The sun set over the open plain, setting the green grass ablaze in gold and red, and finally purple. Long shadows seared across the ground in sharp chasms and rose up above the horizon into jagged silhouettes.
She stood alone on the threshold, her long shadow trailing away onto the open plains. She did not have to enter the circle. She could leave now and let it all rest in peace. A chill set into the air, nipping at her skin. The wind seemed to laugh in its wild abandon, but was only the sound of the night.
She stepped forward. Something seemed to flicker in the deep, dark shadows of the tall, rough stone monoliths that stood on her either side, but she did not falter. She did not stop until she had reached the center, surrounded on all sides by a circle of ancient stone gateways.
There was nothing there, not even the howling wind, only stillness and silence. The only shadows were those of the past. Lithe, dancing figures cast across the ancient stone, their silent music echoing through the ages, the air heavy with smoke and spice.
Won't you dance with us?
But not a whisper stirred. She had to remember how to breathe.
Come dance. Dance. Dance. Dance. Dance! Dance! Dance!
She blinked her eyes against the swirling, unmoving shadows.
Come dance with me.
A shiver ran down her spine. There was nothing there. A wild revelry spun around her, delicate hands held her tight, twirling and twirling, pressed close together, until they gently lay her down to sleep upon the soft grass, a gentle kiss upon her forehead, as the spirits of the past too drifted off with the pale light of the rising sun.
Writer's Month - word: shadows | setting: ancient times
AUgust - Psychological Horror
Flufftober (catch-up August) - Falling Asleep Together