The Red Ribbon

There is a house.

A house long since forgotten by the rest of the world, that sits on the corner of Poe Bend and Shelly Street.

The average passerby would not notice it through all of the dying trees that shrouded it, almost protectively as if they were trying to hide some buried secret.

The house itself is old, by far the oldest house around, having been built in the 18 hundreds, it's looming doorway and pointed frame is typical to something of its time. It's shingles peeling and falling from the four story roof, and it's once new coat of blood red paint is chipping to reveal the rotting wood beneath.

Everything about the house was dead, in fact the only sign of life was the occasional sighting of a ghastly face peering ominously out the window... but just as soon as it appeared it would vanish behind the torn curtains, once a rich velvet.

Adults would shake their heads and mutter that they were seeing things, after all the woman who had lived their had died almost half a century ago, there was no one living in the ancient house. They would carry on their way, pretending nothing had happened.

The local children, however, were an entirely different story, their young senses, not yet drowned out to the unexplainable of the world, would tingle with the ancient evil that seemed to engulf them anytime they walked by, taunting them, daring them to come in and play. They would turn to their mother, begging her to walk faster, to help them get away from the evil house, but she would just click her tongue disapprovingly pausing only a second to tell her child there was nothing bad about abandoned house in front of them. It was only a house, it couldn't hurt them, then she would turn beaconing to her child and carry on her way as if nothing had happened.

The woman was right. Houses can't hurt you. They are not alive, they are a composition of dead items fused together to make shelter. However, it is the things inside the houses that can hurt you,the strange looming creatures that lurk in the shadows, the decaying trap doors and the long winding hallways from a time long forgotten, but mostly it is the old woman who sits alone in her rocking chair you must worry about.

The room she sits in is barren except for her chair and a large chest in the corner of the room, she eyes it madly, stroking her long white hair repeatedly as if it was a dog. She laughs. It rings throughout the room a hundred times times over like the putrid sound of fingernails on a blackboard.

The sound of a clock striking 12 filled the room, drowning out all previous sounds. The gong on the old clock seemed much louder than it actually was, slashing through the thick silence that otherwise hung over the room ominously.

"Yes." She croaked, her voice sounding as if it had not been used in eons. "Yes finally. Finally it is time." With much effort she removed herself from her chair and painfully hobbled over to the chest. It creaked open as she heaved the lid open.

Her eyes lit up as she saw what lay inside, a golden dagger that shone brighter than the sun.

Her ancient weathered spider like hands reached in and picked it up, lifting it just so that it caught the moonlight of rare Tetrad Moon. She breathed, lowering the dagger so she could see its blade better. Fifty years she had waited for the moon to cast its unearthly scarlet glow on this blade, fifty years she had waited to speak her only wish....

"Immortality, eternal youth! I want to live forever." She breathed, lowering the dagger so she could see its blade better. The blade trembled in her hands as she shook with anticipation of the terror that was to come- for no wish is ever free, especially one as permanent as immortality.The women knew that the price would be high for her wish- but nothing would stop her from grasping her deepest desire. In that instant she decided she would do anything, anything at all.

A gust of wind swept forcefully through the open window, tearing at the curtains and yanking at the loose cloth that hung on the woman's body. The blade clattered to the floor and she jumped away from it. Fear seized her soul, this had been a very bad idea. Her body trembled violently, it sensed the presence of the evil she had allowed enter the room.

The evil, as it turns out, sensed that it had made its power known and stilled, regrouping around the cursed blade that it called its home. It slowly took the form of a ghastly man in torn robes, it smiled at the trembling woman that it had at its feet. As it opened it's mouth to speak, the rotting flesh of it lips caught on its jagged teeth. "Immortality?" It cawed, its voice was the voice of a thousand tormented souls, seeming to scream for mercy with each syllable. "Such a popular wish- it shall demand a small salary...."

The woman knew she should've backed out of this dance with the devil while still had the chance, but her soul yearned to be safe from the clutches of death, the thing she feared most. "Anything." her voice came out ragged with the frenzy that coursed through her system like a rapid river, overwhelming her senses.

"A very courageous statement or perhaps just stupid." With a sudden burst of energy it flew from the ground encircling the old woman a few times before it settled at the foot of the blade where it had stood before, raising a long bony finger. "No take backs, all deals are final."

"I-I understand. Lets get on with it, I don't have an eon to talk about it." The women snapped rashly, her nerves giving her sudden bravery she did not possess a second ago.

"Bold words, especially from someone pleading to me. Never mind though, we shall see how brave you are after what I tell you must be done." It said, if a thousand tormented souls could sound mocking, the evil sure managed it well.

The deformed face leaned in toward her, she resisted the urge to back up, instead straightening her neck and clenching her jaw. It began to whisper in her ear, its overpowering stench suddenly registering itself in her nostrils for the first time. The smell of death, she thought grimly.

