Starry Skyline
II Mr Crayons II
This is gonna be one hard contest to chose from... My eyes are bleeding from the words already.
Challenge accepted. :3
Whispers of TimeWatching the ocean glimmer as the sun cast its final rays, and feeling the breeze whisper through his hair, Pepper reminisced about his childhood. He thought about the hijinks that he used to get involved with when he was playing with his two best friends, Sarah and Nate. Of all those countless nights that he listened to the countless stories that the old folk loved to share. And lastly of lil' John, with his ghastly visage, as he was worn down from continuous illness. Pepper remembered telling John of his countless adventures, promising that he would take John on one eventually after John got better. He also remembered John's parents always shaking their heads, tears in the corner of their eyes, as they knew John's fate that Pepper continually denied. And he remembered John's funeral. He remembered his sorrow. He remembered his promise.
Yes, lil' John, to whom at his deathbed Pepper promised to avenge John's death. To look Death straight in the eye, and say "Death I shall not let you take anyone precious to me from this day till the day I die." That was the day that he decided to become a doctor. And to achieve this vow he knew that he could no longer stay in this town, that he needed to journey to the city, and that he needed to find a doctor that would take him in as an apprentice. So on the final day that he spent in the village, after an afternoon of endless hijinks with Sarah and Nate, with a serious gleam in his eyes, a little tremor in his knees, and a stutter in his voice he proposed to Sarah. And on that day the two promised to get married as soon as he returned from the city as a famous and talented doctor.
"Hmm, Doctor...Doctor Pepper," Pepper muttered with a humph. What kind of doctor was he? With tears streaming down his cheeks he recalled his last few days in the city, where rumors of a plague spreading throughout the country. He recalled how rushed to gather supplies, and hopped upon his horse, riding almost endlessly for days, with sweat beading upon his locks of hair, as he rushed to his town, praying that everyone would be okay. Yes, what kind of doctor was he? Could he even call himself a doctor if he couldn't save the ones he loved? Oh the horrors he saw as he approached the town, and smelled the stench of death in the air. Lunging off his horse, he had ran to Sarah's house, flinging open the door and running up the stairs. As he had approached her room he heard a faint coughing, and he remembered not knowing whether to sigh in relief that she was still alive, or clutch his heart in horror of the death that was quickly approaching. Oh, the countless days he spent, going door to door, trying to treat his friends and family as he slowly saw them fade away before his eyes. And he remembered Sarah's final comforting words, of how she loved him and it wasn't his fault. Wasn't his fault? Of course it was his fault. He should of been there from the beginning; surely he could have done something, anything.
And as he wiped the tears from his eyes, swallowed in a pit of sorrow, knowing that he had failed his childish promise to lil' John, he started thinking about all the stories he listened to from the old folk of the town. And as he remembered the stories, he recalled an ancient fable whispered by the old folks, the type of story that most figured were told to scare children to their bones, so that they would behave and not get in trouble. Yes, he recalled the old mansion upon the top of the hill, and the path to it that had long been swallowed by trees. It was said that going through the forest would drive a man insane, and that only a few with pure intentions could even make it to the mansion. And for the few that could make it into the mansion, that the mansion's air would intoxicate your mind until you were driven insane. Yet in the center of the mansion, the fable tells of a clock with hidden powers, and its endless tick-tock tick-tock tick-tock the reverberated throughout the mansion. No one really believed the ancient fable of that mansion, yet no one had ever dared to take a step into the forest for hundreds of years.
As the sun finally disappeared from the horizon, and as he wiped his face a final time with his arm he began a slow trek back to the village. One final night's rest and Pepper figured he would brave the mysterious woods and discover the secrets of the mansion. Perhaps, he figured, perhaps he would come across something that could save his friends and family that the plague had swallowed and ripped away from him.
As morning approached Pepper awoke with the feeling of dread in his heart. After gathering supplies for the journey through the woods, he slowly made his way towards the forest. As he approached the forest he continually second guessed this quest, wondering if it was really the right thing to do. However, whenever doubt overcame him he shook his head, and with thoughts of his love, Sarah, he hiked onward. Finally he came upon the path to the mansion, nearly hidden as it had been swallowed by gnarled vines as it had been unused for centuries. And as he brought his axe to the vines and slowly stepped through the opening he made, the warm summer air and bright gaze of the sun was replaced by a ghastly chill and near darkness of these cursed woods. He slowly stepped onward, grimacing as the vines scratched and clawed him as he forced himself through them. And as Pepper made his way through these woods, suddenly he was filled with dread, as he realized that the fables that old folks had always told were true. With every step forward he made he could hear the ground crying, screeching strange sounds that sounded like a horrible mix between cries of pain and screams of anger. His ears echoed with whispers of labored breaths and howls in the distance that were surely made by horrific beasts that lurked in these woods.
