Ecliptic
I adore this short story. One of my favourites among my other stories. Hope you enjoy reading it... As much as I enjoyed writing it!
January 1950.
In the shadows of midnight, in the eerie silence of a deserted forest, a nameless young woman knelt before an improvised altar. Her eyes, reflections of desperation, glowed with a disturbing light as she uttered the forbidden words from an ancient grimoire. A circle of candles flickered around her, casting distorted shadows on the walls that seemed to twist in agony. The young woman, with trembling hands, performed the forbidden ritual, summoning darkness in pursuit of an impossible wish. "I just want a child, a baby..." Infernal whispers filled the room, and the icy wind from the underworld caressed her skin, revealing the presence of something beyond human comprehension.
From the depths of darkness emerged the creature that answered her call. An indescribable being, with twisted limbs and eyes burning with pure malice. Its flesh was marked by demonic scars, and its mouth, filled with sharp teeth, curved into a grotesque smile. With a guttural roar, the creature granted the young woman's request. Not one, but two fruits of the curse grew in her womb, promising not only life but chaos and despair. The oblivious young woman smiled with the illusion of motherhood.
The room trembled with the intensity of the ritual as shadows danced in complicity with the infernal entity. Blood and tears mingled in a symphony, marking the beginning of a tragedy that would unfold in the shadows of reality.
The price of motherhood had been paid with the currency of damnation, and there was no turning back. The fate of the nameless young woman was sealed, and the horror she had unleashed would grow in the shadows, waiting for its moment to unleash chaos in a world never prepared for the impending curse.
She returned home, terrified. What that young woman had witnessed was supernatural, but that didn't matter. Perhaps that was her greatest mistake. However, our story is not about her. It's about the two beings born from her womb, carrying away the life of their mother.
Owen and Derek, sons of the night. But for Sister Constance, who had helped the doctor bring them into this world, these children were not vile or evil. They were two sweet babies who had lost their mother. Two orphans she would raise herself.
Years passed, and Owen and Derek grew up under the care of Sister Constance in the quiet village that had long forgotten the horrors of that fateful night. The twins were inseparable, their bond forged in the eerie circumstances of their birth. As they approached adolescence, the village began to feel an underlying unease, an inexplicable discomfort that whispered of the unnatural.
Sister Constance, a woman of unwavering faith, took her role as their guardian seriously. She provided them with love and guidance, shielding them from the rumors and judgmental glances that often followed in their wake. The villagers, however, couldn't help but sense a mysterious aura surrounding the twins.
One day, as Owen and Derek helped Sister Constance tend to the garden behind the small cottage, a villager named Elias approached them cautiously. "Sister Constance, forgive my intrusion, but there are rumors circulating about the boys. Some believe they carry a darkness within them, a curse from the night they were born."
Sister Constance glanced at the twins, their innocent faces untouched by the shadows that haunted the village's gossip. "Elias, rumors are but whispers fueled by fear. These boys are not defined by the circumstances of their birth. They are children of God, and we must treat them as such."
As the years went by, the twins displayed peculiar abilities that set them apart from their peers. Owen had an uncanny affinity for animals, communicating with them in a way that seemed almost supernatural. Derek, on the other hand, possessed an intuitive understanding of people's emotions, sensing their deepest fears and desires.
Late one night, under the pale glow of the moon, the twins sat with Sister Constance by the fireplace. Owen, gently petting a stray cat that had found its way into their home, broke the silence. "Sister Constance, why do people fear us? We only wish to be like everyone else."
Sister Constance sighed, her eyes filled with compassion. "My dears, people fear what they do not understand. It is our duty to show them the goodness within your hearts. You are not defined by the shadows that linger in your past but by the love you share with each other and those around you."
Derek, gazing into the flickering flames, added, "But Sister, sometimes I feel the darkness within. As if it calls to me, urging me to embrace a destiny I cannot comprehend."
Sister Constance placed a comforting hand on Derek's shoulder. "The path ahead may be uncertain, but remember, you have the power to choose your own destiny. Darkness may whisper, but it is your choices that will shape your future."
On that fateful night, the moon hung low in the sky, casting an ethereal glow over the village. Derek, driven by the insidious whispers of the darkness within, found himself drawn to the outskirts of the village where Marcus, a farmer, was tending to his fields.
Derek approached Marcus with an unsettling calmness, the air thick with an otherworldly tension. Marcus, sensing the unnatural aura around the young man, took a step back, his eyes wide with fear.
Derek's voice, a chilling whisper, cut through the silence. "You can't escape it, Marcus. It's time to embrace the inevitable."
In the shadows, Owen followed, a mixture of dread and confusion clouding his features. As he witnessed the horrifying scene unfold, his instincts screamed at him to intervene, to stop the darkness from consuming his brother.
"I can't let you do this, Derek. We have to tell someone, get help," Owen pleaded, his voice shaky with fear.
Derek, however, turned to Owen with eyes that betrayed both remorse and an unnerving determination. "No, Owen. You don't understand. It's too late for me. I need your help to conceal this. For both our sakes."
The weight of those words bore down on Owen, torn between loyalty to his brother and the moral compass that screamed for justice. In the end, he reluctantly nodded, and together they concealed Marcus's lifeless body in the cold embrace of the night.
As the days turned into nights, this macabre ritual repeated itself, the twins becoming entwined in a web of secrecy and darkness. Owen's internal struggle intensified with each passing moment, haunted by the realization that he was not only helping hide his brother's sins but also becoming an accomplice to the malevolent force that gripped Derek's soul.
Their shared secret became a binding pact, and the twins descended further into the abyss, their connection both a source of solace and a curse. The village, unaware of the darkness that lurked within the brothers, continued its existence, blissfully ignorant of the nightly horrors that unfolded under the shroud of darkness.
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