Written on 14th January 2009
4:03pm
SG National Park
It was a beautiful late summer afternoon. Picturesque and sublime. The park was crowded as usual. Families seated around their picnic baskets, kids chasing one another, health conscious individuals jogging with their iPods along the well laid paths through the grass and trees, pets being strolled by their owners.
They walked hand in hand across the grass towards their usual spot under his favorite Caucasian Maple which always turned a brilliant yellow around this time of the year.
She was wearing a simple yellow dress and a matching hairband which made her look a few years younger than she actually was. She wore her sports sneakers and carried a small bag over her shoulder. The sweet lilac smell of her perfume wafted through the air. It was the perfume he had gifted her on their last anniversary. He leaned over and kissed her neck. He felt like he had his face in a bowl of potpourri. He loved the smell.
They came to park very often. It was a good place to get away from the pressures of his office work. She needed the break from school too. Teaching a class of third grade students was very demanding. She took up the job about a year back when they shifted to the city soon after getting married. They had been high school sweethearts.
There were many familiar faces at the park today. Some neighbours, a few acquaintances and a few more from the sports club. Not wanting to spend any time on meaningless greetings and indulging in idle chit-chat, they swiftly made their way towards the maple.
She lay down in the shade under the tree and called him to sit next to her. Resting his back against the mossy trunk, he placed her head in his lap. They had chosen this particular spot for a reason. It wasn’t too far away from the park and it gave them the privacy they needed. The weather was just right; his mind was free from all cares and worries. He was in his favorite place with the love of his life and it seemed like things couldn’t get any better. At that very moment he didn’t think life could be any more perfect.
As usual she started telling him about her day at work, about the kids and their antics and about the personal lives of the rest of the faculty. He listened to her patiently as always without interrupting or questioning. With care as though every word she spoke were of utmost importance. He didn’t say a word.
He removed her hairband and began stroking her hair, letting it fall through his fingers, enjoying the feel of it. She continued to fill him in on what had happened in school seeming not to notice.
He looked at his watch and was surprised at how fast the time had flown by. The sun had started it's daily descent beyond the horizon painting the sky in a fiery red hue. They had been under their tree for nearly an hour. It was time to leave. She got up and dusted the stray blades of grass off her dress as he put the hairband back on her head. Picking up her bag, she kissed him and started to walk back home.
A wave of sadness came over him. He was starting to miss her already. As usual he could not go with her. He was forced to stay behind and wait for her. Wait in the blank darkness until she came again. As she walked away, the light of the setting sun quickly receded leaving his world cold and pale once again. He was alone.
5:17pm
Private ward 4A
Cooper Hospital
She sat at his bedside with his hand firmly grasped in hers. It had become part of her daily routine to visit the hospital after work to be with him. Speaking to him, telling him how her day had been, hoping and praying that he would respond.
He had been in a comatose state ever since his accident over a year ago. The doctors said it was unlikely he would ever recover. She couldn’t possibly bring herself to believe that. After quitting her job at the law firm she had taken up a teaching job at a nearby school. She even shifted from their two bedroom flat in the suburbs into a single bedroom apartment opposite the hospital. To be close to him. To be there when he woke up.
She had to get going now. Kissing him gently, she picked up her bag and left the ward bidding him a silent farewell.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Demon Within
Written on 7th November 2008
He sat at the window seat of the 10:30 slow train as it gradually pulled out of the Old Street Station. He was quite familiar with the route having done the 2 hour trip daily over the many years that he had been working. He was heading home after a rather uneventful day at work. AS usual most of the commuters in the train were busy in their own thoughts...most with their noses buried in their newspapers, some fast asleep and a few enjoying the solitude that only an iPod can provide in a crowded train.
He dug into his bag and pulled the book out. Opening it to the page where his bookmark kept place, he continued reading from where he had left off during his trip to work earlier that morning. The book was entitled "Best Horror Stories Ever Told" with the names of the editor and illustrator written in a creepy font across the bottom half of the cover. The front was littered with demons, goblins and all sorts of creepy crawlies that the illustrator could conjure up. That was one of the reasons he picked up the book at the church flea market...the artwork appealed to him. The other reason was its ridiculously low price. He got it for just £1, a whole £6.5 off the retail price. When the lady at the counter told him it was a "steal deal" he had laughed at the idea of "stealing" right under the church's nose.
