A Beautiful Night.

That is what I thought as I strolled through the streets

Policemen walked around me on their patrols

The air was crisp and cold

With only the soothing warm light from streetlamps to counter it

Leaves fell to the ground with the gentleness of late August winds

Enchanted by the bright moonlight

The leaves shined a breathtaking white

From a moon that hung low in the sky

Then I saw you.

You were sat at a public bench in front of the old church graveyard

Your face looked gaunt and sickly

Your eyes had nary a thought behind them

And you wore a black robe

I thought it odd for a moment

But I assumed you too were enjoying this delightful night and carried on

What a dreadful mistake.

I continued to walk my way home

Encountering a murder of crows pecking at a dead rodent on my stroll

I thought it cruel and waved the birds away

They cawed and flapped their wings at me

But eventually, they did fly away to look for a new meal

I should have noticed you.

Walking past the homes of others enjoying warm meals

A smile crept upon my face as I thought back to simpler days

Before the priests had stuck their noses where they did not belong

Deep into the old caves

Since then, the whole town has been in a tizzy

I shook my head.

No reason to fuel such negative thoughts on a night as this one

Further into my stroll, a lady of the night propositioned me

I kept walking for I had no money

In our brief conversation, she said something that caught my interest

She made mention of a woman in red

With blank eyes and a gaunt appearance

My mind flashed back to you sitting on that park bench

However, it was only a brief mention

So I did not think much of it at the time

Then it began.

With each step I took, a second step rung out in the air

When I stopped, they stopped

I looked around, only not to see anything

Yet with each step, I heard another

One which did not belong to me.

The hairs on my neck began to rise

I quickened my pace through these poorly lit streets

I remember it now!

I nearly ran over a poor old man

Sitting in front of his home

He was smoking a pipe that smelled of poppy

He went to yell.

But at the sight of me, he averted his eyes

I tried to get his attention to which he simply walked into his home with a stumble

Leaving his poppy-filled pipe behind

I was thoroughly unsettled

I turned once again and saw a vague glimpse of a woman’s long hair

The moonlight reflecting off it with a shine

Right before she vanished into the tall shadows

No longer simply enjoying a simple walk

I ran.

You followed close behind mimicking each step

The noise grew closer and closer

Were you close behind?

I did not dare to leave the streetlights guiding warmth

For I had believed you feared the light

A blunder of the highest order!

Fortuitously, I had found my home

I slammed my door open and threw it back with the same vigor

Like a man possessed, I dash to my living room

On the center table sat a candle lantern

I lit a match, and it ignited with a brilliant warm light

Holding it up, I peered through the curtains

I saw you.

Standing there on the corner of the street

Your gaze was as listless as before

Only now it was facing me directly

I felt it tugging on my soul

My sweat ran cold

I could hear you.

Even through closed doors

Your off-tune hums came through

Almost as if you were right behind me

I close my curtains.

And the noise stopped

Leaving a disturbing silence in its absence

Unlike the quiet of the city streets

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I did not allow myself to take any comfort in its cold grasp

I instead walked up the creaky stairs to my room

My paranoia was palpable

With my heart beating out of my chest

Not a drop of blood went up to my cheeks

I secured the door behind me with a steamer trunk

Tucking myself into the corner of my room

Lantern still in hand

I prayed it would be sufficient to ward you off

I remained like this for the next two hours

Merely watching the moon in the sky to ease my shaken nerves

My eyes grew heavy.

There were only a few more hours till sunrise

Having heard no noise nor having seen a single sight

I drifted into sleep.

A slumber in which only nightmares appeared

In the dream, I was walking toward an invisible spirit

It was led by a being unlike anything I had ever seen

It had no eyes

Only a mouth that split its face into two

Practically hanging by their chin

I followed this being for what felt like years

Through the deserts, the poles, and the forests

I walked and I walked

My feet bled yet I could not stop

Why not, what was I chasing?

At the top of a bell tower

My legs collapsed from exhaustion

I watched as they let loose a laugh that pierced the air like a mighty sword

Then I awoke.

Covered in a cold sweat, my lantern still shining

With little idea of how much time had passed

All I knew was that it was still night

It was odd however

The moon no longer hung low

It was in the dead center of the sky

Blinding me with its light

Even overshadowing the sun itself!

