"This is all a test" He looked over at me while his words of wisdom rang through my ears. I stared at the ground, my eyes full of disbelief, I couldn't seem to wrap my head around it all. I could feel the knot in my stomach burning, the confusion clouding my judgement and the uneasiness suffocating all common sense that I had left. I looked up in his direction, seeing him standing there, the slight breeze moving through the trees making the leaves dance behind him. He continued "Temptation is standing at your door, to ruin everything you've built" he paused for a moment, but then said "Or maybe it's a new opportunity, waiting to finally be pursued." Our eyes locked then, I couldn't bring myself to break away from his gaze, his dark, almost black eyes that stared into mine as my mouth opened to speak, but no words seemed to come out. He could see that I was struggling, battling my own mind at what the truth could possibly be. He could tell I was breaking and he enjoyed every moment of it. "It is something that has been put before you, once again." He had no expression upon his face, but I could hear the sternness in his voice "If you do not pass this... then you weren't ever ready to begin with and the same thing will be repeated, only to test you once more and you will continue to hurt those around you." I felt a weight in my chest crushing every ounce of hope that remained and he knew it. But something about the words he spoke cut through me like a knife, something just didn't feel right, no matter the amount of truth in which he spoke as he said "I know you feel an uncomfortableness, a pain because you know it's wrong and you know exactly what you need to do. The question remains though, if you will truly bring yourself to do it. But no matter what you choose, I will forever stand by you." I looked away from him then, I could feel the tears flooding my eyes, and the anguish tearing at my heart "But why now?" I whispered and pleaded. He continued to watch me fall apart, a slight chuckle escaped his lips as he responded "Because they know you may have found your happiness and the world wants to take that from you." I could feel the sudden sense of betrayal rush through my veins, the sadness that then turned to anger as I shrieked "Don't you do this to me!" That's when he smiled... that iniquity filled smile. I fell to my knees then as the tears ran down my face as I gasped "Please..." He knew he was winning and that I was crumbling to a mere pile of rumble. The smile never left his face then as he responded "Oh, my dear, you have so much to learn." I could see him hold his head up high at that point, and even though there was no life within his eyes, they somehow beamed with so much manipulation and power. He turned to walk away then, because he felt as if he had corrupted my thoughts and the deed had been done. Whilst listening to my suffering, I screamed one last cry, as I grabbed the ruffled surface of the earth within my hands. I looked up to watch him leave, no longer within sight, I unclenched my hands, as the dirt fell between my fingers, the desperation on my face slowly fading; only to be left with a deceptive smirk upon my face as I whispered "Two can play at that game." 

These kinds of stories often give us a thrill. We read books/articles and watch movies about this very thing. It is entertaining... until it happens to you. Don't get me wrong, there is some part of me that still finds this topic interesting to read about, but it took me a while to get back to this point.

The last thing I saw, was him. He was saying something; his lips were moving but I couldn’t hear a thing.

When one gets to the end of one's rope, and all one can do is let go, one might finally realize that there really is something that will break the fall.

I am going to start by saying I am terrified of spiders. Actually, terrified is to mild of a word to describe it. In fact it got to be so bad, that my boss told me that if I did not overcome my fears, that they would have to fire me, since it was getting in the way of me working.

With a heavy breath, she exhaled. Laying prostrate in the overgrown grass on her parent's front lawn, an oak tree looming over her with its Spanish moss dripping from its limbs, she closed her eyes and breathed. The sky clouded over to a somber gray and, in a garbled voice, bellowed in discontent. Soon enough, the rain followed suit, and in a codependent venture of melancholy, it stormed. All the while, the girl lay still. With each luke-warm drop of rain, she seemed to melt into the grass, into the dirt. To melt would be a fine thing to do, but she'd settle for the simulation.

The morning was young and dewy when she finally woke up. Her weary eyes flinched at the sun as she rose. One glance at the clock and the truth was apparent; She was going to be late. In a panic she sprinted over to her dresser and glanced over her clothes. T-shirts, blouses, shorts, and jeans were all ignored as she searched for something special. Finally, she pulled out a tight short dress. It was pristine white and clung to her body so tightly it threatened to never let go. Perfect. She quickly got dressed and took one glance at the clock. She was running out of time. She ran out the door and started her car, an unassuming weathered sliver van. Thousands of people had a similar or exact car, so she wasn’t worried. With a deep breath, she stepped on the gas.

Life’s Ruts

Azrael’s Whispers

I take a step backward as the towering man steps forward from the shadows of the house. He is a man of dark complexion, maybe Middle Eastern? His brow furrows as he takes surprisingly light and swift steps to arrive at my side. I take another step backwards, but not before he grabs me by the upper arm.

Where the fuck did it go?

Dear me