NIGHTMARE
by Danilson placid
It was a nice and happy day for us. We were about to travel to another province as a family and everyone was so excited including me. We packed everything correctly and headed for the bus. We finally reached the place we wanted to visit after a long journey by bus. It’s near the countryside and a suburban area. We are going to a village. After arriving at the destination of our place which is our relatives house. My grandparents, uncle and my cousin were waiting for us. We started unpacking our stuff, then we washed up and had breakfast. It was 8 AM in the morning. We had delicious foods for breakfast made by my grandmother.
After finishing our breakfast we took some rest and then went outside to explore the village. It was evening and I was with my cousin. He was telling me stories about the horror of the village. The village was very old, many ancient stories were told based on the village. Many weird things happened here centuries and thousands of years ago. Some people say this place is cursed. Some people say they see many weird things happening here.
I asked my cousin, “What? He said, Some people vanish and never come back and few come back in very old age when they disappear in young age. They say this place is a very old witch who has a hunger for hunting people. But I said to my cousin laughing that I don’t believe in anything like that.They are all myths.
And my cousin told me not to laugh and warned me to stay alert and be careful all the time. But I was curious. So the next day I went to explore the place far away from the village with my girlfriend. She was scared and I told her there is nothing to be scared of and I will protect her.
Then we started moving in a jungle. We saw many old destroyed houses and architects. While moving in the deep jungle the only thing I was scared of was snakes. I hate snakes. I am very scared of snakes, they freak me out. As i was saying and then all of a sudden a big black snake was in front of us and she saw it first and screamed. And then I was scared too, So we moved past it carefully in another way. It was getting dark, there were lots of crickets and owls and some weird animal sounds around us.
So we found nothing that day and headed back home. We were eating dinner together with the whole family. My mom and dad, my aunties, uncle’s, my sister, my cousins and my grandparents. While eating I asked a question to my grandparents about the old ancient places far away from the village.
They were staring at me like they were shocked and saw a ghost. And then my grandma said to never go there. And if i go at least bring someone with me. But my grandpa said not to go there ever, not even ask questions about it. I said why? They said there is a big hidden temple deep inside the jungle and it’s not good. It’s cursed and it has many bad histories. So they warned me about it. My parents also said not to go there and I said okay and moved on and finished our dinner. Then we went to sleep.
For the next few days I didn’t go to the jungle. But I was really curious about the village and the jungle and that temple. So I decided to go alone one night. I packed my bag and stuff and when the sun was rising I left the house without telling anyone and moved forward to the jungle. After walking a whole day in the jungle I was very tired and I found an old house. So I decided to stay the night there. I slowly moved forward to the house. It was a bit scary. When I was inside there was nothing but spider’s web, dust and leafs. I light fire with the leafs and some woods to stay warm and not be attacked by some animals. I was almost 10km away from the home and still didn’t find the temple. There are no network signals for the phone so I didn’t have my phone with me. I left the village. And I bring a camera with me just in case I need to shoot some photos or film something. I found a book in the village about this place written a long time ago. So I brought it with me.
I was laying down beside the fire inside the old house in the jungle and I was reading a book. The book talks about many myths about the old civilization, how people used to live and rule and do witch crafting back in the day in this place. I marked the locations from the book and I made a map out of it. I wasn’t sure if the map was correct enough to lead me to my destination but I was pretty sure it will lead me somewhere where I can find my answers. Then I closed my eyes and tried to get some sleep. But it was hard to fall asleep with all that creepy noise from the dark. While I was overthinking in fear, I suddenly fell asleep.
Suddenly, I woke up to a strange noise and shaking in the middle of the night. It was like an earthquake. And the sound was very strange like a monster. Which sounds like big roar with “grrrrrrr” for at least 10sec long. I was very scared and the fire was also gone out. It was dark with that noise.
After 10minutes the noise and the shaking happened again and it was exactly 10 seconds. I count it with my watch. It was like a giant monster hidden beneath the jungle. Like it was awakening. That night I didn’t sleep anymore. In the morning I started walking again towards the hidden temple. After walking half of the day I found an old gate and it was locked with some old ancient security and it was very heavy. So I tried to open it but it didn’t work. After i failed multiple times then i sat back and thinking what to do Then looking at the map I found another path to move past the gate.
So I started walking again. It’s almost 2 kilometers north from the gate.
It was almost dark again, my food was almost running out, so I sat on a tree branch and started eating. While I was eating in the middle of nowhere, I heard that noise again. It again lasted 10 sec and the sound wave was coming from 45 degree north and 30 degree according to my compass.
I started heading to the coordination according to my compass. I wasn’t sure about it but I kept moving. When it was almost dark I saw a big statue over the trees. I didn’t quite get what the statue was. So I started walking towards it. And I see a big old architect with trees and old statues. With dust and spider webs and creepy animals. I think this is the temple.