The woods shivered as Pepper made a sudden cry of fear, for after slicing through a vine with his axe, a partially rotted corpse of a man fell from the trees upon him. Frantically scrambling, Pepper flung this corpse off him, and tried to catch his breath. His mind raced with thoughts as he stared at this corpse, and he was chilled to the bone as he watched the eyes of the corpse staring straight at him, almost as if the corpse was alive. And as Pepper tried to collect his wits and continued down the path to the mansion, he decided to look up into the trees. Oh the sight he saw, one that was enough to kill a weak man. The trees were laced with corpses strung to the trees by what appeared to be spider webs. And at this point two thoughts went through Pepper's mind, one of which that these webs most have been made by spiders the size of a man, and that these corpses should have been nothing but bones by now, as they were centuries old. And flailing his axe wildly Pepper thrust himself through the mansion's path as quickly as he could to escape this horrific sight.
And as Pepper nearly escaped this twisted graveyard, he gave a final glance back upon the corpses, to a sight that made his flesh lose all color. The corpses danced as if blown by a breeze that the forest never had, and a thousand whispers pierced his skull.
"Turn around."
"Avoid the beast."
"Save yourself."
"Only the chosen..."
"Don't go inside the mansion."
"Cover your ears."
"The clock...don't..."
"Save us."
"There are no chosen."
"Save yourself."
"Stop."
"No, run."
"Save yourself before it's too late."
"No...It is too late."
And as Pepper looked forward he saw the red eyes of a ferocious beast, its teeth gleaming with saliva and blood. As Pepper prepared to thrust his axe upon this ferocious beast, the beast lunged upon him and he flew through the air, and crashed into a tree with such force that he was rendered unconscious.
Pepper slowly awoke, and rubbed his pounding head. He looked at his hand covered in his blood, and shivered at the memories of the beast that he encountered. After a few seconds thought, he realized that he wasn't injured too horribly, and he began to look around at his surroundings. He realized that somehow he managed escape the woods, and he looked upon the mansion that towered before him. With a push of his arms, he pushed himself off the ground, groaning as pain struck like lightning throughout his body. And with a heavy breath he gave a push upon the mansion's doors. As they slowly creaked open Pepper gasped at the sight before him. The inside of the mansion was pristine and ethereal, decorated with various ornaments that could be worth millions. As he walked into the mansion he was almost swallowed by its beauty. And as he gazed upon the beauty he slowly came to the realization that there was a slow, steady tick-tock of the the fabled clock that resonated throughout the whole mansion. It even almost seemed that the sound of the clock came from inside his head.
As Pepper started exploring the mansion, he was overcome by its beauty, and after exploring for a couple hours he stopped to recall why he had even come to this mansion. With the incessant tick-tock nearly driving him mad, he was almost overcome with thoughts of greed, as this mansion had enough splendor to make a man never have to worry about money again for even a hundred lifetimes. With a shake of his head, though, he came back to his senses. Driven by the image of Sarah that he had engraved into his mind, he began his way towards the center of the mansion. And as he opened the final doors tears streamed down his face, as he stood in awe before this majestic clock, too beautiful to describe, slowly going with its endless tick-tock. And at this moment he realized everything, that all his life was made for this moment, and as he touched the clock, he gave a faint smile. Doctor? Ha, he would transcend the boundaries of a doctor as he gave his wishes to this clock.
The clock glimmered, and through its glass reflected a scene of Pepper's village. He saw children playing, adults waddling about their way with their daily chores, and he saw the beautiful face of what must of have been the most beautiful woman in the world. Yes, he saw Sarah, beautiful, even though tears streamed down her face. He watched as she was approached by two men, which after a moment's thought, he realized were Nate and the not so lil' anymore John. And as Sarah cried, Nate embraced her, and they all stared forward at a grave decorated in flowers, that read "William Pepper, One of the greatest doctors to never be, 1373-1385". And as he watched the scenes that the clock reflected, he saw a group of old men, telling their endless stories to the children. He gave a small laugh as he listened to a story about the forbidden mansion upon the hill that was said to hold Dr. Pepper's booty, and he sighed a final sigh of content. And with that final sigh he collapsed, and the dark magic of the mansion sent his corpse to the graveyard of corpses of men that dared to make a journey to the mansion. But Pepper's corpse was hung with care, for he had been the first to make it to the clock and not have his wish corrupted by impure thoughts.
