FROM THE DEEP

graftheory: Graphic & Animation Exploration by Manuel Creignou


What is this?
It could be a pool of water.
A pool so dark and deep
that it has no bottom.
Shadows of tree limbs float
along its murky surface.

The water flows along the river bank,
snatching pieces of debris
along the way.
Rocks, branches, leaves…
All fall into its dark abyss.
Never to be seen again.

What lies beneath?
Can you hear it rumbling?
Something is moving in the deep.
It looks like a hand.
It’s reaching for me.
An inky black hand.
Should I grab hold of it?
It might belong to a person.
Or maybe not.
It could belong to a creature.

What should I do?
Wait.
I can see two arms.
A dark figure is rising from the water.
It’s too big to be human.
It’s facing me.
It doesn’t have eyes.
A dark shadow,
dripping with inky slime.

It roars.
My ears hurt.
It lifts its feet from the murkiness
and begins to walk toward me.
I want to run.
I want to hide.
But I can’t.
My feet are stuck to the ground.

I hear more roaring sounds.
More creatures are rising from the deep.
How could this be happening?
Is this real?
Or am I hallucinating?
Maybe I’m dreaming.

Then all becomes quiet.
I can’t hear anything.
No roaring.
None of the sounds
of the river bank.
What happened?

“What are you doing?”
I turn around and
see my friends.
I’m standing in front
of the TV screen.
I seem to be blocking
the horror movie.
I feel embarrassed.
I feel ashamed.
I feel myself being hit
by popcorn.
Another Saturday night.

FOLLOW THE CANDLES

Follow the candles
to where they may lead you.
Down the dark corridor you walk.
Expecting a monster at every corner.
No one appears.
No sounds to break the dead quiet.
Down the corridor you go.
Waiting for something or someone.
But all you see is darkness
and more candles.
A door appears at the end.
It creaks open.
Do you really want to see what
is on the other side?
Human nature propels you forward.
Forward into the dark gloom.
What happens next?
The answer is hidden in the
inner recesses of your mind.
Follow your nightmare to its
bitter end.
Hurry before you wake up.
There’s no turning back now.

THE DEAD GAME -- DAY 92

     Linda said, “Since we’re both being honest with each other…I believe I should also tell you about my attack on Friday morning by a masked swimmer. I had swum out too far by myself. Luckily, Todd was there to jump into the water to scare away this person and save me from being drowned.”

    “Did you see who the attacker was?”

    “No…but it appeared to be a big strong man, who seemed very intent on drowning me.”

    “How did Todd happen to be in both places at the exact times that you needed help?”

    “I don’t know,” replied Linda. “He always seems to know when I’m in trouble.”

    “He’s almost superhuman—just like Sam. For instance, just last night I found myself balanced on ledge of the church’s bell tower. Fortunately, Sam found me and not some stranger.”

    “Why on earth would you climb to the top of a tower if you’re terrified of heights? And why would you think of jumping? You’re not suicidal or depressed? Are you?”

    “No, of course I’m not! Somehow…but I can’t figure out how…I’d been hypnotized. I don’t even remember climbing up there. I would never climb to the top of a tower—even in the daylight. But this was much worse—this was the middle of the night when it was dark outside with strong winds blowing. It was much more than just sleepwalking. When I heard Sam’s voice calling me, I woke up to find myself balanced on the narrow ledge.”

    “These awful events can’t all be coincidences. Maybe we were supposed to be have been killed or scared off even before the deadly party.”

    “There has to be some kind of pattern to all these supposedly random events. Let’s start doing some research on our own.”

     Linda said, “Come to my apartment and we can begin right away.”

THE DEAD GAME -- DAY 83

Chapter 13

Shana tossed and turned most of the night. She was caught in a nightmare where she was running through town in the middle of the night, only wearing her nightgown. It felt so real. The night air felt cold on her skin and the wind blew her nightgown against her legs. Her feet hurt; they felt bruised by the sharp rocks on the ground. She looked down and realized that she was barefoot.

     She didn’t know why she was running, or from whom. She knew only that she had to get somewhere before it was too late. Then she noticed the church looming in front of her. Why would she want to go into the church in the middle of the night? Why was she running up the stairs to the tall bell tower? She was terrified of heights and would never willingly climb up a tower. What was happening to her?

     The next moment she was gazing over the ledge—high up in the tower—looking down at the town below her. Everything seemed small and insignificant. She felt small and unimportant. She just wanted to fly away and be free.

     She stood up on the narrow ledge and spread her arms out wide; she wanted to know what it felt like to be free from this town and all the fear that she’d felt trapped in since she moved here. She would miss Linda, but knew that Linda would be much happier without her and her paranoid fears.

     In the distance she heard someone calling her name. She tried to ignore it, but kept hearing her name being called over and over again. She looked down and noticed Sam standing below her on the sidewalk, yelling out her name and telling her how much he cared for her. She gazed into his green eyes and realized that she didn’t want to leave him. And what was she doing standing on a ledge in the middle of the night?

     She felt like she’d just been released from a trance.  She called down to Sam, “I don’t know how I got up here, and I don’t think that I can get down by myself.”

THE DEAD GAME

lastrealthug:

This is what I had imagined when I was writing my book. Kind of creepy, isn’t it?