Monday, October 5, 2020

A Haunting Challenge

Photo by Daniel Jensen on Unsplash

A Haunting Challenge

It's Halloween, the one night I roam the Earth. It was my decision to leave this world. I was sure it would solve all my problems. I was wrong. Regardless, one fateful Halloween night, I walked into the ocean. Now I rise at 12:01 a.m. and return at 11:59 p.m. every year on that same day, Halloween.

I pray for the day my soul will finally be released, the day my problems will indeed be solved, but that can only happen after I pay penance for my error.

You see, suicide is wrong. It goes against all the laws of man and God. I knew this but didn't fully believe it. So yes, I committed the ultimate sin.

Given two options, hellfire for eternity or heaven, I chose forgiveness even though I knew a penance was due.

The devil would gladly accept my soul, he's told me so, but I want to prove that I'm worthy of God's grace, and the only way I can achieve that is to keep one hundred other people from doing the deed I accomplished. Since I died on Halloween night, it's the only night I can return to Earth to save like-minded souls.

Not an easy task as I am the way death has left me. Getting folks to accept a bloated corpse, dripping with seaweed, sand, and saltwater is not an easy task even on Halloween. My skin is gray-green, and I have open wounds caused by hungry sea creatures. With hanging flesh, dripping hair, and blackened eyes along with hesitant movements as I try to remember how to walk on land vs. floating in the dark void of the sea, I frighten more than impress.

My only salvation is that most of the world is also in costume. I get numerous compliments, mostly from drunken partiers, but finding a suicidal person willing to listen to my message is nearly impossible. I've been haunting Halloween night for over seventy-five years, and I've only saved thirty people. Not surprisingly, at first, I drove just as many to madness or death. Until I learned a method to the madness that worked.

Of late, I've heard through the rumor mill that I may get amnesty if I continue to do my best and complete a hundred years of service to the cause, but I've also heard rumors of an even longer punishment.

The task is challenging, but I haunt on as I have a goal to achieve because the sea's moist, icy darkness is much more palatable than Hell's arid burning brightness!

Please, my dear sad and lost souls, consider your quest. Your penance may be much more challenging and way longer than mine.

463 words

Yolanda Renee © 2020

****

Don't forget to check out the newest challenge

from the WEP

Write...Edit...Publish.

Grave Mistake




5 comments:

Elephant's Child said...

You have excelled yourself, with this haunting piece about a cause which is very dear to my heart.
Thank you.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Yolanda - this is horrible ... I'm glad it's daylight and that 'it' struggles to walk from the ocean - I'm too near for comfort! I suspect more will be driven to suicide as 'it' looks like it does - rather than 'it' saving real people. Great read though ... congratulations ... remind me not to meet up with you on Halloween!

Grave Mistake is getting there - all the best Hilary

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

That's a good one!

Denise Covey said...

Renee, I love this. Just the right amount of scary. I like the idea of his coming back each Halloween. Also had a giggle that he'd scared people who were contemplating suicide. But 30 people saved is 30 people saved.

Looking forward to your entry for GRAVE MISTAKE. :-)

Elizabeth Seckman said...

This would make a great hero for a novel! I love the premise.