In the dead of night, there lay a swamp outside the far reaches of what is now Utah. The tall, moss-covered trees looked to be hulking shapes, ready to snatch anyone who stepped in their path. The moon was a new moon this night, hidden amongst the gathering clouds of a storm. The only light visible was the sparkle of occasional starlight that poked through the thick trees. A soft symphony of crickets and night insects filled the warm, moist air. If one looked about, it was pitch black for miles around. Among the soft sounds of the insect symphony, there was a low grumbling sound. Almost like a crocodile. But underneath the grumbling and hissing, a barely audible vibration sounded with every hiss.
On the other side of the swamp, Joseph was running as fast as he could. Sweat marred his brow and hair, and his shoes covered in mud. He wasn’t sure how he had been running for, but he stopped once he reached a certain section. Joseph sat on the mud-covered ground and tried to think about what to do. The last thing he remembered was reading a book about dinosaurs in a weird, old library. There was something the librarian said. What was it? The latter could not remember as he managed to stand up. The flashlight he was holding was slick with mud and water, and he dropped it. As Joseph reached down to grab it, he heard something behind him.
It almost sounded like a bird. The latter shrugged and grabbed his flashlight and was about to walk away. But then he stopped when he realized. That didn’t sound like a bird. A low rumbling sounded, almost as if it was next to his ear. Joseph thought he heard hissing. Immediately, he slowly began to back up. Shit. What if it’s a crocodile? He had almost walked away enough to not hear the sound when he heard something else. The air vibrated. That didn’t make any sense. How does air vibrate? It continued to do so. Joseph walked closer, trying to figure out what the hell he was hearing. The flashlight was very close to dying at this point, he had been using it for what seemed like hours. Just one look, then I’ll figure out what I’m doing here.
Joseph flashed his light onto the source of the sound, and his entire body froze. The flashlight was at death’s door, but it was just bright enough to see. A large head was covered in spines, scaly and had a horn covering its nose. Almost like a rhinoceros. Joseph saw a set of white, razor teeth protruding from the creature’s mouth, saliva dripping from it. He remembered what the librarian said. Read the books dear, but whatever you do, don’t make the wish to enter. You won’t come back. Nobody will be able to bring you back. Joseph thought of those words as the creature slowly turned its head curiously at him. The insect symphony increased as the flashlight slowly faded to black.
Helenmollybooks 