Dark Daggers
Renee and Samantha sat staring gloomily out of the window. The wind had blown all the leaves out of the trees leaving them bare. The young sisters hated the weather and the fact that they had spent the summer hiding in someone's attic. Their mother had been afraid that because of their Jewish surnames they would be sent to concentration camps. At first Renee didn't understand but her mother explained what the Germans were doing and why their father had to leave to go fight in the war. That had been two months ago at the beginning of July. Renee looked at Samantha. She knew she had to be strong for her little sister but it had been almost too much when Samantha's eighth birthday had gone by and the best they could do was good wishes. Renee was twelve years old. Their father had been gone for two years and their mother was in a deep depression, after receiving a letter which informed her that he was missing: believed to be dead.
Samantha opened the window for fresh air and the crisp September air was as welcoming as the oxygen they breathed. This was when Renee got an idea. They could run away into the forbidden wood called Awkwood. As the night fell the girls quietly left the house. The night was cold and unfriendly triggeringimpulsesof despair moved by an impalpable presence. However the girls were determined to get too the woods. For reasons unexplainable Renee felt that if they could hide from the war their lives would be adequate. Samantha was already sagging against Renee's side and although Renee took most of her sister's weight willingly she was worried that she herself would give way before they could complete their vigil. The winding alleys led to a highway which when crossed would lead to a field which in summer could almost be called a meadow beyond that, was the woods. She didn't really know what was in the woods or what it even looked like but she had heard the stories. They told of truly frightening things and maybe that was why she wanted to go there so badly, to show the local people that they didn't really own her and she still could make her own decisions. Or maybe it was just to defy the world.
The two girls had made it through the maze of alleys and it was no mean feat. Dark shadows covered random places on the brick walls which seemed to be reaching out towards them, shadows hiding secret vestiges.Close to the highway was a row of houses. The cold had frozen their hands leaving a deadly, relieving feeling. Samantha was not feeling well so Renee decided to chance it and ask a housekeeper if there was possibly a room for two children. Luckily the second house they tried a very kind lady couldn't bare to turn the two girls out into the remote night.
In the morning the two girls ate a healthy breakfast and the woman whose name was Mary got the runaway story from the girls. Mary was worried about the girls but sensing that there was nothing she could do to make them go back; Mary gave them a basket of food that would have kept three hungry boys going for three days. She also gave Renee and Samantha new warmer clothes and two jackets. The girls left in the early hours of the morning and as they trudged across the highway and into the field they watch the sunrise. It was blood red and beautiful and the girls were scared of it. The grudging beauty of the field in its disastrous state impeded their journey. It took them a day and a half to make it across the field. In the night the trees rustled even though there were scarcely any leaves and even the few were sparsely spread. However Renee was dauntless and sagaciouswhereas Samantha's insecurity was overcome by her complete trust in her sister.
When the sisters got to the woods they were overcome. It was like a wall of darkness cut away from the woods. It was night-time and there was a full moon. A little stream could be seen in the woods. The clear water washed over the rocks effortlessly winking and laughing.
In morning the girls went to the stream and refilled their bottles. They splashed water on their arms and face and it felt so good that they decided to bathe in the stream. They ate a small breakfast and after gathering the last of the wild berries and some early walnuts they went on with their journey. They walked on and they joked, laughed and basically had the time of their lives. While they watch the sunset Samantha became aware of the suffocating enclosure of invisible barriers. No that wasn't right, not invisible barriers. It was the darkness itself that warded them off, the feeling that there was a germinating presence behind those mysterious walls. By avoiding the darkness they let the darkness subconsciously control their decisions. The darkness paved their way till for the first time they realized that they were lost.
Then it happened. Renee started feeling weaker and weaker. The darkness came closer and closer. Samantha was scared as Renee fell down and hit her head. They lay there holding each other tightly. Renee was murmuring something softly and Samantha let herself listen. It was a song. The high notes said this was safety and the low notes kept her together. Renee looked like she was thinking of something. She was just staring into space thinking, not singing anymore. Then Samantha realized that she was gone. She looked up and there was darkness stretching its hand in a merciless advance. Samantha gave way to apoplexy and felt herself give way to an uncontrollable scream. The ponderous touch of darkness was felt and then she remembered no more as she went into eternal sleep.
The sun rose a minute after her death.