As the words drifted into her ears she felt her face go pale, and the fear was overpowered with a strong feeling of the uttermost dread.... She would do it though, she would do anything.

✥ ✥ ✥

The boy and the girl lived a few blocks away from the house in question, but they still knew of it, they had heard stories from their classmates who had to walk past it in order to get to school. And the stories they heard struck fear into their hearts, so much that they swore that they themselves would never go near it. Funny how life has a tendency to never go the way we plan, isn't it? One odd occurrence and suddenly you find yourself face- to- face with your worst nightmare. As you face it, you will either rise or fall at it's mercy- and if you fall... well, there's no waking up.

It was the evening after the Tetris moon that it happened, the two children were playing tag in their front yard, running around in an innocent game of tag, oblivious to the terrors that were about to occur.

"It's no fair!" The little girl yelled suddenly, plopping onto the grass at her feet. Her face was flushed with the effort of trying to catch her older brother. "You're faster than me!"

The boy sigh, realizing the game was finally over. "Yeah, and I'll always be faster than you unless you try to chase me!" He said as one last attempt at getting her to play with him.

She glared at him, her face pouting, "No."

He had been afraid she was going to say that. "Whatever." he said throwing himself onto the grass next to her. "We still got some time before Mom calls us inside, though. Wanna play hide and go seek?"

His sister glared at him, it almost looked comical on her plump, childish face. "You said after I played tag with you, I could choose the game. I want to play house."

"No!" The boy yelled desperately, anything but house!

The girl stood up clumsily and folded her arms over her chest. "Yes. I say we play house, or I'm getting Mom."

The boy squinted his eyes at his sister in a lame attempt at intimidating her. "You wouldn't."

"Mom! Mom! Mo-" The girl started yelling, but was cut off by her brother clamping his muddy hand over her mouth.

"Okay, okay you win! We play... house." He said the last part as if it took all the willpower in his body just for his mouth to form the word.

His little sister beamed, "Yay!" She clapped her hands, "I get to be the Mommy, you can be the Daddy-" Her brother let out a loud 'eww' at this point but she continued on as if she hadn't heard him. "Now we just need a baby!" Her eyes scanned the lawn looking for a doll or something she could use as the baby, but all that she saw was her brothers trucks and shovels in the sandbox across the lawn. The girl decided that using a truck as the baby was better than just having an imaginary one.

She had just started to walk towards it when a rustle in the bushes caught her attention, her head snapped to attention just in time to see a little kitten with a red ribbon tied around its neck limp into the yard. Her hands flew to her mouth in excitement, she loved kittens! "Look" She yelled to her brother pointing excitedly.

He looked up from where he was still moping on the ground and looked to where his sister was pointing. "Oh gosh, its hurt! Lets catch it and help it!" He said with concern, jumping to his feet and walking slowly toward the cat, trying not to scare it.

"Yes! We can make you better, kitty! Let's name her Sparkles!" She squealed loudly- too loudly, the cat sprinted away, onto the sidewalk.

The boy groaned loudly and sprinted after the cat.

"Wait! Mom said we can't leave the yard!" The girl yelled nervously, ignoring her urge to chase after the cat herself.

"The cat needs help! It will probably die if we can't catch it!" The boy yelled over his shoulder, already halfway down the block. Her brothers words were all motivation the girl needed to exit the safety of the yard herself and chase after him.

The sky was rapidly dimming as the boy ran along the sidewalk and made a swipe at the cat's tail, he missed as the cat took a sharp right, staying on the side walk. "Come on, cat! We are trying to help you!" He panted in frustration making another grab, this time he almost fell to his knees. He caught his balance and ran on.

Suddenly the boy stopped and shivered, the air had grown cold around him, the moon hung low in the sky, a lone cloud blocking half of its light. The wind bit at his skin, swirling around him like a tide in the ocean. He suddenly felt scared, realizing how far from home he had strayed, his mother must of noticed his absence by now.

He glanced behind him and saw his sister run up to him panting. He let out a small breath of relief, it felt good to know he wasn't alone. "Why did you stop? We can't let the cat get hurt." She cried looking around for the cat, as if it was the only thing on her mind, as if it was absolutely consuming her thoughts.

"I think we should go home now." He said, his stomach churning with an irrational fear that seemed to overwhelm all of his senses.

"Look! The cat it right over there! We can go home after we save the cat!" The girl said excitedly, oblivious to her brother's unease.

Her brother turned to see the cat sitting on the rickety old porch across the street, the porch was attached to the most terrifying house he had ever seen. Most of the house was surrounded by trees, their branches bare making them appear like skeletons. Skeleton guards wrapped protectively around their king. Windows in the house were broken, the shards of glass that still stood looked like jagged teeth reflected in the moonlight. The red paint shimmered in the dark, the dark scarlet was the color of blood, the color of death.

