In an cavern located in what is now considered Romania four figures stood in the icy cold waters

of the underground lake. They were standing in a half moon facing a fifth person who was facing
out, just a few yards from the drop off. Singing to the deep dark waters below. Max had lit the
tourches in the ceiling to help illuminate. Her arrows were able to reach over the water, giving
just enough light.
Knee deep in water they needed to see what was around them. “Five little ducks went swimming
one day” The 5th figure started singing into the darkness in front of her. Her sweet voice drifted
over the still water and echo’d off the walls. “Over the hill and far away” she sang out briefly. “ I
really don’t understand ?” Nessa said as she shuffled in the water. She was the smallest of the
group, the water was at her mid thighs. Her short hair and small body was perfect for crawling
into small spaces but she was miserable in the cold water. “She trained the damn thing to come to
this song” Seph responded shaking her head. She matched Athena in her build and size. Tall and
lean. Her blonde hair at times was the only indicator that she was not in fact their leader. She was
one of the original 5 chosen by the council in reguards to Philip. Sephs naturally Golden
highlights spun around into a braid as it hung over her shoulder.
“Of course she did” Nessa shook her head as she and Seph stood in the middle facing Athena.
Max and Kat on the outer corners. “Mama duck said quack quack quack and 4 little ducks came
waddling back” Athena finished singing out. The others spun around weapons in hand, waiting
for something to appear. The waters moved about lapping at the walls but nothing broke above
the surface. “We should get deeper” Seph said as they all took a few steps forward. “ maybe it
died” Max said as she looked around at the fairly clean cave. No foul smell arose from its depths.
Something she would expect from a monster this size. She put her knives back into her belt.
Keeping her hands on her hips, relaxed. “Then why would we be here?” Kat whispered back. “
the call was because so much live stock have gone missing.” She had notice the soft sand they
were walking on wasn’t littered with any debris or objects that they had to avoid. “But where are
the bones?” Seph questioned to herself. Athena started her song again. “4 little ducks went
swimming one day” she began. “ Dead. I vote dead” Max proclaimed to the rest of the group.
Seph returned her sword to her back and crossed her arms. “Who should we be looking for
then?” She asked. “Mass murderer? There was that one lady from around here, with the virgins
right?” Max questioned Athena was trying to ignore the conversation behind her; continue with
her song but this made her chuckle. “That was not my fault” Seph responded almost
 immediately. “So your fault” Athena whispered over her shoulder. Kat giggled. Nessa returned
her sword to its sheath and crossed her arms in thought “Dead” Seph voted. Athena sighed “Over
the hill and far away” she continued. “Mama duck said quack quack QUACK” Athena sung out
as emotionally as she could into the darkness as though she herself was calling out to her lost
child. She let the last note hang in the air and they heard it echo down the chamber into the
deeper dark parts they could not see. Nothing returned her call. Athena spun around and looked
at Seph. “I don’t remember the cavern being this deep.” She said as a question more then a
statement. “Are we in the right one?” Seph responded “Dead” Nessa finally decided as a chill
from the water ran up her back. “Not dead” Athena responded distracted in thought “the bones
could be at the bottom of the pool” Kat tried to explain. Athena pointed at her as if in agreement
“ Kat’s on my side.” “Dead” Nessa,Seph and Max all repeated. “ but how else would it lure its
victims here” Kat explained. “ some nasty smelling cave would turn people away. Think about it.
A nice cool cave. Secluded, romantic” “Cows have gone missing” was all Max was able to say
before something from the depths reached out and grabbed her leg pulling her under the water
quickly before releasing her inches away from Athena. 30 yards from where she originally stood.
Max shot up coughing and shaken for a brief moment. She was built like a gladiator, square and
stout. Nothing knocks Max down in battle she reminded herself as she regained control. The rest
of the group looked on. All of their weapons had returned to their hands. Athena looked at Max
shaking her head with a smile “would we like to change our vote?” Athena asked as she helped
Max get back on her feet. Max shook her head and returned the smile as she pulled her knifes
back out. “I think I slipped” was all she said as Athena laughed turning back to darkness to finish
her song.
submitted by /u/say_bae
[visit reddit] [comments]
Read Full Article

Visit website
 Show original
.
 Share
.
 Favorite
.
 Email
.
