Annabelle (Alternative Version)

Word Count: 954 - Genre: Gothic Tragedy 

ANNABELLE (Alternative Version)

“My own foolish pride has torn my life asunder...ripped my one true love from my arms forever...and shattered a delicate balance that had endured for centuries!”

“Come, sit beside the fire and hear this old man’s tale of woe....”

“In The Year of Our Lord 1625 I, the Duke of Caldwell, was a youth given everything a man could possibly desire...save for love. My faithful service to His Majesty Charles The First had brought me adventure and glory on the battlefield. My noble title granting dominion of a small, but beautiful fiefdom....but cupid’s arrow always failed to hit the mark whenever my lonely heart yearned for the companionship so basic and essential to my youthful nature.”

“Until that one bleak winter morn...I was ridding my magnificent white stallion through the deep rifts of snow when the sweetest music to ever grace my ears cast a spell over me. Bewitched, I followed the melancholy notes dancing in the brisk air. Coming at last to a simple peasant girl perched on an outcropping of snow covered stones-her flock of sheep scattered all about, foraging for scraps of bark and whiffs of hardy plants stubbornly clinging to life in spite of the relentless snow.”

“My beloved Annabelle...”

“She lowered her flute, her sparkling eyes locked on mine. Her simple corseted gown rumpled and well worn, her boots little more then fur pelts stitched together. Looking on me in my finest satin and lace. Caring nothing for my linen collar or the fine feather adorning my broad brimmed hat...we saw each other not by rank or class but as a man and woman-the fire of romance burning instantly. Hot and bright!”

“The spell of love broken my a truly ghastly sight-one of the shepherd girl’s sheep lying dead upon the freshly fallen snow. Only its horns and thick hardy wool remaining.”

“What fiend hath done this? I asked with righteous indignation. Be it man or beast I will hunt them down and bring them to The King’s Justice!”

“The shepherd girl only smiled.”

“Noble knight, I am touched by your gallantry but there is nothing that can be done...a werewolf haunts this land, stalking through the dark shadows of the forest whenever the moon is full.”

“I will slay this monster!”

“Nay, stay your hand my Duke. In every man and maiden lurks a true animal nature, there since the very dawn of time itself. The civilized and wild in constant struggle, each yearning for dominance...but a bargain must be stuck.”

“What bargain?! I asked with revulsion.”

“The strictest piety must endure a few cracks, just as the tallest tree must bend in the wind.”

“I nodded in understanding...though her words brought only puzzlement to my mind.”

“The days that followed were the happiest of my life, a euphoria of true love that has burned brightly in my memories ever since...but it was not to last.”

“The thought of that vile creature lurking through the night...stalking my beloved’s prized flock preoccupying my every thought. Despite Annabelle’s endless pleading to let it be.”

“The sun can not ALWAYS brighten the sky."

"She would say."

"Nor can the moon rule the darkness FOREVER. You must accept the balance of nature...for if you seek to tip the scales to far, the entire tapestry will unravel.”

“Her constant reassurances that the monster had NEVER ONCE harmed a man or maiden-that no child had even laid eyes on it failed to sway my conviction. Although she was content with a handful of her own cherished sheep lost I was not!”

“I resolved to slay the beast once and for all!”

“The full moon had risen to its apogee, against a midnight sky as black as a raven’s feathers. An eerie mist clung to the bare branches of the forest trees that sheltered me as I lay in wait.”

“The werewolf emerged from the mist like a nightmare granted living form. Skulking toward the unsuspecting sheep huddled together for warmth and protection.”

“Have at you! I shouted as I seized my moment-charging the monster with a howl of furry. My stance flawless! One fist clenched behind my back-my rapier thrusting again and again. The fine steel clanging with the impact of those frightful claws, but doing no harm to the towering beast!”

“A swipe of its mighty forearm knocking me to the ground in a crumpled heap-my prized sword lost in the deep snow. Undaunted I leapt onto the monster’s broad shoulders-trying in vain to choke the life out of the huge hulking beast...my strong hands unable to reach past the muscular shoulders that thrash to and fro wildly.”

“The animalistic strength was to much-the beast flinging me down like a rag doll...but just as all seemed lost I was on my feet in an instant! I drew my pistol....and fired a single carefully aimed shot.”

“The werewolf frozen in its deadly pounce...the bullet of the purest silver, blessed by the Archbishop of Canterbury himself, whistling through the air.”

“My jubilation in my hard fought victory melting away as I gazed deeply into the eyes of the dying creature...saturated with so much sadness.”

“To my everlasting DEVASTATION I bore witness to the metamorphosis of the monster back into its human form....the sad, pitiable sight of human flesh bleached of all color as the life drains away. The hulking frame of the monster transforming into the frail figure that collapsed into my startled arms. Those sorrowful, lifeless eyes locked on mine as I cried out, my wail of anguish shattering the perfect stillness of midnight...”

“My beloved Annabelle!”