He continued reading with rapt attention the story of a family beset by the haunting ghost of their recently deceased pet. He loved horror stories, an interest that neither his wife nor his kids shared with him. By the time he finished the story and looked up from his book, the signboard that went whizzing past his window signaled that they had just past the East Croydon station. He placed the bookmark back, closed the book and rested his head against the window, letting the images of the haunted family play out in his head. Less than 5 minutes later, he was fast asleep.
He was rudely awoken by the lurch of the train as it stopped at the Brighton station. Looking at his wristwatch, it was 12:25am. He had been asleep for nearly an hour. Quickly shoving the book into his bag he got off the train suddenly aware that he was the only one at the platform and the only one to get off the train. "Strange", he said to himself, as he walked past the McDonalds outlet, with its shutters already pulled down, towards the turnstiles. He swiped his ticket and went through looking around to see if he could spot anyone else around. It wasn’t uncommon to find very few people at the station past midnight but being all alone was a bit unusual. He passed the station office and peered in...The lights were on but there was no one in the room. The ticket counters, the newspaper stands, even the bus stop outside...all empty. He tried to laugh away the insecurity that was creeping up on him but it didn’t help. Quickening his pace a little, he took the south exit from the station towards his home.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw something move near the street lamp opposite the road. He tried to ignore it but there was surely something moving in the darkness. With a faster stride now, he kept on walking without turning to take a look, hoping that whatever it was under the street lamp would cease to exist if he didn’t acknowledge it. But it was there, and it was moving towards him and he could feel its presence. In an attempt to scare 'it' away, even though he had no idea what 'it' was, he stopped, faced the street lamp and shouted "Who’s there?” The quivering in his voice made his question sound more like a whimpering plea than the thundering command he intended it to be.
That’s when he saw it clearly. It wasn’t something moving in the shadows but the shadows themselves that were moving around the base of the street lamp. Under the steady dim light they drew together and began to take a form like a jet black liquid that had suddenly come to life. Basic motor functions betrayed him and he stood rooted to the spot staring unblinking at the shadows as they danced before his eyes. Within a few seconds it had discernable legs, a torso and a head forming above it. Then it opened its eyes. Eyes that were burning red with evil and seemed to peer through his flesh right to the core of his frightened heart.
With all the strength he could muster he broke free from the trance that had gripped him and started backing away as quickly as he could without making any sudden movements. Letting out a wail that could only have come from the pits of the abyss, it darted towards him. He ran fast, as fast as he could, away from the shadowed thing that now seemed to be hunting him down. His old arthritis-ridden knees began to weaken as the creature closed in on its prey. He tripped and fell hard on the concrete pavement, his femur shattering under his weight. He was crying now...crying in pain, and in the fear of his impending death. He tried to crawl away but the pain in his leg didn’t allow him to move more than a few inches. Overcome by terror, he shielded his eyes and said a final prayer, completely helpless as the creature covered the distance between them and lunged at his throat.
One of the cleaners at the station found him and alerted the paramedics who arrived promptly. The reports read D.O.A. The cause of death, massive cardiac arrest with the time of death placed at around midnight. Seeing him sitting at the window seat with his head against the glass and a book loosely gripped in his limp hand, one of the paramedics at the scene turned to his colleague and said, "Wish we would all go that way...peacefully in our sleep".
He sat at the window seat of the 10:30 slow train as it gradually pulled out of the Old Street Station. He was quite familiar with the route having done the 2 hour trip daily over the many years that he had been working. He was heading home after a rather uneventful day at work. AS usual most of the commuters in the train were busy in their own thoughts...most with their noses buried in their newspapers, some fast asleep and a few enjoying the solitude that only an iPod can provide in a crowded train.
He dug into his bag and pulled the book out. Opening it to the page where his bookmark kept place, he continued reading from where he had left off during his trip to work earlier that morning. The book was entitled "Best Horror Stories Ever Told" with the names of the editor and illustrator written in a creepy font across the bottom half of the cover. The front was littered with demons, goblins and all sorts of creepy crawlies that the illustrator could conjure up. That was one of the reasons he picked up the book at the church flea market...the artwork appealed to him. The other reason was its ridiculously low price. He got it for just £1, a whole £6.5 off the retail price. When the lady at the counter told him it was a "steal deal" he had laughed at the idea of "stealing" right under the church's nose.
He continued reading with rapt attention the story of a family beset by the haunting ghost of their recently deceased pet. He loved horror stories, an interest that neither his wife nor his kids shared with him. By the time he finished the story and looked up from his book, the signboard that went whizzing past his window signaled that they had just past the East Croydon station. He placed the bookmark back, closed the book and rested his head against the window, letting the images of the haunted family play out in his head. Less than 5 minutes later, he was fast asleep.