 Add Tags
[HR] A Confession of Love
Short Stories - Reddit by /u/emmanuel_pacings - 8h ago

o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
To my dear friend Maria,
We have been friends for five years now, but being the coward I am I have never been able to
write this simple truth, much less put it into audible words. That truth being, that from the bottom
of my heart and with utmost sincerity, I love you dearly.
I am afraid that is all really, I have never been much for expressing love, my brother has always
been the romantic, meanwhile, I have always been more of the straightforward persuasion as you
know. So with great melancholy, I must confess that words greater than I love you, continue to
elude me. Now you may be asking yourself, what has brought upon this confession? Well, it is a
simple fact that after this day is over I believe I may possibly never see, or be able to write to you
again.
Let me explain with ample context and in short summary.
As you know I came to this university mustering up the little money I had and could earn in
order to become a scientist, a seeker of truth, as well as to hopefully bring some prestige to my
name. I wrote to you a great deal in those first few weeks, as I hope you recall, however, was
soon swept up in my studies, hence the reason you have not heard from me until now. In the span
between letters much has happened, the most important of which is that I made a friend. A fellow
student named Howard P. Falls, a fast-talking, slim Scottish fellow.
We became fast friends, our personalities and tastes complimenting the other.
Howard was studying entomology and language, the reason why he never revealed the answer
too until months into our friendship, you see my friend Howard Falls, wished to find the first
language. An interesting pursuit, but it was the reason for this pursuit that perplexed me as I was
again of a more scientific mind. He believed that the first language was the key to knowledge
and power, perhaps it was indeed the language the Christian God used to create the world. The
abilities of angels, he believed could be gained through discovering it.
I scoffed at him, and he said he vowed to prove it. And after that, I did not hear about the subject
for a time even as our conservations and meetings grew longer. It was soon after, with winters
break approaching, (again I apologize I could not be home, but I was immensely behind in my
studies due to a sickness only a week prior) that he brought it up again, he said that he had
gained funds for an expedition to Africa, of how he obtained them I do not know, but he
explained that since mankind originated from Africa as many sources and theories suggest. That
it was possible that clues on that mysterious continent may lead him to an important discovery. I
wished him luck and he was off.
Now, what Howard found there, I do not know, upon what ground he walked I hope is lost
forever and of the cursed place, he visited I pray that it never again see the light of day again. For
clues, he did indeed find.
He told me with glee that his clue had been found when he returned to the college and that his
research was coming to a head. He locked himself in his dorm room then, absorbing himself in
his work for some time, I scarcely heard from him for weeks. Till one day, in the middle of a
pitch black night, he came to in my dorm.
I remember his words clearly, for in them there was a sort of mad glee, as I awoke to him
slapping my face lightly, "I've done it, my friend! Hurry quickly! I've done it, I have unlocked
the powers of the angels." I got sat up and observed him, a tired and confused look donning my
features.
He quickly explained to me that through a discovery in Africa and his studies of etymology he
had deciphered the first language and gained amazing abilities. I was skeptical of course, this
seemed more in line with magic than anything scientific, and magic does not exist, or so I
thought at that point in time. I began to wonder if he was truly alright, in the head at least.
Perhaps he had caught something in Africa? Or maybe he was so overworked he had begun to
imagine things. However, after a bit of goading, I was willing to go along with him to his dorm
after getting dressed in proper attire, if not to humor him, at least to put a stop to his silly
fantasies.
Once I was there he turned on the lights and smiled with that same mad glee, motioning for me
to sit on his bed, which I obliged. He then dragged his chair to the middle of the room and stood
back, sitting next to me and began mumbling something unintelligible, of their sound and of his
tone I cannot recall, what I do recall quite clearly is the moment after he stopped speaking for
suddenly the whole chair burst into flames.
My jaw went slack, my eyes opened as wide as saucers, even as I write this I can hardly believe
it and I know it must sound even less believable to you. But believe me, that night I was of sound
mind and I cannot in good faith deny what I saw.
He mumbled a few words then and the flames dissipated as quickly as they had appeared, the
chair was charred black and ashen, proof that what I saw was not part of my imagination, My
scientific mind was reeling, this was not just improbable it was impossible. it went against
everything my teachers taught. Yet I observed it with my own eyes. Quickly I asked him if he
could do it again, perhaps it was a magician trick, he did it and I watched him repeat the
progress, making sure there was no strings or secret levers he was using. I found no evidence for
this and yet again the chair caught fire and again the flames dissipated. The chair was on the
verge of falling apart then. As well as my concept of the universe.
