THEY WERE TWO

The two stood in the darkness. The two were as such; if you saw one without the other you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference for they had the same face. They were twins.

As the life of twins would have it, the two agreed upon almost everything. Except that, that ‘everything’ of which they agreed, the world, at most, would not agree. For certain they even disagreed to the very law of human birth; that one should be born alone.

They were two.

Today though, the twins disagreed greatly. And the solution to that thing on which they disagreed was that they should spend a night in St. Nicholas graveyard and to sleep in the open air until the morning of the Saturday of the 31^st of October. It was hallows eve (obviously).

What was the disagreement you ask? Well, let’s just say, the first of the twins whose name we shall call Ian (and the younger we shall name Ryan), was adamant that Ghosts and such other things of horror, did in fact exist.

“In fact, you say?” said Ryan, “But yet a fact you have not, let alone two of any kind. Show me that thing of a fact and I will believe you. Show me that thing that is undeniable brother and I shall from this night wear my shame everywhere I go, and give up that pride that I call science!” “Tonight you shall see it,” replied Ian, “I warn you brother, I WARN YOU!” 

Ian dramatically pocked at his brothers chest, “What you are to see today, brother, will be the utmost ghastly thing you will ever see.”

THICK DARKNESS

They set camp.

As night approached it’s mid, the darkness begun to thicken. It was for every second that past towards Halloween, the darkness just knew to make it even darker and darker. It was so dark that you would wade into it, in fact if you forgot your weight, the darkness was thick enough to make you float.

The wind too begun to be more stubborn and made settling in for the brothers a tough thing. In that wind, was carried some familiar sounds as that of an owl hooting, as that of wolves howling. But one sound was not so familiar, that is only because it was far into the night to have a man whistling. But it was not a whistle as one would often do; after some common jingle, nay it was a whistle long and spiked and so tense that it raised the ends of the brother’s hairs.

Ian turned on his flash light having come out of his tent. He went to his brother’s tent who evidently took pleasure in that implicit fear that drew on Ian’s face.

That whistle that sounded as if to call a dog, seemed in fact to call a dog. For out of the wind, all the sounds silenced except begun a bark so loud and low that it made the very earth tremble. This tremble had a thing about it that was magical. It made it difficult for the dead to sleep. The dead begun to rise.

Ian had never been scared in his life, “Th...This… can’t be happening!”

Seemed to enjoy this so much that among all this he found the indecency to laugh even as to roll on his belly like a child.

THE RISING

The dead where 20. Maybe 200. Maybe 2000.

It was impossible to tell as it was too dark and that they began to move. Not towards the entrance, where the brothers had camped but rather towards the center where, if it wasn’t so darn dark, you would see a perfectly centered area that had a sort of alter.

Because it was almost impossible to see, the two brothers did not realize that a man as large as two men and certainly as large as one small house was standing behind them. That large man, if one could even call him a man, say that giant, took the two at their feet and hauled them in a sack. The two screamed like little babes and even more Ian was screaming like a little girl. “Let us down, I demand it” said Ian, “Do you know who I am, and do you know my father?”

Ryan seemed to run out of words, he was tucked in his belly and mumbling something under his breath. “Though …valley…..death….fear no…..” that was all that could be heard of his mumbles. “This is not a matter of prayer.” Argued his brother. “Only God can save us now” cried Ryan and continued in his prayers as tears begun to drop from his eyes. Ian himself was so filled with fear that his voice quivered and his eyes begun to form.

Suddenly the two were dropped without etiquette, shaking them out of the bag as one would shake out fleas. They landed straight on that alter and then came a light. Another light. And another. 20 or hundreds more lights were lit- cascading. The view was that of those dead men, women and children watching blankly at the brothers with their hallow eyes and some still rotting and others only bone.

A small handsome man came from behind the crowds and to him all of them bowed. The Giant pushed the brothers to do the same. They did.

“Are you Ian and Ryan?” asked the man. There was no answer for the brothers were traumatized. “Rise and answer lower life forms!” cried the man and upon that he struck his stuff (yes he had a stuff) on the ground and that seemed connected to the dead for they growled and so did that dog whose position was unknown.

At this the brothers both rose from their bow and nodded frantically.

“You!” said the man pointing at Ryan. “Are you Ryan Benjamin son of the great Lord Thomas Benjamin?” “Ye…Yes.” Whimpered Ryan. “And you!” he pushed his stuff into Ian’s chest. “Yes.” There was a pretentious confidence in Ian’s voice but in his pants was sure to be found a little pee.

“Bind them!” ordered the handsome man. “We shall sacrifice to the gods’ one of them and the other shall be our ruler. One for the living and one for the dead.”

The dead groaned and growled and unseen wolves howled. The huge man bound the twins and made them to kneel. The handsome man drew to them and raised his stuff. “Choose your sacrifice!” he shouted looking into the empty sky. And he dropped the stuff to the ground. It rolled and stopped, pointing toward Ian. “Today you die, Ian son of Benjamin.”

The huge not-man man took Ian and shoved him on the alter. “No!” cried the twins in unison. Tears were running down their faces. There was a shiver in their bodies and each begun to run through their memories. Not once have they ever been separate. Now one was to live without the other.

The crowd of the dead chanted, “One for the living and one for the dead!” “One for the living and one for the dead!”

I BELIEVE

Laying on that alter, Ian begun to pray for the first time in his life. He recited psalms 23 like he was always a Christian. Only God could save him now. The handsome man drew out his stuff a long sword and raised it aimed at Ian’s neck.

When Ian was done reciting the psalm of David, he turned sideways and stared into his brothers eyes. “Brother,” he said with tears in his eyes but calmness in his soul. He was ready to die. “I believe.”

The sword begun to drop.

At this the clock stroke 12 and went a Shouting among the dead. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

There were not dead.

Stage lights drew out of nowhere and too balloons and ribbons were floated. Huge Fireworks lit the night.

Ryan was on is belly laughing.

Nothing was real. Not even the sword.