Run Short Story

The land is flat, and the winds blow strange. I see the bird of death circling outside my window over a hurt rabbit waiting for it to die. Way in the distance I see the lights faint for the city. I hear the wind blow cool and whirling in the attic. I turn to the fields looking out the window of my room and see a figure walking through the high wheat slowly at first and then clutching to his hat to block the strong wind. He stops to look up as if to see which direction he is going in and he catches sight of me in the window. I step back not knowing from this distance who he is. A window is blown open in the other room and I hurry to close it.

Has I reach the window in the other room I hear a shot from outside. I run back to my room and see the figure walking over to pick up the dead rabbit.

The figure is close enough to see that it is a man. Young and strong with long hair that is blowing in the wind. He is headed for my front door.

The raven's ominous black cry as he claims his meal that the man shot and left lying on the ground. What is the gun for if he is not hunting? A man with a gun as no business in my small home. 

I thought to myself, as if to calm my fear, "let's not overreact." 

There is no need for any assumption. It was but a kindness, to both the dying rabbit and the raven he did. 

I collected myself and found the courage to creep down the rugged and chipped steps of my 1820's home to the narrow window by the front door. 

I stop at the bottom of the stairs has I hear his footsteps on the creaky old boards of the front steps. He stops just short of the door I can see his shadow across the narrow window. 

As I stand waiting, gazing at the patterned cracks in the paint of the front door and listening to the bitter blow of the wind and the elements it stirs outside. 

His footsteps were strong and heavily heard as he drew close to the door but had a rhythmic step as he walked that was almost hypnotic. I moved slowly closer to the door try not to make any sound. 

The sheer curtain that was nicely gather in the window by the door allowed you to see out just a little, but the stranger would not see me as easily. He had a voice of strong depth and with it ask as if he knew I was a lady alone. "Let me in my lady. Have you know soul to aid me."

The door to the house opened and my Dad called, "Come to the house, Gal. Didn't you here the dinner bell?"

I closed my book and stood up. The wind blow strange and the bird of death circling the rabbit that had hopped away from her.. 

She opens the book to the first page and read again, "The land is flat and the winds blow strange. I see the bird of death circling out my window over a hurt rabbit waiting for it to die. 

She thought to herself maybe I should run to the house...

Then I felt his breath on my neck behind me. I turned quickly to see his eyes with a touch of blood red color in them. 

"Yes, run..."

I jerked and woke from the dream. Quickly picked up my book from the ground and ran to the house. Shut the heavy wooden door behind me and then I heard the shot. 

I opened the book again thinking it was just part of the dream and not written in the pages.

 I turned to the first page and went directly to the verse in the book I was looking for and read, "Has I reach the window in the other room I hear a shot from outside." 

 I lend against the front door with my heart still thumping in my long narrow neck from running to the house. 

Then I heard the creak of the steps and a low voice from the outside. "Where you going to run now my lady?"

I slowly walked to the library room to get my Father 45 out of the gun cabinet slide my slender body behind the cabinet into the closet that Father had hidden for us to hide in case of an intruder inside the home while Father was out. I quickly smeared some bacon fat on me from the pot on the stove top to cover my smell what the Cowboy on the ranch always said I smelled so pretty. Thankfully, Father always had me with a dog not just any dog but a wolf dog. Blue was his name. I heard him outside saying a gentleman need to be invited in to you home my dear. Much I sleep in the barn tonight? He questioned? I didn't answer. but opened the book again to see if any of this was written in it. 

And the sun was almost gone, so where was Father? In the book I open was every word of what was happening she closed it breathing heavy and so afraid to keep reading. I thought this is so crazy, so I will change it. I opened the closet and step slowly over to my Father office desk in the Library and wrote the following words on a page and taped it inside the book. It said the Man vanished and Agness Father came home. The front door open with her Father and sister walking into the house like they had never had been more than a step away. Agness quickly closed the book and put it on the top shelf of Father Gun Rack. I go start dinner Father sorry it so late tonight I seem to have fallen asleep out in the field for a short time and just got in myself. Father, Picked up the 45 that Agness had left on his desk and put in on the gun rack where she had placed the book and put the book on his desk. Now while Agness was in the kitchen cook some food for them to eat for supper her sister was spinning in Father office chair at his desk bored to death waiting on supper. She stopped and laid her head on her hands on the desk it had a leather mat for Father to use for his letters and he clean it daily with a cloth and the special oil for his gun on his desk. Temperance could smell the oil as she sat leaning on her hand on top of the desk. She was so bored. She noticed the old book on the desk you could read a title on the book it was so worn. She opened it to the page that had the one that Agness had written on in it. It stated the Man was gone and her Father and sister came through the door. Temperance unknowingly took the page out of the book and just as she did you could hear the low laughter of a man outside the front door. Temperance Father who had started to light a match to smoke his pipe blew it out and turn out the lamp that he had light in the parlor as he pick up his a rifle for next to his easy chair. The Man low voice said has he had before my lady it is dark and cold may I please come in for some warmth. Her Father stated no Sir you may not you may go to the Cowboy stable homes and have some grub and sleep in the barn since I have the homes fill of workers this years. The man Not knowing My Father had gotten in thank him for his kindness and stepped away for the house into the darkness as me and Temperance watch out the window. I look in the book on the last page of the chapter and it said I be back my dear. So, as a precaution I read on to the second chapter since I figured it would start until tomorrow. Well, boy, was I wrong. Has I start you could hear the screaming start outside from the Cowboy's homes. I had to stop my Father from leaving and show him the book. it was so violently written that my Father closed it and started writing like I had done almost like he had done this once before. I don't know what he wrote on the page but he put it in the book and closed it up and locked it in his safe and told us never to open it or read it again. He would be connecting a holy man tomorrow to see if the book can be burned. The Holy one came and said you have a spirit walker in your home. She is the only one who can kill the evil of this spirit but she is just a girl do not under estimate the power of her loving spirit that was given to her. Agness you have to believe in yourself to fix it. I remember reading a book that told of demons and angels and how to call them to help fight them off. So I told my Father to go fishing. So, he did. He caught me a Big white fish. I cut out the fishes heart and liver and burned it in the home of my Father and then burn more in the homes of the Cowboys that had survived and in the barn. I prayed too. That night we all Locked our doors and went to sleep. The next morning the man was bleeding from his eyes and we all took him to the river to clean him up and pray for him. I told my Father he was healed and to let him stay in the extra room. He had a fever for three night but on the four day he was well. My Father ask me what did you do that healed him? I did what God said to do. I called on his Angel Raphel who is the destroyer of demons to come help him and he killed the demon that was hurting him and all the people around him. That was why we burned the fish so he would know the places the Demon has been seen. To help him find the demon and send him away. Is that not the same as the Catholic Church does? Oh, no Father they cast out demon but they just go to other host they don't call on Raphel to completely get it gone from the earth like the Jews learned to do. Cullen was saved by God through faith of a girl and her Father. The safe had been opened and the book was gone. If you asked Agness it was taken by Raphel back to the hell it came from. This is why Demons don't mess with a spirit walker. Amein.