Die another day…

I stood there; my breath swirling mist in the cold; my throat dry with fear; the bristles at the back of my neck standing up; my skin sweating despite the chill coolness of the night that cast its dark shadows around me. The darkness loomed menacingly as its freezing grip held me tighter even as I shuddered at the form in front of me.


He stood there; his appearance dimly outlined by the faint glow of the moonless sky; his shoulders hunched and ready to charge at my slightest movement; His hoarse breath echoed through the thick woods enclosing the path I was on. 


He stood, unflinching yet threatening in his stance as his shadow reached for me like the skeletal arms of the reaper. He stood firm with his feet steady and unmoving yet the air sparked with the dark energy his appearance exuded. I trembled under my clothes which vainly seemed to protect me from his overpowering evil and the icy mist around us.

We faced each other; my nemesis and I. My bones rattled with pure horror as the shape stepped from the wispy fog and advanced towards me. I stood rooted to the ground, my teeth chattering with absolute terror and breaking the deadly silence between us. Each step he took felt like a noose tightening around my neck. My heart pounded like a hammer and felt like it would explode any minute. 

The distance closed between us and though I still couldn’t make out his face, his growing image radiated an intensity that revealed pure malice. The shadowy figure was nearly upon me when my adrenaline kicked in and my limbs found a life of their own. I spun on my heels and bolted like the wind. He broke into pursuit and thundered after me. My legs barely touched the ground as they carried me blindly through the winding path.


Crashing through branches, tripping over stones, sliding down a rock wall and leaping over a fallen tree-trunk, I ran like a man possessed; running wildly to escape the demon behind me. But he chased relentlessly. I could feel him closing in on me. His steps pounded behind me, his breath heavy on my back; I could sense him right behind me. His throat growled with a deep growl as if in anticipation of hunting down his prey.


I tumbled over an extended root and fell headlong into the thickets that scratched my face as I went through them.  I fumbled and tried to get back on my feet. Turning around as I stood up, I looked at death straight in the eye and I froze. My predator leapt and we went crashing into the bushes again.


He stood on top of me pinning me down; his breath heavy and hot, his teeth bared inches from my face, a bloodcurdling growl emanated from him while his eyes glowed with an ethereal evil. I closed my eyes and waited for the kill.


But instead of feeling the teeth sink into me I felt wetness slide across my face. He was licking me! He licked me with his tongue and his muzzle gently cuddled at my face. I was dumbstruck with my heart in my mouth. The menacing hound that had chased me down was the neighbour’s dog! And though I had forgotten the tiny little pup that I had played with five years ago before I left to my studies abroad, he had not forgotten me.

Gosh! He had grown! And boy was he heavy. Getting up I dusted myself even as he bounded around me with excitement. Whew! I could breathe again. What a relief! And so we walked as dawn approached. Homeward bound, my friend and I; while I lived to die another day…


Allan Moses R.
(living life... one heartbeat at a time)