The creature

Listen – if you dare!

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Where am I? Why am I here? There are trees before me. Trees behind me. Trees surrounding me. 

Its dark. Very dark. I’m cold. So cold. Wet. Sodden wet. 

I slip, I trip. I fall. If this was a dream, I’d wake up now. But it’s not. I’m here. It’s now. I’m awake, wishing I wasn’t.

I’m scared.

There must be a way out. I’ll try retracing my steps. My steps, where are they? Where did I come from?

Shhh. What’s that? That crackling sound? Where is it coming from? It’s stopped.

Breath. I must breath. Think. Be positive. Keep walking, I can’t be far from home. Can I?

Shhh. There it is again. Is something playing in my mind?

Look. There. A creature. Standing. Motionless. It’s looking at me. Over its shoulder. Now it’s walking away. It wants me to follow. Should I? I feel I should.

Oh! What’s happened? The trees, where are they? The sun. It’s shining down on me. I’m warm. I’m dry. I know where I am!

The creature. It’s gone. Disappeared. Did I imagine it? Did I imagine everything? My mind. It’s emptying, recent memories tumbling to the ground.

Look at the time. It’s midday. Last time I checked it was midnight.

Where have I been? What have I done? What happened?

I know not. I care not..

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Thanks to Sadje for hosting WhatDoYouSee?

Image Credit; Marek Szturc Unsplash

21 thoughts on “The creature

  1. beth's avatar beth July 22, 2024 / 12:58

    ooh, no answers,, but you made it

  2. Sadje's avatar Sadje July 22, 2024 / 16:13

    Oh you’ve left us hanging in suspense Keith. Great story telling my friend. Thanks for joining in.

    • Keith's Ramblings's avatar Keith's Ramblings July 22, 2024 / 17:47

      I tried! Thank you so much Sadje – thanks too for this week’s intriguing photo prompt.

      • Sadje's avatar Sadje July 22, 2024 / 18:01

        You’re most welcome 🙏🏼👍🏼

  3. Suzette Benjamin's avatar Suzette Benjamin July 22, 2024 / 16:43

    Bravo Keith! Well done drama fantasy and dream-wake inbetween mystery story. I enjoyed the read!! Delightful and innovative take on the prompt!

      • Suzette Benjamin's avatar Suzette Benjamin July 22, 2024 / 18:21

        It did indeed as always Keith. Wonderful writing.

  4. msjadeli's avatar msjadeli July 22, 2024 / 16:46

    Keith, that was really good. It seems the wolf is your totem animal, leading you out of that dark place.

    • Keith's Ramblings's avatar Keith's Ramblings July 23, 2024 / 17:37

      Thanks, Lisa, that was my first thought when I saw the photo!

      • msjadeli's avatar msjadeli July 23, 2024 / 20:00

        You’re very welcome.

  5. Misky's avatar Misky July 22, 2024 / 17:27

    You’ve been cheese before bedtime again, eh?

  6. Indira's avatar Indira July 23, 2024 / 05:04

    Interesting.

  7. Chris Hall's avatar Chris Hall July 23, 2024 / 15:00

    Wow. That was scary. Very scary.🫢

  8. paeansunplugged's avatar paeansunplugged July 24, 2024 / 12:26

    Wonderfully done, Keith! Intriguing and so engaging.

  9. Christine Goodnough's avatar Christine Goodnough July 24, 2024 / 19:19

    Excellent response to the prompt! Hurray for happy endings.

  10. Maria Michaela's avatar Maria Michaela July 29, 2024 / 08:22

    oohhh bone chilling! I love the spookiness, Keith. As someone who loves horror, this was a delight to read.

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