The Prophetic dream

The decaying air and stifling atmosphere provided the perfect abode for those who worshipped the darkness rather than the light.Above me,the circling crows called out in their horrible voices making me shiver.I rubbed my bare arms,hoping the slight contact will bring me warmth. Barefooted,I ambled through the creepy forest,dead leaves crunching beneath my feet.I wasn't one who revelled at the idea of venturing alone into the forest especially one with scattered graves.I had always disliked graveyards,based on a healthy fear of coffins and corpses the thought of being around them was quite unsettling,therefore something was definitely off.My suspicions were confirmed when suddenly the doleful peal of bells pierced the air.One,two,three,I counted.This indicated a funeral was being held.I plodded forward towards the church building,heaving in huge gulps of icy fresh air.

In the middle of the forest stood the large church building,crumbling before me and surrounded by tombstones which stretched as far as the eye could see.Here and there,massive crosses towered over smaller ones,brooded with a grey that blended almost perfectly with the night.Large tracts of grass stretched across the dead lands,but I knew better,there were rest houses too,scattered and hidden in the overgrown weeds marked by an old pot or a wooden cross, which now crumbled at the hands of mother nature.

I glanced about the churchyard,perched on the wooden bench beside the church,I caught sight of a little girl dressed in black with her pigtails hanging over her bony shoulders.She stared blankly at the murky clouds above,completely oblivious of my presence.I ambled forward, the sounds of my footsteps completely drowned out by the noise emanating from the church.It seemed she was humming softly to herself,a tune I still couldn't make out as I sat down quietly beside her.

Her lips hung open,"...it is well,with my soul..."she sang suddenly.I shifted in my seat and stared at her,how I loved that song.I would have appreciated it if only it were during completely different circumstances.She turned her head and looked up at me with teary eyes and a sad smile lingering on her lips as she continued singing.She sang quietly her voice heavy with sadness.I was unable to tear my eyes off her,she looked so familiar but I couldn't place her face.She was pale with rosy cheeks and not older than ten years old.I was always good with faces and names and hers,yet so familiar still didn't ring a bell.

All of a sudden,the noise inside the church ceased so abruptly that I felt its absence as one would a sudden lack of air.I heard no signal nor call for silence,it simply stopped, cut off,as if a door had been slammed shut in a playroom filled with children. The silence that followed had a strange quality to it,like one filled with expectation,and it made me uncomfortable.

"You don't know,"the little girl said suddenly. Her voice quiet and a little strained.

"Know what?," I asked confused. She stood abruptly and tugged at my hand,pulling me towards the church doors that stood ajar and welcoming,without uttering another word.We slowly climbed up the wooden steps into the packed building,floorboards creaking beneath our weight.Everyone sat in their seats,eyes down cast, faces expressionless.I bit my tongue nervously and a metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.My heart began to pound and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise as I slowly walked up to the brown coffin that stood in the middle of the room.It lay wide open,surrounded by large portraits of the deceased and not even a flower in sight.Fear restrained my movements as I neared the coffin and the images came into place.Taking in her beautiful smile,my heart sunk to my feet.I released a shaky breath as I peered into the darkness of the coffin,hoping it was all in my head.There lay my lifeless body,pale and grey in the morning light,dressed in a white dress drenched in blood.

"What happened," I choked out.

"It hasn't happened yet but it will soon,"the little girl whispered.

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