Unconsciousness was the best place for me to escape the real world. But this one dreary, fog covered night was different from the rest, my deep sleep and happy dream was replaced with the thick layer of cloud - which was the colour of repulsing blood, instead of the normal snow coloured mist. Behind the wall of red mist, was a pile of dead strangers, surrounding a single grave, with a name that was covered in moss and strangely poison ivy. My most instinctive action was to run to the grave as fast as possible, but I was running so slow I didn't think I was moving at all. After a few minutes - which seemed like hours - of travelling through the repulsive red fog, I reached the grave, I managed to move the tightly wrapped poison ivy and looked at the name scribbled into the gravestone, still covered in green moss. There were only two words scratched into the stone... Catherine Hale.
I jolted all of a sudden out of bed in a sitting position, my whole body shaking with fear. Everything in the dimly lit room was wobbling from side to side, uncontrollably. The room was small, with dark grey walls, covered in dust. The low ceiling was covered in damp, dust and spiders cobwebs. The small windows in the corner of the room, shattered aggressively against the wind outside in the darkened, snow covered lane. The floorboards were made of the same wood as the old, rotting door in the far corner from the bed, a darkened black cherry wood, with holes in every panel.
Outside the old rotting door, I caught a glimpse of a faint shadow, glide past the dim light coming from the cracks. With a sudden, last shiver I froze in place, as a long lasting breeze fled through my body. All of a sudden I was able to breathe again, I was gasping for air, with my sudden absence of oxygen. With sudden curiosity, I climbed down from my old black wrought iron bed, and went to the old wooden door, as quietly as I could, trying to miss the most floorboards which would make the most noise. I got to the door and paused with my hand on the door handle. Then I heard a low, but distinct whisper coming from the small, green, dust covered hallway. The word was very faint but, with curiosity I responded to it in a way I never knew possible. The mysterious voice whispered my name over and over again, making it more timid for myself to answer and see who it was. "Catherine... Catherine, I need your help Catherine, please... help me... please." The voice drifted off, cracking in certain parts, its papery voice fading, as if the monster was walking down the crooked stairs, and only whispering my name. I had no other choice but to respond to the agonised voice, calling me. "Who is it? What do you want from me? I have nothing of such use for you." The words coming from my mouth started to roll out of my lips, not knowing what I just said I tried to respond in a more meaningful way. "What is it that my presence is of any use for you, I am no more help than you are to yourself if you are in danger."
The voice was more profound, as if the monster lurking in the darkened hallway was leaning against the old, rotting door. "Catherine Hale... I need you to help me." The voice was hypnotising me. I had no other choice than to open the door - with great care, as it was on its last hinges - and stood, frozen, in the light coming from the old, rusting candle lit chandelier, hanging from the off white ceiling. There was nothing that I could see in the hallway. As if the voice had drifted away with the air, made from the opening of my old, creaking door.
"Who is there?" I paused, waiting in the doorway, to listen for a response to my cautious demand. "Show yourself, this instant!-" I stopped mid sentence, as a dark shadow flickered around me in a split second. With a giant breeze coming from my little moss covered window, everything went silent as if nothing happened. A small voice came from the bottom of the stairs, in one instant I felt worried for who was approaching me, because I didn't know where the shadow had gone.
"Catherine? are you there? did you have a nightmare? hold on I will be there in one minute!"
"No! no, I'm o.k. You don't need to come up. I'm fine, I just thought I heard something in the corridor, that is all." I knew the silent reassuring voice as soon as he caught his breath. My loyal boyfriend, Henry, so kind, I never thought I deserved someone so loving, protective and caring, but he doesn't seem to think so.
"Ok, if you say so, goodnight sweetheart! I will come upstairs later." Henry's voice drifted off as he made his way back to the study.
I kept my focus on full alert as I walked back to my old bed. After making sure that I was comfortable under the thick, dust covered, quilts, I drifted back into unconsciousness without any difficulty or any distractions. So I knew that the shadows were gone for now.
After only what seemed a few minutes of falling asleep, I woke up from a dreamless night. Still feeling tired. The morning was cold and bitter, though there was sunshine streaming through the little window. I jumped out of the small, black, double bed with too much force. The frame wobbled, shook and rattled, while I was getting up. Henry was asleep on the other side of the bed, nearly falling off, with one of the two thick quilts tangled up around his legs. Henry grumbled at the movement of the old frame and opened his eyes slowly. By the time he was fully awake I was gazing through the little windows.
I made my way down the old, creaking staircase, wiping my hand down the brass frame, which was covered in stretched cobwebs.