As the Tale Goes

The hills were not a place to consider visiting lightly. As the tale goes: any who see a figure must turn and run without looking back, otherwise the consequences may be fatal. Me and my companion decided we wanted to check it out for ourselves and we set off on a hike up the great hills. The mist was heavy and grey upon reaching the top and there placed in the centre was a completely abandoned playground. The pink and green frame was littered with rust and the string of one of the swings was broken, a little further away a pink tower could be seen with a pointy roof resting on the top.

We scanned the area agreeing it was eerie and looked towards the tower. A silhouette of a small, dark figure could be seen stood inside; already spooked, we decided to turn and head back down, not looking back once during our descent. The second time there were more of us, five or six I would say, all chatting happily as we ascended the same hill. The path was covered in mud and weeds and the whole trail was very poorly maintained and certainly rarely used. As we reached the top, the same fog lingered over the rotting playground, stripping it of any sun light.

We wandered around, looking at the dusty slide and climbing frame that looked like it had never been touched but was rusting and falling apart. A few of the others began to head over to the pink tower and as I turned to look, I saw the same small, silhouetted figure from last time. The others had seen it too as they were all locked in a stare. As they shared their awe, I reminded them that it was probably time for us to leave and we slowly began to walk away. This time we turned around, to check if it was still there and the figure still stood there unmoving. We waited for a second in silence then burst out laughing as we realised nothing bad had happened.

We all ran down the hill, rolling and laughing and enjoying the new found rays of light that were bursting through the fog. The lower we got the brighter the sun shone down on our faces, providing a warm glowing feeling that can only be described as heavenly. As we lay down at the bottom of the hill my vision started to become grey and fuzzy and I could no longer breathe or see. From a third person perspective, I now see my own body lying lifeless at the bottom of the hill, the same dark figure stood over the top of me. It has no features, just a silhouette.

The realisation set in as I remembered looking back at the figure, despite the tale telling me not to, living in a brief imaginary moment of bliss, I am now faced with the dark and dismal consequences of my actions.

Check out a visual representation of this dream here.