Cable 1

Alison Pearle Cable

Y Garza
English II Honors 5th
May 5, 2015
The Masque of the Red Death
There is no need for me to formally introduce myself. In time you will come to know
who I am. Rather, I must speak of what I do. Im a free spirit, going where the wind takes me. I
dont enjoy being a sociable fellow. I tend to stick to myself, keep to my own. Others wouldnt
find me very attractive to the eye. My company is quite unpleasant as well. I ward people off
with my personality and work. I say work, really it being more of a habit. I tend to go a little over
board with this habit at times. Men fear It. It, what curses at the scent of life. It, what lurks in the
shadows. It, what plays tricks like a devil.
I find myself in a small remote kingdom. I could feel it drawing me in as if it wanted me
to take it. This desert like place in the middle of nowhere with few, but enough, faces to make it a
settling place. I linger by, making friends with the rats and sewers, eventually bathing in the
drinking well. I become bored with myself and decide to have fun. Stalking the prey is the best
part. I come across a young boy. There, I thought, how satisfying. All within a half hour Ive
drained him cold. Hes gone, probably at peace considering he was only a small lad. Later that
week I take his mother, then the following day their neighbor. Then the next day their friends and
following after that their towns kin. UntilIm afraid Ive gotten carried away again. Oh well,
none the matter. Ive finished off the kingdom, leaving an empty hole in this fragile world. Ive
filled the hole with blood.

Cable 2

Feeling parched and abandoned, I found my way through all those I could find. All was
silent and gone. Lifelessness found itself magnified by my presence. It seemed there was no
more work to be done. That is, until I heard the music; the laughter; the sounds of well lived life.
I take my time observing the magnificent castle. Was I that foolish to have forgotten the castle?
Rooms filled with parties and balls. Five or six months passed as I stalked this banquet of prey,
taking only a little something every now and then to keep up my strength, soon to discover my
stealth was all in vain. But now, there were twelve strokes to be sounded by the bell of the clock.
There fell the drum of silence among the revelers. Not a soul dare whisper. Not a
musician dare play. Even long after the final gong, not a single whisper chimed. I am not death
himself, merely a handy man of his work. I bring upon him. When you think of death, what do
you imagine? A shadow man cloaked in black with a scythe? Typical thoughts they are. I know
what the people think of me. They see me as a horrifying man. My brow and eyes sprinkled with
terror, my vesture dabbled in blood. They pictured me as a man. Perhaps to ease their minds of
what couldnt see kill them. But they know my name. Oh yes, they scream it in their minds, their
final thought. The Red Death.
I find myself a despicable creature, God knowing my appearance confirms such.
Gruesomely. The people must not die peacefully when its by my hands. I realize I havent
shared the misfortune of the prince or the rest of the party goers. Perhaps by now you know
enough about me to decide for yourself their unsettling fate. Like Ive mentioned before, I am
not death. I do his dirty work; I get a bit carried away at times. I get carried away with death.