grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Demented Dairy Hollow?

By 12 Comments

For four nights in a row I have slept like the dead. My Dairy Hollow cabin is chilly, yet I nest comfortably underneath quilts and blankets snuggling with my feather pillow from home. Good sleeping weather.
Dairy Hollow, Eureka Springs, Ar
Above my rooftop, a canopy of trees, a forest dense and dark. The branches are woven and twisted together, growing as one. The stars twinkle beyond the treetops, but from my spot they are concealed. I am concealed.
The hunter’s moon glows, a giant orb in the autumn sky. By day, the mountainside boasts brilliant fall foliage. By night, the forest mutates into a haven for predators and a hiding place for prey.Especially on Halloween.

On Halloween night I went to bed early, exhausted from the day’s activities. Drifting off easily, I slept  until something stirred me, waking me with a cold chill. A noise outside my door. A scratching sound. Maybe a limb against my window?

Dairy Hollow, Eureka Springs, Ar

A glance to the bedside clock showed 11:57 p.m. Almost midnight.

Thinking it my imagination, I dismissed the noise, but sleep would not return. My nerve endings were on full alert. With blankets pulled to my nose, I watched without blinking, listened to hear what wasn’t there.

Another unfamiliar sound. It was not my imagination, I was certain.

My heart raced as my mind conjured images of ghouls prowling outside my cabin.

In the distance I heard the shriek of a bird, maybe an owl. Haunting. Eerie. And I sensed something, someone, footsteps? The rustle of leaves?

Outside my kitchen window, a slight change in the darkness, a shifting shadow. Was my mind playing tricks?
Weary and empty, I felt devoid of hope and happiness. Devoid of myself. Morning would never come.
I summoned the courage to tiptoe to the front door, my heart pounding in my throat. Through a corner of the blinds I saw darkness. Nothing. Coldness. A reflection of my own frightened face. Flipping on the outside light and shoving open the door, something moved away. Or floated away. Disappearing. Restoring my sanity.
And then I slept. A deep silent sleep. I dreamed of Dementors.

talya

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.



Musical Pairing:

Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban, Dementor Test

“Believe only half of what you see and nothing that you hear.” 
― Edgar Allan Poe

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Comments

  3. Colene says

    You had me on the edge of my seat! You must have had that witch’s hat on too tight or maybe it was just the full moon! BOO!

    Reply

  5. noelsweeney2 says

    I loved reading this. It was like I could see the shadows, hear the night noises, feel apprehension build as I read. Only problem is that my studio is only fifty yards from Talya’s. Now I won’t be able to sleep tonight!

    Reply

  7. pittypatter says

    Maybe it was one of those buzzards a-come to scare you back to Dallas. To test your mettle. Did you see a red razorback on its head? Oh, wait! You ARE a Razorback: you live (also) in Fayetteville/Hog City. Oh, well, whatever it was, I’ll bet it didn’t fathom that it now has a place forever in your writing. Or maybe it did.

    Reply

  8. Anonymous says

    At least you weren’t paralyzed with fear by the (wait for it…) red light on the alarm clock that my bleary eyes convinced me was someone watching me sleep and smoking! Good one.

    Reply

  9. TimH says

    haha…One of the drawbacks to having a creative mind is getting spooked when there ain’t no spooks around!=) For me, and ever since I was a kid, I can’t fall asleep unless I have a pillow covering my neck…you know…to ward off any vampire interested in sucking blood outta my neck…haha…I call it my “Watch it, Sucka, Vampire Shucka!” Apparently it works, too…after all these years, I haven’t been bitten yet!!!=)

    Reply

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