The Darkest Secret
An Hope Holmes Adventure Book III Chapter XIV
Faith Robin
Some Months later found as a Journal Entry…
"It has been two months since Miss Moriarty was taken forcibly out of my home. There is not a day that I do not think about her and wonder if she still is alive. I hope and pray that she is. I have not seen the letter and its contents that were sent to me since the day that my father took them from me. I ponder the curious words almost as much as I wonder the location of Miss Moriarty. Thankfully I memorized the words of the letter. I have written them in a past entry so that I may refresh my memory from time to time.
I often wonder who sent the letter to me. I feel as if I know the scent of that particular perfume but I cannot recall the name. Perhaps the next time I purchase perfume I might inquire about a different scent. I wish I could make enquires more discreet, but now it is not possible.
I am to meet my betrothed in approximately a week. I am slightly flustered that I could be marrying a man of whom I have never met. I just hope that my past does not come back to haunt me and ruin the engagement."
The night before…
I opened my eyes and room began to focus as my eyes adjusted to the little light that was from the dying fire. I had no idea why I had woken and I rolled over with a small groan. The grandfather clock chimed the time, midnight in the hallway. I closed my eyes and snuggled back into the warn sheets that covered me and my nose dug deeper into the puffy pillow that was cushioning my head. I felt myself drift back to what seemed to be peaceful slumber.
'I saw myself sleeping in my bed. Silver clouds began to swirl around my sleeping figure and they lifted me out of the covers into their warm hold. Then the air lifted up my chin and I gently began to wake up. I stretched and yawned as the clouds lowered me to the ground that was made of white fluffy soft clouds. My feet longed to feel the softness of them. As soon as my feet touched them, the fluffy white clouds turned into red cracked earth. I widened my eyes in surprise.
Then the sky turned red and I heard the barking of the dogs again. I gasped and turned around in surprise. I saw the long shadows of the hounds; soon I saw their figures running towards me. I began to run away from them looking for cover.
The red earth was barren, my feet were torn and scratched by thorns; making my feet sore and bleeding. Then the dogs began approaching faster; I could feel their hot breath on my heels and their teeth nearly biting me. Then I tripped and fell, tearing my nightgown and scratching my hands so badly that they bled. I looked over my shoulder and gasped; the hounds were there behind me. There were three of them. Two of them had red eyes and were drooling with disease.
The other was younger than the other two, its eyes turned from blue to red and it howled. It too began to drool with disease. Then there was a dog that jumped in between the three dogs and me. It growled like a mother hound and its eyes were white. It wasn't a pure hunting hound like the others; it was a mix between a retriever and a hunting hound. It looked like the others but it wasn't attacking me, it was trying to protect me.
Then two of the three dogs attacked the dog that was trying to protect me. The third sat in front of me his fur on edge and growled at me. The other two dogs fell whimpering at the wounds that the mixed dog had given to them. At the sight of the third dog the mixed stood in shock at the third. The third stopped growling at me and stared at the mixed.
It whimpered at it and the mixed whimpered and joyously went over to the third. Smelling of it, the mixed dog woofed and sniffed at the third as if it were delighted to see an old friend. Then the third bit the mixed and it too became diseased. Then the third dog killed the mixed and turned its rage at me.
I jumped up and began to run away from the third ravaging dog. Then It stopped and stared off to the side, I stopped and stood there staring at the familiar shape. Then the third dog attacked me and the darkened figure pushed me out of the way. The dog bit the familiar figure. The darkened figures' face started to get lighter, and then realization dawned on me. I screamed and tried to run over to him. The third dog jumped in front of me, growling and its fur on edge. I froze and looked beyond the dog, the darkened figure's light was coming out of him and he was dying. I glanced back in front of me at the dog. Then there was another light a light so bright that it sent the third dog backing away from me, whimpering. I moved my eyes towards the light. A woman came forward towards me, and the red cracked earth disappeared. The blood red sky turned to white, and the clouds returned. The woman paused at my wounded father, he smiled and closed his eyes and the light disappeared from him.
"No!" I screamed, my heart wrenched out of my chest. Then the woman looked at me and I gasped she was the woman from my dream. The woman who had I seen murdered countless times in my dreams. She smiled and started floating over to me.
"Hope, don't be afraid," She whispered, her pale hand reached for me. "I don't have much time, now is not the time for questions, pay close attention." I nodded numbly; her voice was almost as soft as an angel's.
"The events that you have just seen, they are real are happening to you now. I now have only one request, you must protect your father and you must find Miss Moriarty. If he perishes, the life that you hope to carry on, will not happen. You and your father's dreams will not exist in reality. And if you don't find Miss Moriarty," she said pointing towards the carcass of the mixed dog, "She will perish. When you do find her you must not let her anywhere near her father again." She said softly taking my hand as her light began to fade slowly.
"Who are you?" I asked as a sense of dread filled my heart. She smiled and released my hand.
"You know exactly who I am," she whispered, her hand touching my cheek and her face was slowly swallowed by the darkness." Then I opened my eyes and stared up at my bedroom ceiling.
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A/N: Ha I didn't miss it this time! Huzzah! Hmmm can anyone guess who this mysterious figure is? Well I'm keeping my lips sealed until I can get my other works polished and published professionally if I can ever find some story polish. Anybody know where an amateur can find some? You can help by clicking on that little button below. :)