SPECTRAL MISTS

‘Years since anyone has lived here.’

The cobwebs and thick carpet of dust, moss and dirt reinforced Daisy’s words. Wind blew in through broken windows, daylight entered where once the roof had blocked its path.

Outside the crumbling walls the thundering sound of the surf crashing against the foot of the cliffs resounded.

‘They found his body hanging from that window.’ Daisy pointed up to the top floor opening. ‘Driven mad by the sound of the sea below, so they say.’

A sea mist floated over the ruin, a damp sheen delivered onto every surface, including my skin.

I shivered.

‘At night, when a storm blows through the walls, the howling sounds like a madman wailing.’

Something scuttled along the ground and disappeared into a crack in the brickwork, a glimpse of brown-pink tail vanishing.

‘Is that why you came here, Daisy?’ I asked. ‘Did you come to find the madman?’

A gust of wind blew the mist away, bright sunlight painted dancing shadows.

I stood alone in the broken down house, listening, yearning to hear Daisy’s voice on the breeze.

The newspaper I held blew from my hands. The wind pinned it to the wall, the headline stared at me.

‘POLICE FEAR FOR MISSING LOCAL GIRL’

‘Did you find the madman, Daisy? Or did he find you?’


spectral
Copyright Sue Vincent

This is a response to theΒ Thursday Photo Prompt – SpectralΒ Β curated over atΒ Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo. Click on the link to read other stories inspired by the image.

31 responses to “SPECTRAL MISTS”

  1. Oooh, chillingingly delightful, Iain.πŸ‘Œ

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Jordan πŸ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Another great story by you!

    Liked by 1 person

  3. The whole scene plus your story reminds me of the introduction to the 1960s day time horror TV series “Dark Shadows”. Here’s the intro theme on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSbCqp_a3iE

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I have seen the recent film version – it was not very good! A very cheesy opening, but then it is 50 years old πŸ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Dark Shadows appeared on TV five days a week and it was much like most soap operas in terms of production values. However, it featured vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and witches. I was in high school and it was a lot of fun.

        Liked by 2 people

  4. Another great take from you Iain.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. So good, Iain! Your tidbits always leave me wanting more!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Janet, very kind as always.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Deliciously creepy!!

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Hélène Vaillant Avatar
    Hélène Vaillant

    Oh, I do love this, spooky, well written for this prompt.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Whoa!! What a way to end! There will be a part 2, righ?? πŸ™‚

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I have no idea at the moment! πŸ˜‰

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Guess it will be a surprise to both of us if there is a Part 2. πŸ™‚

        Liked by 1 person

  9. This one have me the chills. Great story.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Beautifully done. Spectral mists says it all – this has a great sense of haunting and things glimpsed from the corners of eyes. A chilling and telling last line.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. That sends shivers, Iain…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Sue, job done πŸ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Oh!that’s very scary πŸ’œπŸ’œπŸ˜±πŸ˜±

    Liked by 1 person

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