Figures in the Hall
She was a lovely lonely person
She was looking for a new start
She took her partner and flew away
She brought them to a lovely house
It was a large and rustic homestead
It sat on acres of green grass
It had a sprawling stone fireplace
It had a great wooden hallway
They were happy to move in quickly
They were sure this would do the trick
They were parents without any child
They had put that all behind them
The night fell quick and dark and quiet
The house would creak as it settled
The deep shadows would sigh there softly
The hall would echo with patters
She woke up abruptly to faint sounds
It sounded like quiet laughter
They were sounds that she wanted to hear
The great wooden hall fell silent
She crept out into the vast hallway
She peered there into the darkness
She held her breath and listened close
She suddenly noticed a shape
It was hunched way down low to the ground
It seemed to be humming softly
It had such a diminutive form
It paused as if seeming to know
They stayed frozen like this for some time
They refrained from any noises
They both knew the other one was there
They both started moving at once
The form began to rise shakily
The woman could see a small child
The shadows could not conceal his youth
The child remained facing away
She said, ‘Come here, let me see your face.’
It was just a tender request
They weren’t very far from each other
The reply floated up, “No…face.”
She felt the blood rush away quickly
She suddenly felt very cold
She wanted to run far away, but
She couldn’t get her feet to move
It was a halting, gurgling voice
It seemed to come from everywhere
It still came when she covered her ears
It chanted a screeching, “Mama!”
They both stared to the end of the hall
They tensed when they saw the new form
They silently watched as it glided
They could now see which way it faced
The shape was a figure dressed in white
The figure was looking away
The child and shape hid their faces
The time had come for them to turn
She felt her heart pounding in her chest
It was as if time had slowed down
They sluggishly turned to face toward her
The hall light suddenly turned on
She looked with wide eyes to her partner
She was standing by the light switch
She asked, “Are you feeling alright, love?”
She could only fall to the floor
It was the first of many such nights
It was a chilling existence
It never did seem to deter her
It always terrified her, though
They were always there in the hallway
They were always facing away
They were always about to face her
They always disappeared with light
The woman’s partner could never see
The spirits that roamed in the hall
The reason remained a mystery
The bond between them became strained
She was a lovely lonely person
It was a large, rustic homestead
They seemed happy in the daylight hours
The night, though, fell quickly and dark
a connected flash fiction:
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