The Stroke of Midnight | Teen Ink

The Stroke of Midnight

October 4, 2016
By paradox123 BRONZE, Bluffton, Minnesota
paradox123 BRONZE, Bluffton, Minnesota
3 articles 0 photos 0 comments

The full moon hung high, bathing the desolate road in an eerie beam of white silky moonlight. The trees stood tall stretching their gnarled slim fingers high to the moon as if to pluck it off and remove any light from this dismal landscape that few dared to travel past the stroke of midnight. The bats, their movements precise flew through the hanging beams of moonlight, silent observers of the night.
A lone woman walked the road, her silky red dress billowing out amongst her as she walked, wide brown eyes staring straight ahead, wavy brown tresses flowing down her back, swaying with the breeze. She was alone here in this new place with nothing but the clothes on her back, forced to leave home after the death of her parents. She was to meet the stagecoach at the train depot but was surprised to step onto the platform and be greeted with an empty land. The train had pulled off leaving her alone and empty, she had waited till dark but the stagecoach never came and soon she was forced to head of down the deserted old road leading to the unknown.
Now here she was alone and afraid. Would she make it to the town? Was there even a town here? Would she survive the night? Thoughts, scenarios and dread swirled through her brain but she continued on. What else could she do?
The sound of hooves thudding on the dried dirt echoed around her in the darkness. She whipped around, her hair and dress spinning out around her yet she paid them no heed, her eyes locked on the glowing orange light heading through the darkness. The thudding continued, her breath halted in her chest as she made out a figure in the dark. What was it? What could it be?
Did she want to know?
The figure appeared closer and closer until she could make out the more prominent details, it was, a carriage? The orange light emitted from a lantern, a figure cloaked in black sat upon the seat, a black muscled horse at the head, smokey breath wafting from its muzzle. It slid to a stop in front of her. As she slightly relaxed, a gruff voice fluttered into her ears as the driver turned towards her. Her eyes flew up to land on his face, a startled gasp leaving her lips. The hood of the cloak was hanging over his head leaving his face black as if there was nothing behind the darkness. “Do you need a ride to Sleepy Hollow miss?” Her voice left her open lips, a soft stuttering breath of quiet. “That would be most helpful sir.”
  The cloaked figure gave a nod of acknowledgment and stepped down from the seat, the black stallion shifted uneasily as the man walked back and opened the carriage door. She stepped forward, small soft hand landing in a black gloved one, delicate slender bodice moving up the steps and into the cab. The door closed with a loud thud in the quiet darkness. The man moved back with precise movements almost predatory as he lifted up and into the seat, gathering the reins in one hand and whip in the other. The whip flew through the air, sending the black beast forward into a deadly fast paced run. A gasp leaving the cab had the cloaked figure smirking. Of course it would be a smirk if he had a face to hold it upon. You don't need a face when you do not exist. The carriage carried on, slowly fading away, the blackness engulfing it, taking it home to the deepest darkest parts of the imagination, wear the reaper belonged.
The girl never made it to the town where her caretaker was waiting. She was never seen for that matter. We do not know what happened to the brown haired girl with gentle brown eyes on that lonely dark road. The only witnesses being the bats that flew high that night through the hanging beams of moonlight where the happenings of the reaper would be forever hidden on that lonely dark road past the stroke of midnight.



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