The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

The Shroud of Eterninty
by Elizabeth H. Smith

The ancient church’s lone occupant loomed over me. But I stared into the shadowed hollow within its hood, showed no fear. Its face inched closer to mine until the thick, black fabric swallowed my head. Inside lived no specter or demon, as the villagers told—but time itself. I could see it all. Every moment of my life passed by, years feeling like seconds. The flow of memories continued until I came to the present and stared myself in the eyes.

My mirror image grinned, then opened a mouth filled with darkness. It expanded beyond human capacity, turned inside out, and regurgitated a human head. Through congealed blood, the wrinkles, and gray hair, I could still tell it was me. It was me as an old woman, death shining in glazed eyes.

I tried to back up, shrink away from the strange innards of the keeper of that forbidden place. But I could no longer feel my body. All corporeal remnants of myself vanished. Only my consciousness remained, forever trapped in time.

Fiction © Copyright Elizabeth H. Smith
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com 

More from Elizabeth H. Smith:

Through Clouded Eyes: A Zombie’s Point of View

Through Clouded Eyes: A Zombie’s Point of View: a collection of twelve stories told from the Zombie’s perspective.

They’re shambling toward you, feet dragging on the broken roadway. Arms outstretched, faces slack, they move as if they’re tracking your scent on the wind. You want to run, but you know there’s nowhere to hide.

Aware of their insatiable hunger, fear paralyzes you. These things were once human, people someone loved. Is there anything left inside them – some sliver of humanity that may save you from this nightmare? Your mind doesn’t want to accept the inevitable, a single thought consumes you: what are they thinking?

With your chance of escape dwindling, you snap out of it and run like hell knowing there is little to no hope; fate is coming for you. Soon you will see what they see Through Clouded Eyes…

Featuring stories from Maynard Blackoak, Calvin Demmer, Paul M. Feeney, Stacy Fileccia, Trevor Firetog, DH Hanni, Shannon Lawrence, Josh MacLeod, Zachary O’Shea, Neal Privett, Mark Steinwachs, and Alex Woolf

Available on Amazon!