When Skies Are Grey, Dark Ones Come Out To Play

• Emma Brew-Bevan, Grade 10, Concordia College
• Short Story
• 2016

Excellence Award in the 'Top Secret 2016' competition

The wind whipped her curly auburn hair, which was now a mess, into her face as the skies became a dark and gloomy shade of grey mixed with a hint of purple, which could only mean one thing, trouble. She stared blankly at the notice on the front of her small cottage door. She had missed the mail for the third time this week. Ripping the brightly coloured piece of paper off the stain glass window she scrunched it in her fists and threw it aside, landing only a few feet away from the rusty metal bin. Frustration clouded her mind as the silver key slid neatly into the key hole in the worn out cottage door. Taking the cool metal door handle in her own sweaty palm, she twisted the handle and entered the lonely and dark hallway. She dropped her over sized Chanel handbag by the antique mahogany china cabinet. A strange movement caught her eye. It came from the kitchen ahead of her, curious, she ventured further than she should have. Flicking on the light to the left of the kitchen, she faced him. His beautiful blonde hair was neatly swept to one side and his crystal blue eyes pierced through her hazel ones. He held a concealed weapon of some description in his right hand. Seeing her gaze following his hand, he hid it behind his back, hiding look in his eyes that revealed the dangerous side he possessed. Lightning struck out of the vintage window placed above the sink making those horrid flower print curtains becoming even more visible. The lights flickered for a split second before drowning the room in darkness. Thunder cracked above followed by lighting splitting the sky in two. Trembling with fear she fought away the tears, these storms always scared her. She looked to where he was standing to find that he was no longer there. Every bone in her body was shaking with fear. She felt a light tap on her left shoulder, carefully turning around, she faced him but it wasn’t the man she saw only a moment ago. She let out a blood curdling scream before losing consciousness. The man turned around to face the mirror behind him. The scars across his left cheek highlighted the bleak grey eyes staring back at him. He tossed the mirror a creepy grin revealing two rows of uneven yellow teeth. He let a small dark laugh escape his lips before exiting the house, leaving no signs of his existence.