Finally I found it. I found another big old heavy gate and I failed to open it.
So I climbed the walls and found another path to go inside the temple.
After getting inside the temple I saw nothing but some old statues of a few people and an altar, where it looks like it was used for sacrificing a living animal or human. As I was walking towards the altar I stepped on something and it sounded like a crack. I looked down and I saw bones, skulls and skeletons of humans half visible under the leafs and dust. I got very scared and tried to get out of there. But I calmed myself down and told myself that I was here so far for nothing? Then taking some few deep breaths I started walking towards the altar again. There were so many bones and skulls under my feet. After reaching the altar. I blow the altar with my breath. I coughed a little because of the dust. I see old language written on the top of the altar. I didn’t understand anything. But there was a sign that looked like a human skull. So I thought it might need my blood. So, I cut my left hand a little and it started bleeding. I collected the blood and poured over the altar carefully and it didn’t happen. After waiting a little I cut my right hand a little with a knife and I poured the blood on the altar again carefully. And still nothing happened. It was almost dark so I found some leafs and woods to light a fire inside the temple in a corner. And tried to get some sleep while reading the book again. And I fell asleep.
At midnight I heard a loud noise and shaking again and I woke up. And I saw the altar was moving and there was my blood crawling around the lines of the altar and the main gate was opening and some statues were going under the wall out of nowhere. And the place was shaking so bad it started falling brick by brick. So I started running with the light of fire in my hand as fast as I could. I was hearing that monster noise constantly. It looks like I unleashed a demon. When I almost exited the temple, I looked back and saw a giant octopus looking at its legs over the temple in the dark. It was huge and the temple fell down. Vanished into dust in a minute. I lost my bags and stuff. All i have is the light of fire which will be gone within a few minutes and my compass and the map nothing else.
I started running towards the village as fast as I could. I fell down many times and cut myself. I hurt myself many times and started bleeding from everywhere in my body. But I was still moving. And after 12 hours of running. I was very hungry and tired and weak. I fell down beside a big tree. When I opened my eyes I saw an old woman was sitting in front of me. I was laying down in a nice cozy looking bed. And there was fire. The house was very old and dirty. I asked her who are you? Where am I? She told me you’re alive. I told her yes I’m alive. Or am I? I was confused. I told her everything that happened inside the temple. She said I awakened the beast and now I have to pay for it. I didn’t understand what she was saying. I was trying to get up and she said that I was lucky that I escaped that place without any help or getting hurt. I asked her what is gonna happen now? She told me to go to the village and leave with everyone else and never look back or come back. Or there will be great consequences. She told me to run!
I started running towards the village. After a few hours of running I finally see the village from a distance. But I see no one else. So I keep going. When I was near the house I heard crying. I slowly walked towards the door. I sensed something bad long ago that something bad is about to happen in the village. I had a gut feeling about it. And now I’m really scared that something has already happened in the village while I was gone. As I enter the room everyone is crying. I walked a little closer to see what actually happened. I mean I knew something bad was about to happen like someone being dead or missing or something supernatural.
And I was right, I see my uncle is laying down in the middle with candles lighting and some flowers. And he was very old. When I saw him before going into the jungle he was very young and sharp looking. Now his face looks like a zombie and his eyes are black like something took it and her hair is almost white as an old person. I don’t understand what happened here. So I just stare at the dead body. A few moments later my grandma says “where have you been? What happened to you? We were looking for you all over the village.” I told her I went to the jungle for answers. She asked “what answers? Are you crazy?” I asked her back what happened to uncle? She said we found him dead near the jungle a few kilometers away last night.
Now it all starts making sense and coming back together. My uncle died because of me. That beast I saw last night was real and it took my uncle’s soul. But I’m still confused about why my uncle looks like an old person? I asked my grandma what happened to his face? Why does he look so old? She says “it’s a curse of the devil.” But I didn’t understand that point. So I went outside for answers. I didn’t know what else to do.
We buried my uncle that day in the evening near the village graveyard. I was walking outside of the graveyard and suddenly a very old man came to me and asked about my uncle. I told him everything and he said I have to stay away from that jungle. It’s a soul sucker. I asked him what? How? And what the hell is happening in this village? He said nothing. I asked him about the women I saw in the jungle that saved me. He was shocked and looked back to me with his big eyes and asked me in a high tone, “You saw what? “. I said why? She helped me. He asked about her appearance and I told him that she was a good looking woman. She looks not that young and not also that old like Middle-aged. And he immediately told me to never talk to her again. He said she is a witch. I asked him how do you know that? He told me nothing and started going away from the graveyard.
