Recently started into my very first novel. I'm still trying to figure the title out, and the plot itself, but I felt like sharing what I have for the prologue so far.
The autumn breeze was crisp, flavoring the air with a scent of solemn leaves. My lips carved a delicate smile of gratitude, and as I lifted my chin and counted the remaining shops yet to be closed, a door jiggled at the arrival of a new guest entering the coffee shop around the corner. I began to stroke my mitten, precise on my calculations. Seven shops would close by sundown, just as the stars caught up with the moon. I pursed my lips, cracked and dry, feeling overwhelmed as a flood of people started down the street past me. The shops began to close, seven becoming six, then leveling to five, until only two shops remained open: A bakery, and the newest arrival to our little town, a yarn shop that went by the name ‘Yarn N’ Stuff’. (I found the name very unoriginal, but for the owners it stuck.)
With an inward sigh soft as the snow that would soon line the streets, I entered the bakery. As I stepped inside, I was greeted by a young man, his hair slick black and eyes deep brown. I studied his face for a moment; silent and unwavering. His face was narrow with pencil thin eyebrows and a frown that expressed a long day of work.
“Sorry, were closed.” He grunted, pulling off his apron with clumsy hands as he exited the back of the counter to confront me.
I crossed my arms with a disappointed and rather narrow look. “From what I see, you’re still open,” I gestured to the open sign, still facing the outside of the store.
“I was just on my way to change that,” the boy answered sharply, passing me with a glance and flipping the sign around to ‘Sorry, were closed’.
“It’s seven fifty-eight.” I spoke in a delicate voice, slowly inching away from the door and nearing the counter.
He craned his head around, looking slightly annoyed. “What?”
“There’s still three minutes before the shop closes.” I cocked my head, leaning over the counter. “You wouldn’t close early on a customer, would you?”
He studied me for a moment, and drew in a tired sigh. With that, he slid behind the counter, facing me with a direct glare. “Well? I don’t have all day.”
I listed the items on my list, waiting silently as he piled everything into a white paper bag. Money and bakery goods were exchanged, and I hurried out the door.
I turned, waving my goodbyes to the grumpy boy. He ignored me, and disappeared behind the selection of bakery goods.
I slowly parted from the bakery, closing the door behind me and heading onward towards the flickering lights of a cabin up ahead. The streets were quiet, missing the numerous amounts of passengers it once held. I shivered, tightening my scarf and nearly suffocating myself in the process.
I took the shortcut into the woods, hesitating for a few moments before plunging into the thicket. The eerie silence I endured on the root-infested path was worst then it had been on the streets.
A twig cracked somewhere in the thick shadows. I paused for a short moment, running comforting thoughts through my head. It was probably just a squirrel, or a bird…
The fear passed. I walked on at a steady pace, my breath forming foggy shapes in the frigid air.
The thicket rustled, and a massive creature made its way in front of me with long strides. I would have screamed, but my throat tightened. It paused, turning its long muzzle to stare at me. I squinted. In the thick darkness, it was hard to make out what it was, but my imagination was already toying with its presence. A wolf, perhaps? No. It was much too large to be a wolf. The clouds shifted; a streak of moonlight rained down upon the creature. A startled gasp escaped my lips, cut off short by a loss of breath. It looked of a dog, only double the size (make that triple), with pointed ears and a long, thin muzzle. Its tail curled over its back, reminding me of a huskies’, except for the tail bone sprouting from the tip. Of course, that wasn’t what disturbed the creature of its figure. Flesh was torn and hanging limply; bone and tissue was easily defined among the clots of blood and gashes. I turned a sickly shade of white, watching as the creature narrowed its blank eyes on me. It’s muzzled was torn and missing skin, revealing sets of teeth and a cracked jaw bone that clattered as it suppressed a snort.
I should have run. But I couldn’t. A streak of memories settled in my mind, but they were fuzzy and retreated within moments. There was my mother, smiling kindly and soothing me with kind words, placing me inside my cradle and rocking me gently. Moments later, she was on the ground, bloodied and dead, and a baby that was me crying softly in a confused The creature flicked back it’s ears, tail wagging lightly as if it was deciding what to do with me. Maybe it would leave. Maybe it wouldn’t. I waited helplessly, body frozen in terror.
Its lips peeled back into a low snarl, claws pricking the frozen ground. Then it turned, ribs nearly visible beneath the flabby, hairless skin, and vanished into the thicket.
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