickened her pace.
“It’s okay, Ivory,” she comforted herself. “Camp is just a little farther that way.”
The strange clanking continued, growing fiercer and more frightening. Fearful, she broke out into a run.
Then, just as quickly as it had begun, the clanking noise mysteriously stopped. She paused to look behind her.
“Ivoryyy,” a melodic voice called. “Ivorryyy.”
“Andrew?” she asked.
“This way,” the musical voice called. “Come, come, COME!”
Goosebumps appeared on her arms as the sound evoked a far off chord of memory. Images of her parents called out to her in the fog---images of all those she'd left behind.
“Ivoryyy! Come. Come to me,” they called out to her.
A strange glowing light appeared through the fog, until it brightened into a perfect shaft of concentrated light, only inches away from her.
“Ivory,” the voice called again. “Why don’t you come to me?”
Ivory whirled around in confusion. The voice was everywhere. The images, once they’d started, wouldn’t stop. She took an unsure step towards the light, but somehow, it didn’t feel right.
“I’m afraid,” Ivory whispered.
“I only want to help you,” the voice sighed sweetly. “Is that wrong?”
The voice drifted through the air, sweeter than sugar and softer than melted butter. It sounded so nice, so very nice, like something that she could finally trust. It sounded like the calming waves of the sea lapping up onto the sand, like something out of a forgotten lullaby.
She took another step towards the light, straining her eyes to see through the fog. She heard a slight jangling and clinking, and then silence again. She shivered. Her teeth chattered. A feeling of incredible coldness closed in around her as the icy fingers of the fog pricked her skin.
“Come closer to the light,” the hypnotic voice chanted, “and warm yourself.”
She was cold, she had to admit that. She walked steadily closer to the voice, and then abruptly stopped as a cold, icy breeze blew around her neck and shoulders.
“Good, good…” the velvety voice cooed. “Just a little closer and you will be warm and safe at last.”
The cold was getting more concentrated. She hugged herself to keep from freezing, and then took a step nearer to the voice, though it made no sense to do so. She was not getting warm.
“Good,” the voice chimed. “You are now on MY path!”
The light she had followed instantly vanished, and a wash of icy wind hit her in the face. Darkness surrounded her. She cried out in fright as if she'd been awakened from a bad dream. Something was definitely not right. It was too cold, too dark. She turned to run, but it was too late.
A strong hand grasped hers, and covered her mouth. She saw a flash of light and heard a clank of keys as something cold and heavy was placed around her neck. A confusing haze gradually fell over her mind, as a thick fog of despair like none she’d ever known clenched her heart.
“You are mine!” the velvety voice hissed. “MINE!”
