Grave
Now I regret my foolish bravery, only now. I really am doomed. The fall of darkness through the old arches of the church sealed my fate. As I wait, I remember standing above that ominous grave, marked “Samuel Teeter.” It was my greed that sent my shovel into the grave, in the hope that I might find his most precious prize; a prize which he swore he’d guard with his life. It was the work of the ancient Egyptians, an ankh of gold and jade… priceless.
So onward I dug. No need to hurry, the old church has long sat empty, besieged by creepers extending from the forgotten cemetery. Yes, long overgrown and abandoned; the remnant of an earlier age buried within the Virginia wilds. Now, I vividly envisage that box. A rotted hulk of oak slabs made for a pauper. A swift blow with my shovel was all it could take.
Beyond that shattered box lay the source of my envy: Samuel Teeter. That lifeless corpse of bone and rot had brought me momentary relief. But no ankh was there, only those wretched remains and a small marble plaque. “Greed Sows Destruction” it read, and then I knew I was doomed. I panicked and fled madly into this church. I’ve prayed with a dim hope for reprieve of my crime.
I cannot see that grave, or that horrible plaque; both being shrouded by ancient oaks twined with thick brambles. I prepare to spy a figure come around those brambles; Samuel Teeter’s vile corpse bent on revenge. Lying on the path to the church’s arched door is my shovel. I am too afraid to go out and snatch it up for protection. Perhaps I may just be jumped by the invisible demons of my mind, or so I’ve told myself a thousand times. But I can feel him, that mangled monstrosity, coming for my soul. All this could be Fantasy leading my mind to Insanity.
Darkness abounds. The foul wind shatters this night and awakens the trees. I should have fled this place sooner, for now I would never venture out into that awful gloom. I cannot close an eye, but I cannot escape this weary daze; I am transfixed to those oaks hiding that grave. Should I survive until dawn I will run fast and far from this church, I would never come here… a figure! Now I am forsaken! Yes, it comes, around the brambles… a shade. That limp! It drags its body along steadily. God, bring me light, break this curse! Steady… steadier… it limps towards me. Swaying garbs… outlined by the moon. Step by step, it creeps forward. Its ragged hat reveals wisps of tangled hair in shadow. It stops! On the portico… waiting. A hellish gleam in those eyes is the only proof of a face in that dark form. It stands in utter silence. My eyes are paralyzed, my feet frozen in fear. I can’t move… I am helpless… the head tips! Oh, I see that wrinkled countenance staring in scorn! It thrusts a gaunt leg forward! My heart… I can’t take this agony…
It is a shame someone would desecrate a grave, Edgar Willen thought. They even entered the old church. Luckily, they didn’t disturb his father’s grave. For a moment, he thought he heard a thump from within the old church, but he dismissed it. Stepping off the portico, he noticed lightning in the distance. Better get home, he thought, a storm is coming.
