For anyone that wants to read it this is the first 1000ish words of my short story for my creative writing class. Enjoy!
His eyes strained against themselves to open. Patterns next to his face started to shift into focus. Where was this place? What was that? Blood? It was red. Maybe he could just fall back to sleep for a little while. . . No! He had to get up.
The floor he was lying on was smooth and cool and as he pushed himself onto his hands and knees he realised it wasn’t blood, the floor was pattered red. Red, black, yellow and a multitude of other colours all woven together into intricate shapes and designs. He leant back on his legs and checked himself over. Nothing felt broken and other than a head that felt like it had been stamped on he felt ok. Well ok considering he was, well that was still to be decided.
He stood up and glanced around, the walls all around were a dark panelled oak, like a wooden fortress, topped with a blinding white ceiling. Hanging elegantly down was a massive chandelier that appeared to be the source of the light in the gloomy, windowless room. Looking around he started to panic, there didn’t seem to be anyway of getting out. Trying to quell the rising wave of frenzy he frantically looked around when a glint in the corner of the room caught his eye. He made his way cautiously over to it. Perfectly hidden by the shadows of the oak giants was a small, shiny gold knob, holding a tiny golden key in it’s centre. He edged the key around and the entire wooden panel shook. Great grinding sounds from within the wall echoed round the room, like concrete grinding. Then light pierced the gloom as the entire panel from floor to ceiling swung open booming down the corridor. The noise scared him, he was terrified anyone, anything could have heard that and was now on their way, here, to him. Struck with fear he remained stationed on the spot.
When he was mostly certain nothing was coming for him he moved tentatively out into the gigantic hallway. Like the room before it was grand, clearly part of a mansion; it was devoid of furnishings of any kind. It had a strange, creepy kind of atmosphere. He imagined it was booby trapped and treaded carefully. Again there were no windows, the walls were of the same polished oak. However the doors here were obvious. Huge sculpted blocks of wood, ornate and hypnotising. The metal patterns covering them wove into different shapes as he looked at them. A mermaid’s hair became the top of a twister which entwined itself with a leopards tail whose face became the mask of a warrior whose sword exploded into a rocket . . .
He tore himself away, knowing that to keep looking would mean he could never escape; he would be forever lost in hypnosis of metal. He avoided looking at the other doors, yet instinctively knew he had to open them in order to find a way out. He continued down the corridor then paused at something different to the rest of the hallway, opposite each other were two beautiful women painted onto the surface on the wall. There were blue and from the way they were painted appeared to be translucent. He stood in awe marvelling at the craftsmanship of the blue ladies when one of them turned her head to look directly at him. His eyes widened and he jumped back ready to run. The blue woman began to detach herself from the wall, passing through it like a wraith. Her body rippled and undulated as she became a separate entity from the wall. When she finished she stood in front of him, beautiful and striking, appearing to float on blue mist stemming from the floor. He edged backwards when a cool sensation brushed the nape of his neck. He realised the other woman would have detached herself too. She flowed round him, stroking his cheek as she passed to stand by her sapphire sister. Her finger had left a cold streak and as he wiped it, it was wet. They were made from water.
“Hello traveller,” said the first water lady. “ You have entered The House. What brings you here?” Her voice ebbed like the waves, flowing from booming to barely audible.
“Erm , I don’t know. I just sort of woke up here.” He replied. “Where is here exactly?”
The sisters giggled; a sound similar to the whispering sea at night. “You’re in The House,” replied the second sister.
“The House?”
“The House indeed. It’s been a while since we had anyone new or this handsome.” She eddied forward and stroked his chest. Again her fingers left a wetness on his top. They sisters began to slip around him, circling him like vultures.
“And how do I get out of The House?” He said wincing from their touches.
“Don’t you like it here?” the first sister hissed like a wave crashing on rock. “It doesn’t matter anyway, no one ever gets out.”
“Maybe he will sister. Someone has to.” Her voice the sound of roaring waves. They had began circling so fast he couldn’t see the walls anymore just the blur of swirling water.
“Maybe he’s not supposed to escape but help the rest of us!”
“Or perhaps just help the one.” They were churning so fast they threatened to engulf him whole. They were rising too like a furious tidal wave, the sound deafening, when they swiftly slammed themselves back into the walls screaming like harpies. They had assumed their original forms leaving only a circle of water around where he stood.
He stood trembling unsure of what to do next. He didn’t want to meet any other things. Maybe he should try one of the doors. Whilst he stood deciding a sound reached his ears. A sort of choking, breathless sob as if someone was running or crying or both. The next thing he knew a girl had flew through the wall and had cannoned into the wall opposite. Before he could react to this a soldier charged through the wall bearing down upon the girl. He was angular in every sense, clothes, face, sword, hair. He looked inhuman almost as if anything but a straight edge would be an insult. He drew out his sword with a sound like cracking glass and lunged at the cowering girl.
Making Yourself Read
2 days ago
