In the blackest night, the clairvoyant lose sight.
Claire read the inscription with her usual air of indifference. The tablet depicted some Eastern European folk tale or something. Who cares. She didn't want to come on this stupid road trip anyway. Still, it was better than school.
"That's scary, C..." Timmy, the leech, was standing next to her. "Don't you think?"
"I guess?" Claire hated everything about the guy, but she was too nice to tell him. Plus, he was handy to have around. "It's just a dusty tablet. Probably made in a pawn shop in Romania."
"No way." Timmy's voice quivered. "It's BC. Found in the Nile they say."
"No way. Why is it in an Eastern European museum then?"
"I think..." Timmy gulped. "The people who found it brought it home, never to be seen again. They were from this town, the tablet is a cautionary tale. I think."
"You think you say," The slab did look Egyptian now that she thought about it. "At any rate, I've had enough fairy tales for one day." It annoyed her that Timmy said nothing, staring at that stupid tablet. "You coming?"
"Oh. Yeah..." He shivered. "Yeah. Ice cream?"
The ice cream was awful. However, Claire didn't care since the day was scorching hot. After the museum they were left to free roam around the quaint little town. Timmy was uncharacteristically quiet. Not fawning over Claire one little bit. She tried to get him back to his usual, dogged self, but he refused. All he wanted to talk about was that stupid tablet.
"They're just ghost stories, Tim." She was telling him over a cup of coco. "Just thousands of years old. Nothing more." He said nothing, just nodded.
By the time the sun set, Timmy was an utter bore. Claire ignored him as she entered the bath in their room. The hotel was nice, especially for a school excursion. There were so many rooms the teachers split them up in pairs. She was, of course, stuck with Timmy.
The bath was divine. Claire forgot everything as she soaked in the warm water. For once, her mind was empty. A welcomed change from her usual ADHD diversions. She had been trying to meditate for months now and this was the first time she succeeded. Probably this Eastern European water. Or something... Regardless, she let the tub embrace her empty thoughts in its warm, scintillating clutches.
Soon, her skin started to wrinkle, and Claire decided it was time to see what that loser was doing. She put a towel on to hide her nakedness as she entered her portion of the room. Each was separated in two sections, hers, of course, had the bathtub. That maniac wouldn't enter without knocking, would he? No. He's a loser. But he's not a pathetic loser. Still, she kept a firm grip on fabric as she gazed at -
Nothing. The sky was pitch black. Strange... One of the selling points for this place was the clear skies. Claire huffed as she rummaged through her drawer, her thoughts still serene in their emptiness. She had never felt such control over her mind. She could actually direct her thoughts, think what she wanted to think about. If she thought nothing, then nothing would come. It was... liberating.
Claire found herself standing in front of the window, hand taut from holding the towel. She let it drop to the floor. How long has it been? She tried looking outside but saw nothing.
She saw the note 'I wanna take a bath!' on her nightstand, and remembered Timmy was due to come in any moment. Claire turned to knock on his door. Did he fall asleep? Her addled mind working in weird ways.
Timmy did not answer the knock. Then "Timmy?" but nothing. She thought about... but lost it. They came and went, mostly went. disappearing like leaves in the wind. Claire... thought about... putting on her towel, or some clothes - forgot. She stood in front of Timmy's door, waiting.
The cold shook her awake, the water on her skin and hair already dried. She found herself in front of Timmy's room. Naked? What was she... but lost it. Where was she even? Something for her school...
The door started to creak open. Slow and intent. It was so dark inside, Claire couldn't make out anything. And since when did Timmy smoke? He wasn't a delinquent.
She saw him then: awesome, inspiring, ancient. He beckoned with his hand and she took it. How could she not? Claire smiled an unwitting smile. Then, slowly, walked through the door.
No one knows what happened to Claire and Timmy. They were last seen entering their hotel room around dusk. In the morning, they remained in their room during role call. When they didn't answer their teachers, security was called to break the door down. Inside, they found a normal teenager's room. Clothes, makeup, a bag of weed. A towel in the middle of the floor. Their possessions were there.
But they were gone.
Tried my hand at a horrorish story. Think it turned out just... boring? 😅 Eh, whatever. I lvoe these types of stories so I wanna get better at writing them.
Thanks for reading those that did. 😌
Obligatory shout-out to the 🍕PIZZA🍕 gang, 🤙 gang. 🤙
Image source.
👊 Follow me on my HIVE blog 👊
Have a great start to your week everyone! 🙌
Return from The Demon that Stalked Between to Јоцко's Web3 Blog
