A house in the woods
Added 2022-09-04 12:36:21 +0000 UTCYou set off to find the source of a noise you've been hearing all morning.
* * *
The sound had caught you at your home. Had it followed you out of your dreams? An unearthly tone that seemed to tug at your consciousness, gently melting your thoughts, just a little. You hadn’t noticed it at first. It had been a slow process.
But by the middle of the morning, you had found yourself struggling to think. One thought kept coming back. ‘What is that sound?’And so, by lunchtime, you set off, out of your home, to find it. The weather was pleasant, and the roads you walked were quiet.
Finally, you reached its source. A house, in the middle of a clearing in the woods outside town. The door hung open, the sound coming from inside. It was a voice. A voice that surely belonged to a wonderous being. You were over the threshold before you had thought about it.
Though, to be real, there weren’t many thoughts left at this point in the process. The door closed behind you, and now the voice seemed to emanate from the walls. But you stepped forwards. Knowing where to go. And as you turned the corner, you found them.
They looked human, but as they turned to you, they seemed almost perfect. Too perfect. The sound stopped. And for the first time, you felt worried. Was coming here a mistake? You could feel your thoughts beginning to return. You reached behind you, for the doorway.
Your hand touched solid wall. The person stood, seeming to tower over you. “Stop. You came to me. You have answered my call. It would be a waste to leave now. I have need of a new apprentice. Stay, help me. And you will be rewarded.” They offered a hand towards you.
“Rewarded?” You were cautious, something was wrong, you were sure of it.
“Did you like the way my call made you feel? Wouldn’t you like more of that feeling? You can have all that you want. Just stay with me, and I’ll make sure you feel perfect.” They smiled.
You shivered as the memory of those feelings crept into your mind. Or was it the echoes of them still remaining? Finally, offered your own hand. They took it, and leant forwards as you shook. “Good job, apprentice. I like it when they know to do the right thing.”
