Waltzing with Death
Original Short Story by (Pen name) Salena Acres
Started: October 28th, 2010
Ended: November 4th, 2010
Original Short Story by (Pen name) Salena Acres
Started: October 28th, 2010
Ended: November 4th, 2010
I nearly ran into the Paris Opera House when we were getting near the front door. I looked over to my escort for the night, Felix, and have him a wide smile beneath my feathery mask. Tonight for the Bal Masque, I was an angel. I had a gold halo, a white feathery mask, and a white beautiful ball gown accented with silver designs. I also had a pair of feathery wings. My green emerald eyes were filled with wonder and excitement. Felix was wearing a white mask and a his evening clothes, just as most of the men were wearing.
He returned my smile and grasped my hand as we walked into the Opera House. The room was hot with so many people in one place, but I did not mind. Everyone was dancing to the speed of the music that the musical director was conducting, he had complete power of the speed of the music, therefore the speed of the people. Everyone was dancing and exchanging with other patrons. I was a Prima Ballerina and Felix was a favored patron.
Felix wisped me away and we joined the pressing crowd of dancers. I looked up and stared into his dark blue eyes. His black hair was combed and my straight blonde was falling over my shoulders. I saw a smile spread across his full lips.
“You know you are the most beautiful in the room Clara,” She said in his soft voice. I blushed at his compliment. “You are even catching that gentlemen’s attention!” He said with a laugh.
I followed his gaze and saw who he was referring to and I gasped. He was wearing an all black mask, and a dark cloak covered the clothes underneath. I did not know why but the man sent shivers up my spine and gooseflesh rose on my arm. He was close enough to where I could see his black, seemingly soulless eyes. He was staring right at me!
I quickly looked away and pulled Felix off the dance floor. When he gave me a confused look I gave a halfhearted laugh. “I need a little break, all this dancing is making me dizzy!” I said giving him a smile. “You can go and socialize and I will rest awhile,” I said giving a little smile and I made my way over to a sofa that was not too occupied.
***
He had followed her all the way from her home to the Opera House with her escort. He was in a well paid cab as it made its way to the Bal Masque. He was well prepared tonight to make his well thought plan a reality. He was growing bored of his usual kills and need a bit of fun now and again, and tonight was one of those nights. He was Death himself coming to a masked ball to trap and kill this girl.
He made it in before her and waited in the spinning crowd. When she finally arrived he gasped. She looked stunning in her costume of an angel, for she looked like a true angel. He shook his head and remembered what he was here to do. When her escort pointed him out she looked and he could see the fear in her eyes. He fed off that fear. She quickly pulled herself and her dance partner off the floor, and he quickly followed.
He found her on one of the many plush sofas that had almost no one else on it. She looked a frightened when she saw him coming, but quickly re-composed herself.
“Good evening,” He said his voice without emotion. She looked up at him and have him a slight nod.
“Would you like to dance mademoiselle?” He asked extending a gloved hand to her. Her bright green eyes looked into hers and then to the hand and then she put her hand in his silently.
He led her to the dance floor and they begun to dance. He spun her so quickly that she seemed to get a bit dizzy but did not ask to stop. He looked at the perfect features of her face, her full painted lips, high cheek bones, and her beautiful eyes the color of emeralds. He found himself getting a bit light headed as his eyes gazed into her.
His arm was on the small of her back and he drew her closer to him. She gasped a little but did not draw back or decline, she just kept staring at him with a entranced look on her face. He could not explain what he was feeling but his usual coldness was retracting being replaced by an unknown feeling, a warmer feeling . . .
***
As I danced with this unknown man everything else seemed to disappear all around me. I stared into his dark eyes and noticed something changing about them, they seemed to soften just a little, and unless you were not looking close such as I was you could not notice.
We spun around the other dancers almost not taking notice of them. He was a graceful dancer as if he had done this for all eternity. I glanced over his shoulder and realized no one else was in the ball room! I looked up with a look of confusion, but I felt it melt away when I looked into his eyes, I was once more entranced under his binding spell.
The music still playing faster still, and so in return he spun me around the room at a quicker pace. His cloak unfurled and like wings were flung behind him as if the chilling wind outside had snuck in the building. My hair flung in my face too as we danced and I felt the cold on my bare arms and goose bump rose on my skin.
***
He looked down on her as the warmth spread throughout his body. He had never felt anything like this when he looked on any mortal women he had ever encountered. He was puzzled by how this was happening to him.
He gazed at her and saw all of her innocence. He knew the world would trample her and take advantage of her. All he wanted to do was shield her from the evils of the world. So he took her into his world, away from crime, aging, sickness, and killing.
Her golden hair ticked his face as it ble
w into the cold wind. He gave her a small smile as he thought he was going to kill her earlier tonight! Now he knew he would not be able to bring himself to do it.
He was in love with her.
***
It was growing close to midnight when it began to bother me about all the missing people. Where did they go? Where was Felix? At first it did not bother me that they were gone, but now, now it was making ice go through my very veins. I shivered from the wind and he took his cloak and wrapped it around the both of us, blocking out the wind.
I gasped as it rung midnight, time for everyone who was here to take off their masks… I then began to wonder what his face looked like. I looked with a face of wonder at the black plain mask and the black eyes that were shown in the eye holes. I began to raise my hand off his shoulder towards it, that was when he snatched it so fast that I did not even have time to react. His grip was not tight around my pale wrist as he lifted it to touch his cheek, he must not have known my true intentions.
I gently touched where his cheek would be underneath the mask . . .
***
As she stroked his cheek he smiled, not an evil smile, but a genuine joyful smile. He closed his eyes as they stopped dancing and stood there and the clock rang. His arm was still around her waist when it happened. She mercilessly ripped the mask from his face.
Oh, the horror he saw in her eyes as her beautiful eyes fell upon his gruesome features! Her angelic face changed from the hypnotized state it was in to a silent frozen scream. She tried to run away but he still had her wrist and he pulled her back to him and made her look once more at his face.
“Look! Look at the face of Death! Yes young Clara, it is me Death!” He yelled sneering making him more hideous than he was before.
***
I could not believe the sight that was before me when I pulled the mask away. His skin appeared as if all the blood had been drained from his body. His eyes were not just black on the irises, but where the white should have been was also a lifeless black. His head looked as if had rotted away like a corpse’s after years.
When I tried to run he pulled me back and made me take a long and hard look at his face. When he yelled at her I began to sob uncontrollably. I started to hit him in defense with my other hand. I tried to rip away, but his grip was tight. I heard my bones starting to crack! I screamed and finally ripped away from his harmful grip.
I ran towards the door. As I ran it seemed the people started to come back to the dance floor. I shoved some aside and some called after me and gave me cold glares. I ran into Felix’s arms crying, my eyes started to soak his cloak by the time he pried me off of him. He handed me his handkerchief and demanded me to tell him what was wrong.
***
He watched her run. She was running from the terrible truth that showed on his face. As she ran she escaped his world into her own, he watched with a painful gaze as he longed to be the man who’s arms she ran into. He longed to be the one to comfort her and ask her what had happened.
All he wanted was someone to share eternity with, someone to hold and care for and love, but the horror of what he was, the horror of who he was, was just too much for her to bare.
He stood there as the world around him began to crumble down around his feet. He fell to his knees and sobbed one long, heart wrenching sob. He grabbed where a heart should be and he knew, at this moment if he had one anymore it would ache, but she had it know, she always would.
He also knew one day, she would have to come back. One day he had to come for her, and that day she would not, could not escape. One day she would join him for all of eternity. That was the day he began waiting for.
