One day I had to work late into the night. I was very tired, and I was not looking forward to the walk home, which was several miles. It was almost midnight when I left the office, and luckily I kept a flashlight in my desk for emergencies. I wouldn’t need the flashlight until I passed through the town proper, though, so I put it in my coat pocket.
As I got to the edge of downtown, I came up to the town cemetery. I heard a scream, which then was muffled into silence. At first, I was inclined to believe it was only a figment of my imagination, but even so, I felt more vulnerable every second. I thought about just ignoring it, but my conscience got the better of me, so I decided to go check it out.
As I passed through the gate, I heard another scream. My heart was captured by it, and I was drawn to it. I searched amid the tombstones for a while, thinking some unfortunate victim was trapped somewhere or in the clutches of some monster. Just when I had made up my mind to retrace my steps, two glowing eyes rose up to meet me. They were not fearsome, but coaxing. I hesitated, but then a large hand reached forward and grabbed me by the neck with a grip that was superhuman.
It dragged me back into the cemetery, where the streetlights were blocked by trees. I started to shake with fear at the thought of what this ghoul might do with me. I thought about the scream I had heard before, and if that was any example, I was in for it. He took me back to a big oak tree, where I saw something hideous. Dangling from the limbs of the tree were many thick ropes, and at the end of the ropes were men, women and children, all with grim faces. Their emaciated bodies were covered with cuts and bruises. Their feet were covered with blood, dripping as if freshly drawn.
As I feared, my fate was soon to be the same unless I could somehow escape. I tried swinging my body behind, kicking my feet and pounding on the ghoul’s hands with all my might, but to no avail. I was trapped, just like these other poor creatures, and soon I would be joining them as another decoration on this ghoul’s tree.
That’s when I remembered that I had a flashlight in my pocket. I decided anything was worth a try, so I reached down and grabbed it like a weapon. I shined it straight into the ghoul’s eyes, and he dropped me. I ran back to the gate as fast as I could. I don’t know if the ghoul followed me or not, because I never looked back. When I got to the gate, I ran through and kept running for a while, just to be on the safe side. Finally I looked back, and did not see anyone or anything behind me.
Thinking back now, I realize how stupid I was to enter that darkened cemetery. I should have run away as soon as I saw those glowing eyes, but oh, how they pierced my soul. I went straight to bed when I got home, and when I woke up, I thought back to what happened the night before, and I thought to myself, “Did I dream it, or was it true?” It was so unbelievable that I never told anyone until now as I write this entry in my journal. I know I won’t be walking into any cemeteries at night again, that’s for sure.
