From below, (as I was at the top if the hill) I heard chanting. The sound reminded me of an old movie about Salem's witches you would see on late night television. I slowly and carefully looked down to see who or what it was that was doing the chanting. Hoping it would be just another group of youths.
Suddenly, from behind, a strong arm grabbed me. I opened my mouth to scream, but it was quickly covered by a second hand. As I struggled to get loose I wondered what had happened to Sara, and what would have become of me by the end of this Halloween night.
Reality set in when I heard Sara's voice whispering my name. When I finally settled down, she whispered for me to be quiet, before she released her hold over my mouth. As she released her hold, my eyes drifted down to the strange sight below.
" Oh my God!"
I turned to question whether I was really seeing what was below me, but the look on Sara’s face gave me the answer to my unasked question.
In the valley below, surrounding a large stone altar (one, which I had never seen before,) stood twelve figures!
They were dressed in black gowns with hoods that hung over their faces, giving them an eerie appearance like that of the picture of death. As they stood encircling the altar their soft chanting could be heard. Soon my body was covered with goose bumps as their voices softly filled the night air. From the cover of the night we knelt watching in silence.
Then the strange figures also became silent as a man leading a goat appeared out of the darkness. They tied the goat to the altar while a new figure entered the light. In his hand was a large dagger that he carried to the head of the altar, then knelt and chanted softly. Slowly he rose, raising the dagger high into the air, then with a loud cry he lowered the blade into the screaming goat’s chest.
With ease he sliced open the goat, while it cried and squirmed. Then, as if it was nothing he began to peel its skin from the body. Once finished, he held the head and skin high into the air as if praying to god. He called for power as he placed the goat's head back onto its body. The skin was still wet with blood and it clung to his back. Blood covered his face from the goat's head before falling to the ground. He then turned and spoke to the darkness.
On command a young woman entered into the light and in her arms she carried a small child. There was no expression on her face as she placed the child upon the altar before turning and walking back into the darkness.
The child laid cradled in the open carcass of the goat as the leader fell to his knees at the side of the altar. The other twelve, still encircling the altar, began the chanting again. Their cries became louder and louder raising into the night.
Unexpectedly there was silence again as the woman began to shine, as if she was an angel come to end this evil parade. However, that was not the case. She suddenly raised a dagger into the air, with a cold dark expression on her face, as she also seemed to be praying to God. Just as she was ready to plunge the blade into the child, a scream pierced the night. Their eyes searched the darkness for the intruder and before I had time to react to what was going on all eyes were on me. My eyes locked with the leader of death as his staring eyes seemed to penetrate my soul. I felt as if I had frozen in the position I was in. I tried to run, but I cold not, I tried to stop the eye contact, but that was also unsuccessful. Time didn’t seem to pass and what must have been a minute felt like a day. Suddenly the air around became cold and I began to feel someone’s breath on the back of my neck. I finally managed to turn around, only to find…
To find my self lying down on a stretcher in an ambulance, with my younger brother sitting behind breathing cold air heavily onto my face and back of my neck. I remember feeling totally lost as if I had woken up from the dead from a spell the leader of death had put on me. At this point I was still totally unaware of the fact that on the way up to the woods I had tripped on a large tree root, fell to the ground and become unconscious. I remember attempting to struggle out of the stretcher, thinking the nurse in front of me had the same evil stare as the leader of death, therefore it was him in disguise!
Luckily I was quickly restrained and the next thing I remember was Sara waking me up in morning, and waking up finding myself in a hospital bed with a broken leg.
As I was being served breakfast I questioned Sara about the events of last night and told her what I went through. Sara had no idea of what I was talking about. Finally I was able to make a joke of the whole experience and concentrate on healing my broken leg.
Then I saw those eyes in the nurse again as he passed by us making sure we were alright, they were cold and dark as death itself.
"No, it is just my imagination", I said to myself. Or was it?
