Sunday, April 1, 2012

B is for Breath

He thought if he held his breath that the silence wouldn't notice him. He writhed with the agony of holding his breath and then with a sigh of despair let it out slowly, slowly, hoping... The silence was broken only by the soft rustle of the wind through the autumn leaves. All else was gone. Nothing resonated, nothing murmured. Only the silence prevailed over the meadow. It was a silence that sent shivers down his spine and sat in the pit of his stomach.

It wasn't like this a couple hours before; then he could hear the birds squawking in the trees, the horses whinnying in the field, a plane circling overhead and his mother calling him in for supper. Somehow that all disappeared before he came back outside, after he finished his supper. The birds trilled no more as if silenced by the dusk. The horses just disappeared, no sound of hoof-beats or snuffling across the meadow. The plane had long gone leaving only a small smoke trail to mark its path. A silence that was almost physical took their places and sat waiting...He could feel it's weight as he stepped down from the doorway onto the deck. He glanced behind him to reassure himself that he still had a home to return to and that he had just gone through the same door that he had entered earlier. The red door seemed like it was the only thing left as a constant.

6 comments:

  1. Thank you for your sweet comment, I'm following you now :)

    This was a great post, so well written! I love the picture too :)

    Have a lovely Monday!

    Nikki – inspire nordic

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  2. This was both chilling and sad. Lovely description.

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  3. Oh, very scary! I'm reading a book about an "event" that wipes out the vast majority of the Continental U.S. (except part of Washington), so I'm in the right mindset.

    Aside from that, I'm your co-host for the A-to-Z! If you didn't get an email from me the other day, it may have gone in your spam box. Please feel free to contact me via my profile or reply to that email if you need anything or have any questions.

    Shannon at The Warrior Muse, co-host of the 2012 #atozchallenge! Twitter: @AprilA2Z

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    1. Welcome, Nikki - I will look forward to your visits!

      I felt that way about this story as I was writing it as well, Laurita.

      Hi Shannon! I loved the "woodcut" B you used in your B posting. Interesting history of Billy the Kid - there is a rumour in our family that some relative in our past(I don't remember the details at all!) was involved with him briefly. It was a positive encounter as I recall.

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  4. Hey, I really enjoyed that little snippet! I wasn't sure if I should be freaked out about the world or the character, but certainly your descriptions got into my head. Nicely done!

    Some Dark Romantic

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    1. Mina - I am glad to hear you liked my little piece. Thanks.

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