Mysterious Carolers (6) : Caroling has been a tradition for years, so it’s not really unusual when you hear a soft chorus from outside. What is unusual is that it’s three in the morning, and the moment they start singing you feel a chill in the air. Maybe it’s a holiday song, maybe it’s not, but whatever it is it’s a song you know before--from this life? From another?--and something about this version makes you go cold. If you move to the window, you will find no carolers, but the song is loud enough that you know you should be able to see them. They sing one song, and then there is silence. An eerie chill lingers, and your dreams are haunted by strange voices. You’ll probably never be able to hear that song again without feeling unnerved.
For one glorious winter, it seemed as if Kathryn had escaped the craziness that came with the various seasons around Destiny City. Her goal of avoiding Halloween mischief had been thwarted by those darn trees and that strange horseman figure that had pursued her and the chibi senshi Tea both in the same evening. But that had been two months ago and so far nothing else had managed to pierce the bubble of normalcy that she had tried to wrap around herself. There was no reason to blame her current situation on her former apartment roommate but yet there still seemed to be a little bit of resentment towards Tallulah for essentially bailing out on what had seemed to be the perfect arrangement of convenience. It had led Kathryn to have to return to live once more under the watchful eyes of her parents in her childhood home. It wasn't bad per se, just stressful at times. There was no real pressing need to be out on the streets as her powered self and that was probably for the best. The whole becoming a magical warrior destined to protect Earth and also some unknown place in space was a tiring gig for someone of her calibre. Given the fact that there did not seem to be a viable way to easier divest herself of her powered identity either, it seemed like she was stuck with the whole package. It was a sobering thought. Even as she pushed back the throw blanket that she had been resting under, Kat stared around at the familiar four walls that made up her bedroom before sighing.
There would be no answers given to her on this night. For one brief moment the brunette considered simply going back to sleep, but something had woken her up; had it not? Kathryn sighed before she climbed out of her bed in order to cross the room to sit at her computer desk. Powering on the computer tower and monitor took little to no time at all and soon she was engrossed in the wonderful world of online distractions. Youtube could certainly provide said distractions, as could Netflix and all those other streaming platforms, but Kathryn found herself gravitating towards the former site in order to just allow herself the time to get lost in random videos that she found interesting enough to click on.
It spoke of her desire to simply lose herself in the videos that the first strains of what seemed to be an old-fashioned Christmas carol totally escaped her notice. The open window had been letting in a steady stream of fresh air but now musical notes were drifting in as well and Kathryn stopped her current video in order to simply listen to the words being sung. How apt and decidedly quaint that people were out singing carols. But then, upon staring at the corner of her computer screen, where the clock feature sat, did Kathryn realize the absurdity of the situation. Normal carollers would not be outside her house, on the street, at three o'clock in the morning. What was going on here? Even as a familiarity with the carol being sung registered with the young woman and she found herself humming along did a sudden chill travel down her spine immediately stopping her from joining in with the well-known words of the musical number. This version that was being sung; something was not right with it. A sense of deep foreboding welled up inside and Kathryn could not bear to listen to the hymn being sung any longer. Racing to her window she wanted nothing more to simply slam the pane closed but first there was a pressing need to actually put faces to these unknown singers. Grey orbs scanned the deserted street with disbelief as the notes died off in the early morning air. Slamming the window shut did the brunette press her forehead against the window, attempting to calm her racing heart. Why had the song affected her in such a manner? It was irrational to be affected so strongly and yet, deep inside, she knew that there would be no explanation forthcoming.
"Dammit," the word escaped her before she even realized she had spoken at all. In the back of her mind she had to wonder what she had just experienced. Returning to her computer Kathryn began to type before hitting enter. A plethora of videos appeared as a result of her search and she clicked on a random option of listening to a classical version of the song that had been sung outside of her window before she began to experience the same amount of apprehension that had been present in the carollers version. Stopping that video and returning to the search results did Kathryn attempt to choose a choral group that sang the same tune. She had hoped for a different result but that same feeling returned. Dread settled in her mind that perhaps having heard the version that had been done, outside her window, that any further renditions of the same song would be forever ruined for her. That carol had been a favorite of hers and now it appeared like it would have to be discarded as a result of this nefarious scheme.
Closing down the youtube window and then logging off of her device did Kathryn wearily decide that the search for an answer would have to wait. It furthered her belief that perhaps she was not meant to understand what had just happened. What she did realize, as she burrowed deep under the covers, was that her desire to remain incident free this winter had just been totally, and thoroughly, upended. Even as her breathing evened out and her eyes began to drift shut did the musical number still seem to plague her. It simply wove itself deep into her unconscious and refused to depart. The sense of unease and foreboding followed Kathryn into her dreams, turning each into what could only be described as a nightmare.
