"I want to read the Braille of moonlight on your skin," a husky voice whispered in my ear. I turned to face the voice and saw only shadows dancing on the wall.
"Who said that?" I asked. No one answered.
An opal fire flamed in the fireplace, changing from deep red to electric blue and back to brilliant yellow and orange. When I looked closely at the flame, I saw shapes within it, melding and separating in breathtaking speed.
It was a blood moon, a red sky in October. The wind blew through the magnolia, causing the leaves to rustle together. I could hear the distant call of an owl, asking the night a question.
Moonlight lit the shadows, but not enough to reveal their secrets. Did I want to know them? Dark secrets can reveal more to a person that one is willing to see. Demons lurk inside us, biting our flesh and drinking our blood. I calmed mine with wine.
Midnight announced itself with clock's chime, the witching hour of October phantoms. I was warned that if I selected to remain awake, I would encounter the most fearsome creature that lurked in shadows on Hallows Eve. But I refused to believe the warning.
The skeptic in me laughed at the ranting of an old fool. But now, watching opal fires dance and hearing the voice cloaked in shadows, I realized I was the fool. The clock told me it was just a minute past the hour; maybe I could hide away under the covers of my bed, like a child. Everyone knows that when one hide under the bedcovers, monsters couldn't venture within.
I ran. My ruby silk robe billowed behind me, like a handkerchief waving. The shadows followed me. A force from behind knocked me onto the bed. Silk shredded like paper under demonic claws. I struggled and fought, as hot hands rubbed my body in places that were sacred. Every touch made the demons I fought within, scream for release.