He was rudely awoken by the lurch of the train as it stopped at the Brighton station. Looking at his wristwatch, it was 12:25am. He had been asleep for nearly an hour. Quickly shoving the book into his bag he got off the train suddenly aware that he was the only one at the platform and the only one to get off the train. "Strange", he said to himself, as he walked past the McDonalds outlet, with its shutters already pulled down, towards the turnstiles. He swiped his ticket and went through looking around to see if he could spot anyone else around. It wasn’t uncommon to find very few people at the station past midnight but being all alone was a bit unusual. He passed the station office and peered in...The lights were on but there was no one in the room. The ticket counters, the newspaper stands, even the bus stop outside...all empty. He tried to laugh away the insecurity that was creeping up on him but it didn’t help. Quickening his pace a little, he took the south exit from the station towards his home.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw something move near the street lamp opposite the road. He tried to ignore it but there was surely something moving in the darkness. With a faster stride now, he kept on walking without turning to take a look, hoping that whatever it was under the street lamp would cease to exist if he didn’t acknowledge it. But it was there, and it was moving towards him and he could feel its presence. In an attempt to scare 'it' away, even though he had no idea what 'it' was, he stopped, faced the street lamp and shouted "Who’s there?” The quivering in his voice made his question sound more like a whimpering plea than the thundering command he intended it to be.
That’s when he saw it clearly. It wasn’t something moving in the shadows but the shadows themselves that were moving around the base of the street lamp. Under the steady dim light they drew together and began to take a form like a jet black liquid that had suddenly come to life. Basic motor functions betrayed him and he stood rooted to the spot staring unblinking at the shadows as they danced before his eyes. Within a few seconds it had discernable legs, a torso and a head forming above it. Then it opened its eyes. Eyes that were burning red with evil and seemed to peer through his flesh right to the core of his frightened heart.
With all the strength he could muster he broke free from the trance that had gripped him and started backing away as quickly as he could without making any sudden movements. Letting out a wail that could only have come from the pits of the abyss, it darted towards him. He ran fast, as fast as he could, away from the shadowed thing that now seemed to be hunting him down. His old arthritis-ridden knees began to weaken as the creature closed in on its prey. He tripped and fell hard on the concrete pavement, his femur shattering under his weight. He was crying now...crying in pain, and in the fear of his impending death. He tried to crawl away but the pain in his leg didn’t allow him to move more than a few inches. Overcome by terror, he shielded his eyes and said a final prayer, completely helpless as the creature covered the distance between them and lunged at his throat.
One of the cleaners at the station found him and alerted the paramedics who arrived promptly. The reports read D.O.A. The cause of death, massive cardiac arrest with the time of death placed at around midnight. Seeing him sitting at the window seat with his head against the glass and a book loosely gripped in his limp hand, one of the paramedics at the scene turned to his colleague and said, "Wish we would all go that way...peacefully in our sleep".
Conch
Written on 14th May 2006
She walked along the sandy shore..lazily...lost in her own world. Without too many concerns or thoughts to weigh down her mind..she was at peace.She felt one with the ocean and its warm breeze.Absent-mindedly she dug up shells from beneath the sand with her toes and examined them. The colourful ones she pocketed..the less fortunate ones were returned to their resting place beneath the waves.
After collecting nearly a dozen exotic shells (her necklace would be the talk of the class) she was returning back home when she struck her foot against it. It was the most beautiful shell she had ever seen.
Pearly white and shiny. In her mind she thanked the little critter for having vacated and left her with his home. She picked it up and dusted the sand off it. Too big to fit into her pocket with the rest of them, she carried it in her hand.
Then a thought passed through her mind. Didn't they say that you could hear the heartbeat of the ocean if you listened closely to a conch? She pressed the shell to her ear, closed her eyes and absorbed the sound.A part of her knew that the sounds she was hearing was nothing more than the echo of blood being pumped through her ears. The rest of her scorned the learned part of her and delighted in the sounds of the ocean. She imagined that she heard each wave as it broke upon the shore and lethargically retreated back from where it came. She imagined that she heard the breeze moving gently over the water and meeting the land. She imagined she heard the high-pitched scream of a girl....
Immediately she took the shell away from her ear and cursed under her breath.My mind is playing tricks on me, she thought. That's what you get for being in the sun for too long. Instinct told her to toss the shell away and return home as fast as she could. Sadly following her instincts wasn't her forte. Curiosity had already got the better of her as she drew the shell close to her ear once again.
