[Episode 12]
Darkness ..... silence .... cold ..... faintly flickering flames in the dying fireplace .... deep pools of shadows .... a sense that all is not right ... but will soon be over ....
dreams slowly opened her eyes but didn't recognize where she was or recall what had happened. The last thing she clearly remembered was the cheery sound of carolers approaching the house .... and then waves of memory came crashing back, overwhelming her with horror and grief.
They were all dead now -- ALL of them .... except for her!
She must be the murderer! But why couldn't she remember killing her friends? Was she crazy? Did she have a split personality? Was she dead too?
Or was this a terrible nightmare from which she was unable to wake from? Oh, the irony!
dreams trapped in a bad dream!
dreams sat up and looked around her. She was lying on the floor of the living room -- alone. The fire had nearly burnt out ... only glowing embers
1 remained in the ashes. The Christmas stockings still hung in a mocking row ... now showing lumps and bumps
2 where presents had been placed in them. All but
poohbear_nc's puny empty stocking ... dangling amidst the other heavily laden socks. Apparently Santa was brave enough to visit this charnel house
3 while she was unconscious.
What was that sound? There! In the distance! A dim candle light! The faint sound of an antique Victrola phonograph playing:
"Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me,
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;
Sounds of the rude world, heard in the day,
Lull'd by the moonlight have all pass'd away!
Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,
List while I woo thee with soft melody;
Gone are the cares of life's busy throng,
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!"
But who was there to wind it up and play the record? Was she hallucinating? Had the endless terrors of today driven her completely mad?
dreams was drawn to
4 the haunting melody. There was no reason to be afraid any longer. She was alone in the house. With eight dead bodies. No reason to be afraid of the dead - they can't hurt you any longer. And she certainly wasn't going to hurt herself, was she?
The record abruptly ended with the sound of the needle being dragged across the surface of the record.
dreams froze! There was someone here after all. She wasn't alone! Was she waking up from her nightmare? Finally?
"Hello? .... who's there?" she quavered.
Dead is BOb! Dead is Pooh! Dead is Paul and dead's Don!
Gone, Harry! Gone, DaleDe, Gone, Great Nate and Tom!
Are all dead by your hand? But it's you next it seems!
So dash away6! Dash away! Dash away, dreams!
The loud voice flattened
dreams with its brutal accusations and mocking tone. Who was shouting at her? Where was the voice coming from?
"
STOP IT! STOP IT! OH PLEASE STOP IT!" screamed
dreams, holding her hands over her ears, "Leave me alone! Please leave me alone! I'm so frightened.... I'm so tired .. Make it all end now ... forever ...."
A shadowy figure appeared in the dimly lighted doorway and beckoned
7 to dreams, whispering "
Hurry, hurry now!" The figure vanished abruptly, leaving dreams to wonder if it was real, or another hallucination in her growing madness.
dreams rose to her feet and ran towards the light as fast as she could, "Wait! I'm coming! Wait for me! Please!"
She ran into the hall towards the open front door, noticing ... just too late ... the shiny sharpened metal ferrule
8 on the umbrella that was pointed at her chest! Unable to stop, dreams impaled
9 herself on her own umbrella ... and sank slowly to the floor ... a final sigh escaping her lips as darkness closed over her eyes.
The front door slowly closed, trapping
dreams forever in the dark.
[End of Episode 12]
1 embers: Glut
2 lumps and bumps: Kanten und Kurven
3 charnel house: Leichenhaus
4 to be drawn to: angezogen werden
5 to quaver: beben, zittern
6 to dash away: weglaufen
7 to beckon to: jemanden herwinken
8 ferrule: Metallhülse
9 to impale: aufspießen