Author's note
This is a short story I wrote for my language arts class that I published on a whim. Pleas R&R
She could hear the wind that announced the coming of the presence. It raised goose bumps on her arms and caused the back of her neck to tingle. Elizabeth clutched the hand of the small child beside her, for she needed to know that she was not alone. Brushing back her short, dark hair Elizabeth glanced around. The dank mildew-stained stone walls offered no sign of an exit. Elizabeth knelt next to the child and took the small girl up into her arms, having to bend down a ways thanks to her tallness. "Hush Mary, we'll get out of here. You'll see." said Elizabeth soothingly. Mary whimpered and buried her head in Elizabeth's jacket, her golden curls bouncing. The walls started to drip as always when she came near. The faded tapestries seemed to whisper a warning, the stitched faces and landscapes gently swaying with the breeze. Long curls of white mist began to roll forward. Elizabeth stepped back in fear. An impossibly beautiful woman drifted around the corner.
Everything about her was white. Her elegant long-skirted gown, her flowing hair, and her perfect unblemished skin was all the color of new fallen snow. Except for her eyes. Her eyes were as black as coal with no whites, pupils, or irises. "The White Lady," whispered Elizabeth.
The White Lady smiled and beckoned towards them. "Oh no," said Elizabeth. "You won't have us, you monster!" With that Elizabeth clutched Mary even tighter, turned around, and ran for their lives down the seemingly endless hallway.
When she could run no longer, Elizabeth set Mary down on the floor. The faded green velvet carpet had fallen apart after years of ruin and neglect, as had most of the castle. Elizabeth looked at Mary who had curled up out of fear. She knew they had to get out of here or face the wrath of the White Lady. But how? Down the echoing passage way Elizabeth could see a faint light. Tentatively walking towards it, Elizabeth left Mary behind. The light was coming through a stained glass window. Drops of rain dripped down the depicted faces, making them seem as if they were weeping.
Elizabeth pressed her hand against the glass, not wanting to destroy this thing of beauty, but she had to get out. She pried a stone loose from the wall and hurled it at the window, shattering it. Putting her foot on the window sill, Elizabeth started to climb out. Then she remembered Mary. Why should I have to worry about Mary, thought Elizabeth, I'm not much older than her and I need to get away. Besides we're not even related. But Elizabeth did not leave Mary, for Elizabeth was terrified of being alone. When Elizabeth returned Mary clutched her sleeve and whispered, "I knew you would come back."
Elizabeth looked into those wide, trusting eyes and knew she could never leave Mary. "Come on, I found a way out." Then they fled toward the broken window just before the white mist crept in.
After pushing Mary through, Elizabeth began to climb through herself. Elizabeth saw the edge of a white skirt before falling out of the window. "Run!" she screamed towards Mary. A storm was coming in, and rain was beginning to fall. Dark clouds covered the sky and thunder rumbled. High grass hid the rough stone ruins of a part of the crumbling castle that had already been destroyed. Mary and Elizabeth stood on a cliff that towered over the crashing sea below them. The waves fall upon the jagged rocks at the bottom of the cliff. A cold wind blew the scent of the sea spray up towards them.
Out through the hole, where the multicolored glass had once been, came the White Lady. She began to drift to Mary and Elizabeth, her long hair spreading behind her like a fan. This was her fatal mistake. The White Lady was made of mist and fog, almost like cloud. Now that she was outside she was under the power of the wind. Screaming, the White Lady, her triumphant grin gone, was dragged towards the angry ocean as the direction of the wind changed.
"Oh my gosh!" yelled Elizabeth. "She's gone, we're safe!" Elizabeth let out a whoop and started to spin around.
Mary started giggling and chanting "We did it, we did it!"
Elizabeth ran over to the edge of the cliff, the steep side a sure drop to death. Suddenly a white hand reached up and grabbed Elizabeth's ankle. It was the White Lady, smiling and staring with those horrible black eyes. "Run!" screamed Elizabeth for the second time to Mary. "And don't stop!"
Mary ran. Elizabeth began to slide off the cliff, desperately hanging on. She did not want to let go, not of the cliff, not of life, not of anything. Finally she released her fingers and tumbled down towards the foamy crests of the waves. Elizabeth's last thoughts were, at least I'm not alone. Then she smiled.
The White Lady turned to mist on impact, her essence scattered by the wind and the waves. Elizabeth hit the rocks hard and her blood mixed with the churning water. Her broken body was soon dragged away by the tide never to be seen again.
Mary ran and ran and ran, never stopping. She kept on traveling, always moving. Some people still say that they have seen a little girl running all across the countryside. They say she'll keep running until the end of days, waiting for Elizabeth to tell her that she's safe, that she can stop. Perhaps she will keep on running, Mary, that trusting child. And so ends the tale of Elizabeth, Mary, and the White Lady.