The boy bit his lip. "No, we need to go home. The cat will be fine." He said starting to walk away, dragging his sister behind him.

As if on cue the cat let out a mournful wail, the wail of a dying animal and collapsed. The girl shrieked, twisting from her brothers grasp and running toward the mangled kitten.

"No!" The boy yelled sprinting after her, trying to catch a hold of something- anything to stop her, but for the first time ever his sister outran him as if she was spurred on by some supernatural force.

He hesitated only a second before forcing himself onto the threshold- he had to catch his sister. The nausea that had flipped his stomach earlier intensified, the air became thick with the smell of decay, the dead grass crunched like dead bones under his feet and fear manifested every inch of his body, but still he ran on.

His sister had stopped at the foot of the cat, as if unsure of how to proceed. The boy leapt onto the porch and scooped the still breathing animal up in one single movement. "I have the cat, lets go." He forced the words out of his mouth, somehow managing not to stutter.

"Careful with her!" The little girl cried nervously eyeing the cat.

The boy barely listened to what she said, "I have it, lets go-" He stopped as a strange metallic odor wafted into his nose. He looked down at the kitten, it didn't appear to be bleeding. His fingers reached out to touch the red ribbon around the cats neck a strange idea popping into his head. The ribbon's silk was wet to his touch, he pulled his fingers away and in the dim light of the moon he could see they were the same deep red as the ribbon. He almost dropped the cat in horror as his brain grasped the sick reality.

Someone had soaked the ribbon in blood.

Fresh blood.

Without warning the door to the house swung open with a loud crack, the boy and the girl jumped in shock. They spun toward the gaping opening, terror gripping their hearts, there stood the oldest, most grizzled women they had ever seen. Her bloodshot eyes twinkled with a kind of madness as she cackled, "Oh goody, I see you've found my kitten."

✥ ✥ ✥

None of the townsfolk could say exactly when the first tortured scream sliced through otherwise silent night. It came so out of the blue that were confused and just sat there until the second one rang out then they were on their feet, running out of their homes most in nothing but pajamas. They gathered in the street in panic.

"Who was that?"

"Where did it come from?"

"That house, I think!"

Talking erupted loudly as the pack of people stirred around in a mass, unable to complete anything until someone claimed leadership. Precious seconds ticked by, precious seconds that could of saved lives. Suddenly someone realized this, and that someone was the resident lawyer. "Quiet!" She yelled with the force and power of a tiger.

A eerie silence washed over the crowd as the lawyer started barking out commands. "It came from the old house on the corner, follow me quickly." She took off in a quick jog towards the ancient house and the others followed silently.

They were almost to the dirt driveway when they heard it a strangely beautiful voice singing,

"Because I could not stop for Death,

He kindly stopped for me;

The carriage held but just ourselves

And Immortality!"

They all stopped moving instantaneously, regarding each other uneasily, each searching each other's eyes for some hint of explanation for the nights bizarre occurrences.

The lawyer remained calm, her eyes scanned the darkness and her eyes rested on a figure slouched near the porch. Steadily she advanced, shining the flashlight in the figures face, bracing herself for the worst.

It was a young women. Her lips smeared clumsily with blood red lipstick. She smiled at the blinding light and began laughing hysterically.

"Who are you?" The lawyer demanded, eyeing the apparently drunk women.

"Does it matter?" The young women slurred, suppressing a giggle, "Does knowing a person's identity really change the situation?" She broke off into more hysterical laughter.

"What do you know about the screaming that we heard a few minutes ago?" The lawyer asked, keeping it simple seriously starting to doubt that this women was worth her time.

"Oh, you mean this?" She asked before screeching at the top of her lungs, making the lawyer stumble backwards clasping her ears. The scream ended as soon as it started and the lawyer straightened her back in annoyance.

The lawyer was tired and miserable, all she wanted was to be back in her warm bed. And when people are like this, they tend to not notice the little important details, like the knowing look in the women's eye, like the smell that certainly wasn't alcohol waiting from her mouth everytime she spoke, or like the most obvious detail of all that the pitch of her scream was different from the original ones they heard. All of these things would occur to the lawyer over her cup of coffee the next morning, but by then it would be too late. Far too late.

So for now she simply raised an irritated eyebrow and said,"Yes." She turned her back on the young women and faced the crowd. "False alarm, its just a drunk. Someone call the police and make a report when you get home. I'm going to sleep." And with that, the crowd trudged away grumbling, one by one disappearing into their dwelling places, not one of them thinking to look back. Perhaps if they had they would of seen the sober women the lawyer had missed, standing with her hands clasped almost prayerfully in the moonlight, watching them leave and licking the blood dripping from her lips....