This time the voice was crystal clear. In an instant the waves seemed to have died away leaving the ocean still as death and the warm breeze had been replaced by a cold wind that made her shiver in her bikini. She was all alone on the beach. Just her, the vast expanse of the black ocean, the cursed shell and the scream which was quickly reaching its blood curdling crescendo.
She was paralysed...She used as much force as she could muster but could not move the shell away from her ear. It had taken control over her. She was its slave. As her knees gave way she could do nothing but lie there on the wet sand, tears running down her sandy cheeks, with the shell pressed against her ear. The scream had engulfed her. The last thing she heard before the darkness embraced her was a second voice. A voice that was much more familiar to her. A scream emitting from the back of her own throat...
A lifeguard found her lying cold and lifeless on the sand. The ambulance was sent for as he fervently tried to breathe life into her dead lungs. Within a few minutes he knew that she had passed on to the afterlife and said a small prayer over her body. Accompanying the body in the vehicle to the hospital he looked at the shell which had been pressed to her ear hard enough to draw blood. With tears in his eyes he held it up to his ear and tried to listen to the ocean that they had left behind.
She walked along the sandy shore..lazily...lost in her own world. Without too many concerns or thoughts to weigh down her mind..she was at peace.She felt one with the ocean and its warm breeze.Absent-mindedly she dug up shells from beneath the sand with her toes and examined them. The colourful ones she pocketed..the less fortunate ones were returned to their resting place beneath the waves.
After collecting nearly a dozen exotic shells (her necklace would be the talk of the class) she was returning back home when she struck her foot against it. It was the most beautiful shell she had ever seen.
Pearly white and shiny. In her mind she thanked the little critter for having vacated and left her with his home. She picked it up and dusted the sand off it. Too big to fit into her pocket with the rest of them, she carried it in her hand.
Then a thought passed through her mind. Didn't they say that you could hear the heartbeat of the ocean if you listened closely to a conch? She pressed the shell to her ear, closed her eyes and absorbed the sound.A part of her knew that the sounds she was hearing was nothing more than the echo of blood being pumped through her ears. The rest of her scorned the learned part of her and delighted in the sounds of the ocean. She imagined that she heard each wave as it broke upon the shore and lethargically retreated back from where it came. She imagined that she heard the breeze moving gently over the water and meeting the land. She imagined she heard the high-pitched scream of a girl....
Immediately she took the shell away from her ear and cursed under her breath.My mind is playing tricks on me, she thought. That's what you get for being in the sun for too long. Instinct told her to toss the shell away and return home as fast as she could. Sadly following her instincts wasn't her forte. Curiosity had already got the better of her as she drew the shell close to her ear once again.
This time the voice was crystal clear. In an instant the waves seemed to have died away leaving the ocean still as death and the warm breeze had been replaced by a cold wind that made her shiver in her bikini. She was all alone on the beach. Just her, the vast expanse of the black ocean, the cursed shell and the scream which was quickly reaching its blood curdling crescendo.
She was paralysed...She used as much force as she could muster but could not move the shell away from her ear. It had taken control over her. She was its slave. As her knees gave way she could do nothing but lie there on the wet sand, tears running down her sandy cheeks, with the shell pressed against her ear. The scream had engulfed her. The last thing she heard before the darkness embraced her was a second voice. A voice that was much more familiar to her. A scream emitting from the back of her own throat...
A lifeguard found her lying cold and lifeless on the sand. The ambulance was sent for as he fervently tried to breathe life into her dead lungs. Within a few minutes he knew that she had passed on to the afterlife and said a small prayer over her body. Accompanying the body in the vehicle to the hospital he looked at the shell which had been pressed to her ear hard enough to draw blood. With tears in his eyes he held it up to his ear and tried to listen to the ocean that they had left behind.
The Visitor in the Night
Written on 25th February 2006
'It' crawled into my room one hot summer night as I sat at my computer engrossed in my over-due assignment. Seems like this is the season when all creepy crawlies and things that go bump in the night make their presence felt.
I never actually saw It enter but I felt It occupy the space below my chair. This is probably what you would call Extra Sensory Perception. I call it the heebie jeebies!
So instinctively I bent down to take a look at what had come to enjoy my company. And thats when I saw .....nothing. I saw absolutely nothing apart from my own hairy ankles and my slippers; one of them was turned face down. (I laughed a little inside my head thinking of how much this would have irritated my dear old Nana. Apparently slippers that have turned turtle bring bad luck. I was about to find out that Nana had been right all along.)
