Not From This World

That night as Amelia lay asleep she dreamed that she saw a demon approaching her, as the entity drew close it whispered something to her. She awoke suddenly, her heart thudding in her chest. She had dreamed the same dream several times before, but had never heard the demon speak... until now.

The sudden knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. She pulled herself out of bed and went to see who it was. Amelia was met by a rather strange looking man, and was slightly taken aback by his appearance. He was thick-set and dressed in a long hooded coat of a black plaid pattern. His eyebrows stuck out like awnings, hovering above pitch black eyes. His skin was of a bronze flesh tone, and he had a distinctive white beard.

"Good morning Mam," greeted the strange man.

"Um... Good morning," Amelia replied, wondering who he was.

"I'm here about the window," he declared.

"The window?... Ah! the window," Amelia remembered, pulling the door open wide inviting the man in. She led him down the corridor toward the study at he back of the house. "The room is quite dark. I'd like to put a new window in that wall," Amelia pointed. The man didn't reply. He stood quiet for what seemed like ages, observing the wall. "How long will it take?" asked Amelia, purposely interrupting the mans silent observation.

"I can have the job done by tomorrow afternoon," he said emphatically.

"Tomorrow afternoon," Amelia repeated out loud. Surprised that the man could do the job in a relatively short time. "I'll be out of town for the next two days, but I can leave a key with my neighbor, she can let you in, if that works for you."

"Works for me" replied the man, who then turned and headed for the front door.

"Thanks for coming," said Amelia.

"You're the one," said the strange looking man, as he walked out the door and down the footpath, before disappearing around the corner. What an odd thing to say, Amelia thought.

The snow had finally arrived and Amelia was looking forward to a good nights sleep in her bed. When she got home, she unlocked her door, and let her suitcase and purse fall to the floor. The house was silent and cold. Amelia eased her shoes off slowly. She slipped her coat off and went to the kitchen and turned on the kettle. Waiting for it, she leaned against the counter, then decided to go and inspect the new window. To her surprise, it wasn't at all what she expected. She had assumed it would be a normal rectangular window, but in front of her was a large circular window made of a single piece of thick clear glass. The frame looked as if it had been fashioned from a single length of tree vine. It was gnarly with knots and bends and weaved its way around the circular pane perfectly. Amelia was amazed at the amount of detail and wondered why the strange looking man would have gone to so much trouble building such an unusual looking window. Intrigued by the whole thing, she decided she would call him in the morning.

Holding the business card in front of her, Amelia dialed the number.

"Hello, Carpenters Can Do, how can we help" a man's voice answered at the other end.

"Hi, my name is Amelia Goodrich, I'm calling about some work I had done the other day by one of your carpenters," she informed.

"Just a minute Mam, I'll check the job register," the man replied. After a seemingly long pause the voice came back. "What address was that Mam?"

"51 Hickory street" Amelia replied. Another long pause followed before the man spoke again.

"Mam, we don't seem to have any record of your name or any work carried out at that address, are you sure you called us?" the man asked.

"I'm positive," Amelia replied. "White beard, black eyes, a rather peculiar looking fellow," explained Amelia.

"I'm sorry Mam, but we have no one here that fits that description.

Bemused by the whole situation, Amelia kindly thanked the man and hung up. Weird, she thought.

Amelia Goodrich had lived her whole life in the small seaport town, but never grew tired of the place. The quietness suited her. But, sometimes she wished for a bit of adventure in her life. The temperature inside had turned icy cold. Slipping into her thick woolen coat, she decided to go and check the thermostat. The popping sound of a light-bulb blowing, echoed up from the basement as she flicked the light switch. Damn!, she muttered to herself. She remembered there was a flashlight in the study and went to fetch it. As she was about to leave, a brilliant glow lit up the room. Startled, Amelia turned to see a dazzling white light emanating from the window. She stood motionless, transfixed by the light. Then, an over-whelming feeling suddenly came over her and she began walking towards the light. Before she realized what she was doing, she stepped through the window.

In that very moment, she felt the strangest sensation, as if she was standing on wet dirt. She quickly turned to look for the window, but to her astonishment it was no longer there. Instead, a large tree stood where the window should have been, towering upward in front of her. Spinning around, she saw another tree, then another, her mind started racing as she tried to comprehend what was happening. Was this her imagination playing tricks on her? she asked herself, but everything felt so real. She could see stars flickering in-between branches as they swayed in the wind, the cold breeze slapped across her face, and the smell of damp earth and pine-oil filled her nostrils. She started walking, aimlessly, weaving in and out of trees, frantically searching for some sign of the light, but it was nowhere to be found. Panic surged through her, this can't be happening, she said to herself, and she started to feel light-headed, then everything went black.

Amelia awoke on a bed with the face of an old woman smiling at her. She had pale green eyes, and her hair was of a dull yellowish hue. "You're awake," her squeaky voice uttered. Amelia quickly sat upright, pushing herself back up the bed. "Who are you?" she blurted. "Where am I?" she blurted again.

"Don't be afraid, you're safe here." The old woman said. She then, got up and walked towards the back of the room. Amelia's gaze followed the old woman as she went about her business. The tiny room was in the shape of a dome and the walls were made of reddish-brown stone blocks. There was a wooden chest pushed against the wall, and a single chair with a table in the center. A large iron pot hung above a fiery hearth, sending steam billowing up to the ceiling. Hesitating for a moment as if she had forgotten something, the old woman reached under a wooden bench and pulled out a small bundle. It was no bigger than her palm. Slowly she unraveled the knot, and removed the contents from the pouch. She pinched off a piece of something dark, dropping it into the boiling water. As soon as she dropped her secret ingredient into the pot, the room filled with a pungent aroma. It was so strong it stung Amelia’s eyes.

