The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

The Dying of the Light
by Rie Sheridan Rose

She looked out through a tangled curtain of thin gray strands that had once been the red of banked embers. The night was cold, her breath dancing with the stars. Every step was a burden…but the end was in sight. Just beyond the ridge, she could rest. 

The lantern in her hand flickered in sympathy. It too was tired. Soon, it too would rest.

She struggled up the last hill. At the top, she could see a brilliant beacon, and she smiled sadly. Once, that had been she. 

Panting now, she forced her weary feet the last few meters. Her successor danced upon the ridge, eyes shining in joy and anticipation. 

Laughing with excitement the child said, “Happy New Year, Mother. You may rest now.”

With a sigh of release, she blew out the light.

Fiction © Copyright Rie Sheridan Rose
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

More from Author Rie Sheridan Rose:

Skellyman

“I have always preferred the supernatural in tales of horror, the knot between life and death. Rie Sheridan Rose’s Skellyman is cool and creepy. Her first horror novel is a chilling read.” — Charlee Jacob – Stoker winner, Best novel, “Dread in the Beast”

Brenda Barnett is trying to cope with raising her four-year-old daughter all alone after an accident tore her family in half. As she and Daisy go for a much-needed treat, the little girl spots a Skellyman on the corner.

This pivotal encounter leads to a wave of mounting terror as Brenda’s life begins to come undone around her. Who is the Skellyman? Why does he keep appearing? Can the sympathetic policeman Brenda turns to stop the madness before it is too late?

And why does Daisy insist that her dead brother is trying to tell them something important?

Available on Amazon!