Sunlight cascaded through the cottage windows onto the floor. Little shadows of leaves danced in the tilted squares as they swayed with the breeze. The sweet aroma of pines filtered through the air, and distant birds sang a tender lullaby. I sat on my bed, watching the shadows dance across the floor, humming along with the songbirds. Such a beautiful day.

I rolled over onto my side, breathing in the moment, and noticed the small wildflowers in a cup on the side table were beginning to wilt and die. I scooted toward the edge of the bed and scooped them up. "Well, this won’t do. I’ll have to return to the meadow and gather some more."

The crackling of the fire reminded me of my dinner that was stewing away in the oversized black pot nestled in the coals. A succulent scent of venison stew mixed with the pine as I opened it to take a peek. It looked divine. The charred bits of meat soaked up the juices of the herbs and spices I had gathered and added. I returned the lid, being mindful not to burn myself, and sat on the small rug by the fireplace.

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I watched the tiny flames surrounding the coals flicker and sway. They were mesmerizing. Each one swayed this way and that, and I got lost in the trance of it all. Chills trickled down my spine despite the warmth wafting from the fire. As I snapped out of it, the silence overwhelmed me. No birds chirped, no swaying breeze whispered through the pines.

Stillness.

Silence.

Darkness.

Darkness had overrun everything around me. Swirls of black rushed in and out of the open windows. Faint echoes and whispers sounded all around me as they poured in, one after the other. One darted right past my face, blowing my hair along with it, and I slouched closer to the light of the fire.

“Saviiiiii,” they hissed.

“Surrender, Saviiiii.”

I couldn’t see my feet anymore, only darkness. The only light that remained was glinting off my cheeks. I watched the coals die out to nearly nothing as the violent rage of shadows tornadoed behind me.

Clamping my eyes shut, I willed away the darkness around me, but when I opened them, it crept further in. Chilling the air to my back - icier and icier. My breath caught in my throat as I watched the last flicker of light escape the coals and release into a faint puff of smoke.

All the light was gone, and I was completely shrouded in darkness.