The Devil or The Deep Blue Sea

I looked agitated, pale, distressed, like I had walked a twain. I found myself walking barefooted through a narrow path. The night was cold and my battered sweater gown couldn’t stop the cold from penetrating into my sensitive skin. My eyes were wide open, trying to fully utilize the only source of light from the moon. But how could that make much of a difference? When the silvery rays could not penetrate the dense canopy above. I didn’t exactly know where I was going but I kept on walking.

As I moved forward, the leaves on the trees were reducing and soon, it was just a pack of leafless trees. Now, the moon and trees cast unnerving shadows while the sound of my footsteps crunching over twigs only added to the sense of isolation. Just then, out of the dark came a spine-tingling cry: CAW! I jolted and I felt my heart skip a beat as the cry echoed for seconds. For a moment there, my mind raced and my imaginations ran wild.

The sound rooted me to the spot as I tried to think of what unforeseen creature was lurking in the shadows. I heard a flutter of wings and I looked up and saw a crow cawing repeatedly as it flew away. I let out a deep sigh. I never loved camping nor did I ever go for school adventures. So, why on earth was I taking such a drastic step by taking a night time walk in the woods, when I was well aware it was an eerie affair?

As I was about to continue my journey to the Netherlands, I turned around and a tree was in my way. I should have gone around and continued but there was something about this tree. It was unusually blacker than normal; it had scales that glistened under the moon light which greatly contrasted with the normal rough, woody and fungi decorated bark of tree. I continued to examine it probingly from its supposed ‘stem’ that split into two, like legs from the waist, before entering the ground, to its roots. Roots? More like sharp, pointed claws attached to huge scaly feet; like Big foot’s feet except scaly.

Suddenly, a cool breeze was blowing directly from above in periodic gusts as if God looked down on me with pity and put an invisible air con on top of me. But why in periodic gusts? Was He breathing on me instead? Plop! Plop! A transparent slimy substance was dripping on my head and my hair was completely damp with it. ‘Eww!’ All of this happened in seconds and just then, I started hearing it clearly: the monstrous breathing. It finally occurred to me. That stem, those roots; that wasn’t a tree. I slowly looked up and behold! Who knew my worst fear would come to life?

Right there, standing in front of me was the most terrifying creature ever, the ones I thought one could only find in the sci-fi movies. It was completely black like the mamba snake and its eyes were completely black and shiny as I could see the reflection of the moon in them. Its horns were like that of the popular Hellboy, long and twisted. Fangs dropped from its mouth and it reminded me of the extinct Saber-toothed cat that our Geography teacher had once showed us in class. Its nails were long and pointed enough to pierce though my chest and rip my heart out. And its tail! Like a long whip with a spear end. It was tall and it towered over me.

I was terrified enough by its huge stature and the first thing I thought was: Lucifer. I decided to play that trick the Biology teacher told us to play when a wild animal is close to you. Stand still, look the animal in the eye and wait for it to walk away. It was working. The creature was tilting its head, slowly from side to side, trying to smell if I was fresh meat. I was sweating profusely and hot tears of fear trickled down my face as my heart was in my mouth. It came closer to my face and I really couldn’t keep up with this staring contest: blink! ‘ROAR!’ It rose up its hands to grasp my head which was a tennis ball in comparison with his huge hands. I sharply dodged him and I didn’t think twice before taking to my heels.

I did not look back for any reason as I ran past the trees, rocks and surprisingly, cabin houses. I even scaled fallen trees and logs, something I definitely couldn’t do in the reality.  I do not know where I got that energy from, maybe from the charm in the icon necklace I never took off my neck. It was catching up fast and for the fact that it could run that fast, despite its huge stature, only made one thing pretty clear: It was damn powerful!

Ahead of me, I saw an opening in the ground. ‘Oh no!’ There was a cliff close by. I would have stopped but I didn’t have enough distance or time to stop talk less of time to reconsider jumping and off I was into the air. The monster just stood there roaring like a coward. That elation surged through me for a moment there before I realized that I was falling down at a fast speed like a jet. SPLASH! Thank goodness it was water and not rocks. It was a beautiful waterfall and that added to the sense of safety I suddenly felt.

I felt bold and brave again and I yelled at the top of voice, ‘Come down here if you dare!’ There was a moment of silence, then, I heard its footsteps. It seemed to walking slowly. Maybe it was walking away. Its steps increased and I could tell it was running. It was getting closer and louder and yes, I bit my tongue for being such a blabbermouth. I swam as fast as I could to the bank and in the twinkle of an eye, it was in the water. It sounded like a rhinoceros was dropped into the water as there was a heavy splash from its jump. I scrambled to dry land and took to my heels yet again and it followed suit.

The chase began again. It was a hot one and it seemed like it was angry from what I had said. ‘Please go away, Mr. Monster!’ It stopped. For a moment there, I felt like Sophia the first talking to an animal. ‘Now, go back to where you came from!’ Instead of doing as I commanded, it raced towards me. I ran for my dear life. ‘I said go away not come closer!’ My legs were sore from running but I had to persevere.

I finally skidded to a halt when I was at the short cliff edge of the ocean. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the monster stomping towards me. I had to make a move. If I jumped into the river, it would be way darker than the land and I had no idea what sea monster was lurking in the shadows and waiting for me to jump so it could devour me. But if I stayed, the monster would gobble me up alive in a flash. Now I could really say I was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea; and some other shark monster. ‘He called backup!’ Its fin on its head was showing from the ocean as it popped its head up a few times, snarling at me and showing off its thinner, sharper claws. I was done for.

 I could feel my pupils dilating, my eyelids were raised, adrenaline pumping, my heart racing and lest I forget, my palms sweating. I muttered a few last words under my breath. The creature jumped out of the ocean. The monster jumped in a pouncing manner. I was in the middle of it all. ‘Aaaaaaaah!’ I woke up with a jolt as I was panting and sweating profusely. My legs were sore, the sole of my feet was dirty and my hair was confusingly slimy. ‘Did I do all that? Did all that… was it…real?’ My little sister, Morgan, was still sleeping soundly. ‘No, it’s just a dream’ I heaved a deep sigh and I thanked God repeatedly that it was just a nightmare or was it?…