"Is she awake," a voice called from the other room.

"She's awake," the old woman answered.

The sound of heavy footsteps approached the room. Amelia held her breath, as her bright blue eyes peered out through a pair of over-sized spectacles. The door squeaked open. Standing in front of her was the strange looking man that had come to her house. Amelia felt confused and frightened and now, she found herself in a strange place with strange people.

"We've been waiting for you, Amelia Goodrich," said the man.

"How did I get here?" asked Amelia.

"Why... you came through the window, remember," said the man. "You're here because the prophecy foretold your arrival."

"The prophecy?" Amelia was perplexed by the whole conversation.

The strange man looked at Amelia. His intent black eyes unblinking. "A girl with fire red hair and eyes the color of the sea will come from the east, but not from this world. She alone knows the answer that will set the people free. That is the prophecy," declared the man.

"Free, from what? asked Amelia.

"Free, from the curse," the man responded.

"I don't understand," said Amelia.

"When the time comes you will understand, Amelia Goodrich," the man replied. "Tomorrow night on the full moon, the beast will awaken and enter the village. It will ask one question. What is its name. No one has ever been able to answer it." said the man. Amelia was almost too afraid to ask the obvious.

"And if I don't know the answer," she whispered.

"It will take the youngest born from the village... and devour it."

In that moment Amelia prayed she would wake up from this terrible dream, and everything would be back to normal. But, it wasn't a dream. The man turned and shot a quick glance at the old woman, before walking out the door. "Don't fret my dear, I'll make you something to drink," said the old woman. She ladled some of the boiling concoction into a cup. "Here you go," she mumbled, and handed it to Amelia. "I'd rather not," Amelia protested, but the old woman motioned for her to drink. It smelled awful and Amelia almost gagged. Not wanting to upset her, she sipped the hot liquid, surprised to find it was almost tasteless. After another sip, Amelia felt herself drifting off into a deep sleep.

Amelia awoke from her slumber and looked out the window. It was night and the full moon was almost at its peak. The strange man entered the room. "It's time Amelia Goodrich," he announced. He handed her a hooded coat to wear then led her from the room and out through the main door into the cold night. They walked for several minutes before coming to a large clearing near the edge of a forest. A crowd of bearded men, clad in heavy leather garments, sat assembled in a half circle. In the middle was a stone altar. The bearded men sat silent. Their faces were almost sinister in the light of the moon. The strange man pointed Amelia to a seat in between the group. Her mouth felt dry and she began to feel anxious.

A young woman clutching a small child in her arms was brought out and led to the altar by two of the bearded men. The young woman's face seemed distraught with grief as tears ran down her cheeks. The infant was pulled from her arms and placed on the altar. Her scream's shattered the dark silence as she was led away. Amelia realized then, that everything that was happening was real and whatever was coming, must be feared so much by these strange people, that they would be willing to sacrifice an infant child. She felt a horrible, sick uneasiness inside her stomach.

As the moon reached its apex, the strange man motioned to one of the men, who then stood and blew into a horn. The blast echoed across the forest, and within moments, Amelia heard the sound of heavy padding feet bounding from within the woods and they were fast approaching. Her heart thumped loudly. Suddenly, there was silence. Then, a hideous growl rumbled out from the edge of the forest, and the beast stepped out into the clearing. It advanced slowly towards the altar then stopped just ten feet away from the infant. The moons glow exposing its face. Amelia sat dead still, as she looked upon the creature. Her eyes opened wide. It was the demon in her dream.

The beast began to sniff at the cold night air, something seemed to disturb it. And then it spoke. "Who among you knows my name," said the beast. There was an unbearable prolonged silence. "As I thought it snarled. "Then I shall take the child." Amelia suddenly realized, that she knew the answer.

"I know your name," a voice rang out as Amelia stood up from her seat, her hood concealing her face in its shadow. The beast stopped abruptly, turning to see who dared to challenge it.

"Who are you?" said the beast.

"You know who I am," replied Amelia. The beast seemed puzzled.

"Where are you from? it asked.

"I am from the east. But not from this land." Whereupon Amelia lowered her hood and disclosed her face. The beast let out a demonic roar. Its eyes blood red with fury. It reared up on its hind legs, ready to attack. Amelia called out its name aloud. In that moment, a dazzling white light appeared in the clearing. The enraged beast was almost upon Amelia, before it suddenly faded away into the night. Then, Amelia felt herself being pulled into the light and her head began to spin. As the light disappeared, she found herself standing in the study, cold and shaking.

Amelia sat quietly sipping her coffee, she still found it hard to believe what had happened a week ago, when the knock at the door got her attention. "Good morning Mam, detective Dale," the man greeted.

"Morning detective," said Amelia, surprised by her visitor. "How may I help."

"Well Mam, have you noticed any strangers in the neighborhood recently." asked the detective.

"Not that I know of," said Amelia. "Why? have there been burglaries happening," she asked.

"No Mam," the detective replied. "I don't want to alarm you Miss, but just two blocks from here a child was murdered last night," the detectives head nodded as he looked at the ground. "I've been on the force for near twenty years Mam, and I've never seen a homicide like this," the detective declared. "The only thing left of that child was skin and bits of bone. Absolute evil," proclaimed the detective.

Amelia's face turned ashen gray.