He was big, he was brave and he was armed with a hefty stick. Abel was not the sort of man to flinch from a fight. Not that he would ever seek one out but he knew he could hold his own if attacked. Even though the hedgerows hid a passel full of robbers in these lawless times it was always Abel who volunteered to go to market on his own so that his brothers could get on with their work. There was so much to be done in these early November days before the ground became too hard too work and the days too short.
This market day he’d set off well before dawn as usual and was well on his way when the mist gradually got thicker and thicker. Abel consoled himself that at least in this weather the thieves and cutpurses would be unlikely to be about. They’d lie abed until middle day before wandering into town to seek their pickings.
So, with naught to fear, he tramped along the muddy lane until a strange noise brought him up dead. An eerie, screeching sound... The mist made it impossible to see the source of the terrible noise. It seemed to come from all directions. It pierced the ears like needles and sent shivers from his toes to his neck. His hair stood on end. Big, brave Abel ran....
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Prowling the night, just before dawn as the steam comes off the pond; wonderful time of day...
"The air around us almost feels suspended in a way," Mary confided to her sister, Becky. "You know that I'm getting a little spooked out here," Becky added as they meandered through the estate. The sisters had wandered off from the rest of their tour group. Strange sounds seemed to follow them as they attempted to find anything recognizable. Mary, the romantic, wanted to give Becky a boost of courage to keep them going. "Think of Twilight. Wouldn't this be a good setting for that kind of encounter?" Her "Twilight" fascination was the only thing that didn't cause Becky to have nightmares. They continued to walk on hand in hand looking to bump into someone from the living, or maybe a Twilight actor!
(Dani, I thought of you for this one. I couldn't resist :)
He was big, he was brave and he was armed with a hefty stick. Abel was not the sort of man to flinch from a fight. Not that he would ever seek one out but he knew he could hold his own if attacked. Even though the hedgerows hid a passel full of robbers in these lawless times it was always Abel who volunteered to go to market on his own so that his brothers could get on with their work. There was so much to be done in these early November days before the ground became too hard too work and the days too short.
This market day he’d set off well before dawn as usual and was well on his way when the mist gradually got thicker and thicker. Abel consoled himself that at least in this weather the thieves and cutpurses would be unlikely to be about. They’d lie abed until middle day before wandering into town to seek their pickings.
So, with naught to fear, he tramped along the muddy lane until a strange noise brought him up dead. An eerie, screeching sound... The mist made it impossible to see the source of the terrible noise. It seemed to come from all directions. It pierced the ears like needles and sent shivers from his toes to his neck. His hair stood on end. Big, brave Abel ran....
The end was near. He knew it. The hounds were after him, and he could hear the shouts of the men following them. He looked around frantically. There was a little lake off to his left, and a tall tree leaning over the water. He slipped into the water and felt along the edge of the bank. There! He had guessed correctly. He slithered into the cave behind the tree roots, where water had eaten away the bank.
He heard the hounds come up to the water's edge and mill about, uncertain. The men came up and shone their lights on the water, and he drew back further into the cave. After a while, disgusted, they decided he had either swum to the other side or died trying. They turned their horses and set the dogs to searching the banks.
He huddled in his cave, shivering. Was it really worth it, the kiss he had stolen from the lord's daughter, or the few coins he had forged?
After a long time, the men decided he had drowned. They called off the dogs and rode back towards the castle.
Even though I knew I would be full of fright, I stepped out into the darkness of night with my camera in hand and only a sweater on my back.
Walking through the crinkling leaves, I could hear something up ahead of me in the distance.
In that next step, life for me changed like I never would have imagined it could.
Four years later, with no ability to move from that accident - I am able to say that life could not be better than it is right now, even if I was not paralyzed.
I never would have met him that night, the one who saved me after the fall.
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