I heard a lock twist.

From downstairs, I heard it

Had you found me once again?

As an answer to my question, the wooden stairs creak

With one step and then another

A dead ringer for a man gasping for breath

I clutched my lantern.

Please, I have done no wrong to you

Leave me be! I shouted

You pushed my door ever so slightly open.

The steamer truck was barely a deterrent

Your face reflected the moon’s brilliant light

But once it hit your black robe, I saw it morph into a vermilion-red

With an unnatural arm movement, you forced your way in

I could hear your joints pop and crack as you did

I begged.

Do not come closer

I screamed.

Get away from me!

You did not listen

Approaching me with your rawboned hands

Your face for the first time twisted into an expression that I could not decipher

You held my face.

In an uncharacteristic tender way

Your hands were cold but so very comforting

Like the touch of a dark angel

With your nails, you drew circles on my cheeks

I looked into your eyes.

They were deformed and hideous

Yet, with each passing second they seemed to transform

From dull unfeeling eyes to a glimpse of a greater truth

One uncorrupted by the chill of bone or flesh

A truth so grand that it repels even the Crimson Parade

It was overwhelming.

I felt my mind desperately trying to comprehend each facet of its multilayered meanings

Then your eyes returned to normal

Only now they much more closely resemble normal emerald-green eyes

There was still a hint of their old divinity hidden below the surface

I felt the fear slip away and embraced your chilling touch

Slowly, but surely, you inched your fingers closer to my very own eyes

I did not flinch.

As you spread my eyelids open

Using your middle and ring fingers to hold them down in place

I felt no pain.

As you inserted your long nails underneath my eyelids

Only pressure as more of your index and thumb entered

Scratching the back of my retina

I felt it writhing.

My eye socket squirmed at your touch

Recoiling in a desperate bid to get away

Like a mound of worms seeking shelter

I almost dared to speak up

But I knew better than to interrupt what is your ritual

I do not know for how long we remained in that position

All I knew was the feeling of your fingers moving with elegance and grace

Like a seamstress putting their whole soul into weaving a fine silk

Once you finally loosened your grip

I was bathed in the twilight’s pale light

The world has been changed

Well at least for me, it was

A throbbing numbness radiated from my eyes

But it did not take long until they adapted to your procedure

Then I saw it.

Your exposed veins twirling in the air

With the grace of two ballerinas performing their final show

From a silt that appeared in your palm

They dance alone with no blood to be seen as they tie themselves together

An amazing blue light bounced off them once they met the moons own

I sat there amazed, basking in its glory

They ventured back down into the silt

Pulling out a vermilion robe not unlike yours

You gave it to me.

I could’ve wept once I held the fabric in my hand

Impossibly soft and luxurious

A gown fit for the kings of yore

A cloak fit for the aristocrats who choke on their wealth

With no hesitation, I draped it around my body

I felt your voice.

You spoke to me with a voice that has never existed

A language only known by the elder miners

You asked me to recount my night

As you held my earlobes ever so softly

And so I spoke.

About the cold crisp air

The policemen on their patrols

The falling August leaves

And of course, the beautiful moon

Oh, my! What a Beautiful night!

NEW VICTIM IN THE RIPPER MURDERS

Oscomin, Sunday, August 27th, 1871.

Yet another murder of the foulest kind was discovered last night in the early hours of the morning. Howard Phillips, a respected professor and esteemed member of the City’s Cave Research Council, was found dead by his close friend Alfred Chambers. According to Alfred, he had gone to visit his friend during the morning so that they could get breakfast together, only to find his body ripped apart and disfigured. On further analysis by the Oscomin Police Department coroners, they determined that this was consistent with a larger series of murders in the Lower Oscomin area. In which the victim is ripped apart into a bloodied mess with only two features spared from the brutality, those being the lobes of their ears and a pair of bloated eyes. In this particular case, they were both found together on the victim's bedroom window sill above an unlit lantern, while the body was seemingly irreparably mutilated.

Howard Phillips was a beacon of light in our community, a talented professor, and a beloved son. With his passing the world has grown to a darker place, our condolences to his friends and family. He shall not be forgotten from both this city and our hearts. His funeral service shall be held in Leogalnee Cemetery, and we ask all our readers to please take great care while traversing the streets at night.