So I carried on with my coding assignment and tried to push the feeling out of my mind. I barely got a few lines of code down when I felt It around my foot. I nearly soiled myself with fright and I let out a pathetic yelp. Startled, I curled my feet up under myself and shook like a leaf. It took me atleast 15 minutes to uncurl myself from the fetal position and peer under my chair. Still unable to see It, though slightly relieved, I laughed out loud. I did this to try and frighten away whatever it was that had taken a liking to my hairy ankles.
And thats when I saw It! Well, I didn't actually see It but I did notice my slipper move on its own accord. I didn't waste a single second. I grabbed my keyboard, yanked the connecting cable out of the cabinet and began wielding it like a madman in the general direction of my slipper.
With the first swing I struck something. I didn't know what or how big it was but I didn't let that deter me from going gung-ho with my Logitech Easy Keybord Deluxe. I whacked and smacked for all I was worth. It made an unearthly noise which could have indicated either pleasure or pain. I guessed it was the latter and continued to let It have it. No invisible creature was going to fondle my ankles and slither away unpunished. I felt a wetness splash against my shin and I guessed It was bleeding. As the pounding continued, It lashed out at my stomach but only managed to tear my shirt around my navel. Then after about a minute of mayhem, the noises stopped and all I could hear was my heart pounding in my head.
I opened the door leading to the stairwell of my building and pushed the formless lifeless thing out into the cold night with my foot and slammed the door shut. Slowly I fell to the floor with my back against the closed door and thanked God for small mercies.I couldn't believe what had just happened.
It seemed like a couples of hours before I could get myself to stand up. Shakily, I walked over to my PC. I picked up my keyboard and the 'F1' and 'Esc' keys which had come loose. I connected the keyboard back into the socket and was about to sit down when I heard the noise. A scratching sound coming from outside the closed door....
'It' crawled into my room one hot summer night as I sat at my computer engrossed in my over-due assignment. Seems like this is the season when all creepy crawlies and things that go bump in the night make their presence felt.
I never actually saw It enter but I felt It occupy the space below my chair. This is probably what you would call Extra Sensory Perception. I call it the heebie jeebies!
So instinctively I bent down to take a look at what had come to enjoy my company. And thats when I saw .....nothing. I saw absolutely nothing apart from my own hairy ankles and my slippers; one of them was turned face down. (I laughed a little inside my head thinking of how much this would have irritated my dear old Nana. Apparently slippers that have turned turtle bring bad luck. I was about to find out that Nana had been right all along.)
So I carried on with my coding assignment and tried to push the feeling out of my mind. I barely got a few lines of code down when I felt It around my foot. I nearly soiled myself with fright and I let out a pathetic yelp. Startled, I curled my feet up under myself and shook like a leaf. It took me atleast 15 minutes to uncurl myself from the fetal position and peer under my chair. Still unable to see It, though slightly relieved, I laughed out loud. I did this to try and frighten away whatever it was that had taken a liking to my hairy ankles.
And thats when I saw It! Well, I didn't actually see It but I did notice my slipper move on its own accord. I didn't waste a single second. I grabbed my keyboard, yanked the connecting cable out of the cabinet and began wielding it like a madman in the general direction of my slipper.
With the first swing I struck something. I didn't know what or how big it was but I didn't let that deter me from going gung-ho with my Logitech Easy Keybord Deluxe. I whacked and smacked for all I was worth. It made an unearthly noise which could have indicated either pleasure or pain. I guessed it was the latter and continued to let It have it. No invisible creature was going to fondle my ankles and slither away unpunished. I felt a wetness splash against my shin and I guessed It was bleeding. As the pounding continued, It lashed out at my stomach but only managed to tear my shirt around my navel. Then after about a minute of mayhem, the noises stopped and all I could hear was my heart pounding in my head.
I opened the door leading to the stairwell of my building and pushed the formless lifeless thing out into the cold night with my foot and slammed the door shut. Slowly I fell to the floor with my back against the closed door and thanked God for small mercies.I couldn't believe what had just happened.
It seemed like a couples of hours before I could get myself to stand up. Shakily, I walked over to my PC. I picked up my keyboard and the 'F1' and 'Esc' keys which had come loose. I connected the keyboard back into the socket and was about to sit down when I heard the noise. A scratching sound coming from outside the closed door....
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