After a few days we heard more people are dying like my uncle. And I was at the house. I didn’t go to the jungle for a week. So this time I think I need more answers so I decided to go back. But my family won’t let me. They said it’s very dangerous. And within 2days we will leave this village. So, I lied to them and I said okay I won’t go. But in the middle of that night I decided to leave the house and went to check for answers to what was happening in the village. As I was leaving outside and a few meters from the house. All of a sudden my cousin came and asked me where are you going? I freaked out and told him to go inside, it’s none of your business. And he said he will go with me too. If I don’t take him he will tell everyone in the house. So, I agreed. And I gave him some of my stuff to carry.
As we were going I asked him about what is actually happening in the village. He said it’s the devil. It came back for everyone. It will kill everyone. Because this village has been cursed for a long time. He told me he heard some people took the curse for a while for centuries somehow but still this devil is powerful and it can’t be killed or slayed or whatever. I said how do you know it’s a devil? He says “I don’t. just heard stories from people.” I started to believe him now. And told him let’s go find out together.
After walking for the whole day since last night we couldn’t find the witch house. So we decided to find shelter and stay the night somewhere. We saw an old tree and under the tree there was a hole. We built a small looking house for the night, we lit a fire and ate something to gain some strength for the next day. Then we went to sleep.
In the middle of the night with a sudden noise and shaking we woke up. My cousin got scared and I said don’t be scared. It will be fine. I know this sound. It was the same noise I heard a week ago and it lasted exactly 10 sec.
I went outside to look and in the distance I saw a person in the dark. I called loudly “hey, who’s there? Show yourself”. But the person vanished.
I started walking with a light fire in my hand without my cousin and suddenly after going a few distance I heard my cousins scream. And I came back running and asked him what happened? He said I saw her.
I said who? The witch? He told me nothing. He was shaking. And I see some of his hair white. And his face got some wrinkles. I was asking that that’s how the people looked who died. They were very old and their hair was so white.
I started to think that maybe that person from the graveyard is not lying. Maybe he is right. The witch is a soul sucker and she controls the beast, the monster that makes noise. After realizing this I decided to go back to the village and tell everyone about this and leave this place once and for all. But it was too late. While we ran towards the village in the night the witch appeared and started laughing. And we are trying to run faster.
When we were almost near the village my cousin and I got very tired and we found an old water tank tower so we decided to climb it and take some rest before the sun rises.
We climbed the water house and while resting, we heard that noise again of the monster. This time it was very close with its big octopus looking legs and it’s shaking so bad that the water house broke down to the ground and we barely survived with a jump from the top of the water house.
We started running again. We made it to the village and we saw everyone leaving and I told them everything. Someone came to us that time and told us that people are dying in the village. So we started packing our stuff and moving. My father and grandfather called a rescue mission for us by telling people from the city what was going on in this village. And they said it will take hours to get here. So we couldn’t wait. We started walking with everyone.
We left the house and after going a few distance away from the house for like a kilometer we heard that noise again. This time it’s almost visible to everyone’s eyes. We can see that the monster has very big giant looking legs, but those weren’t legs, those were its head. That’s how it makes a very loud noise. And if someone goes near to it it sucks their souls and they become very old and die immediately. So, we tried to run from it. After going a few kilometers we saw a helicopter from the sky and we were giving signals to rescue us. The pilot from the helicopter saw us and it came down to the ground. Everyone was getting in the helicopter. And suddenly I heard the witch’s laugh from a distance. I went to see where she was. But I saw nothing. I was standing near a heel and it was a small field.
Out of nowhere I saw nice looking flowers growing in the field. And it was coming towards me. I didn’t understand at that point what to do so I was standing and trying to look for the witch. And at the moment the helicopter was ready to fly. My girlfriend and everyone were calling me to get in the helicopter. But I feel like I was hypnotized by someone. I was just looking at the flowers and how they were growing out of nowhere. Seeing me like this my girlfriend came from the helicopter and by that time the flowers were very close to me. When she touched me and at the same time flowers also touched the ground under our feet. It was so beautiful, so cute and the smell was also heavenly. I have never seen such beautiful flowers in my life.
After my girlfriend touched me I immediately came back to reality and heard the helicopter noise and everyone else screaming at us. I grabbed her hand and then started running. While I was running I saw my mom shocked at looking at us. She grabbed her mouth with two hands in shock. So I looked at myself and nothing happened. When I looked at my girlfriend I saw her hair and face were growing old so fast. So I started running faster towards the helicopter.
And we finally made it. The flowers barely touched the helicopter. After getting in the helicopter I looked in a mirror and saw that I’m already turned into a mid aged man. And everyone was so shocked. I asked my mom and my girlfriend. How old do I look? My mom said like me. Mid aged. I am almost 50 years old. And I got scared. And started having a panic attack.
Then I heard my mom’s voice and when I opened my eyes my mom said “why are you still sleeping? It’s almost 10 AM, wake up and do your work.”
Then I was shocked and asked myself that all of it was a dream? A nightmare?
The END.