"Pretty impressive right?" I remember him saying to me.
Impressive? I thought to myself. No this was amazing, no, insane, crazy. Absolutely mad. I
accused him of trickery. Which he denied. Pointing at me and saying a few more words I could
not decipher, I found myself then levitating off the floor, as if suddenly my blood was replaced
with helium and I was turned into a balloon. I gasped, weightless, I was weightless, how, wait,
what? I stared at him as I floated higher my feet were now aloft at a height of about forty inches.
"Let me down!" I gasped.
He obliged saying a few words, which returned gravity to me. I caught myself on the bed frame
as my feet hit the floor and stumbled. The proof was undeniable now, this was no stage show, I
was no actor in on a secret. It was then that Howard said that he wished to do something utterly
amazing, that he wished for me to record for a scientific journal and to perceive with my own
eyes. What it was he would not tell me, he said only to meet in the woods after classes the next
morning.
I left his dorm and made my way back to my own, I slept little that night. In class the next day I
could neither focus nor contemplate my studies. My mind was simply focused on Howard.
After my last class came to an end I could scarcely wait as I hurried through the halls and out of
the college to make my way to the woods. I arrived to find Howard standing on its threshold.
Joining up with him, we made our way into the trees.
We came to a clearing in the woods about a mile in and he told me to stop, I opened my
notebook which I had clutched in my hand and drew a pen from my pocket which I uncapped
ready to record what my friend Howard was prepared to do, eyes observing every detail with a
morbid curiosity, he nodded at me and then turned away and preceded to spout a large mass of
unintelligible sentences, his words spewing forth from his tongue and into the air. And as he did
so I began to notice something, the air in front of Howard began to shimmer, as like a heat wave
in the desert, and soon something began to materialize. What did eventually appear before my
eyes I dare not describe, for even now as I write this I can feel the image I have worked so hard
to suppress, attempt to make its way into my conscience. And I do not wish to place my mind's
eye on such a demonic thing at the moment. Honestly, I wish I could never think of it again, but
as I write this I tremble for I know soon I will have to see it soon...but I am getting ahead of
myself.
Howard looked as surprised as I felt, I dropped my book and pen, freezing up, being ceased with
a sudden terror at being in the presence of such a monster. Howard opened his mouth to speak,
but the creature hit Howard before he could so much as utter a syllable, making him fly back into
the woods and into a tree. I did not know if he was dead, or alive...all I could do was wait and see
what happened to me. But the creature, that daemonic thing. Did not take any particular interest
in me and after standing still for a long moment, as if deciding what to do with me, it simply
turned and went off into the woods.
I was too stunned to move and indeed I did nothing for a long epoch of time. Only a long moan
from Howard snapped me back to my senses. I went to him, he was alive, yes, but even better
nothing was broken. I helped him to his feet and we made our way to the college, both silent and
pale as if we had seen ghosts, indeed evaluating myself in a mirror soon after the experience I
believe some of my hairs have turned gray. Upon entering the college I walked Howard back to
his dorm, he turned to me and said simply in a small, sad voice.
"What have I done my friend? I did not mean for that to happen...I said the wrong words..."
The sun is nearly gone now, I knew I should have begun writing this sooner, time to explain is
running out. I will simply add this to what is written above. After that morning in the woods
there have been odd happenings, animals nearby the college are disappearing, reports of a
strange creature in the woods have been popping up. Property nearby, and even the college itself
has been subject to peculiar vandalisms that seem to be committed by an animal, or a pack of
animals. Even a few people have vanished. Meanwhile, Howard has begun to become more
secluded in his dorm, not even speaking with me. That is until today. Today he finally broke the
silence between us. He says he believes he can take rid the world of this monster that he brought
into this world, that he knows how to defeat it, but he needs my help...he also says there is a very
large chance that we will not come out of those woods, alive at least...
That is why I write this, for we are going soon, within the hour even, to find the creature when
the sun sets and darkness is upon us, the role I will play I do not know, and if what Howard P.
Falls says is true. I will most likely be dead by tomorrow. God forgive Howard, forgive me for
even entertaining his fantasies and not stopping to question his discoveries. Regardless this is
something that must be done, the abomination must be dealt with, and if not by us then who else?
My Maria I love you, forgive me,
Signed, your dearest friend, Norman Clied.