The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

What the Light Finally Revealed
by Terrie Leigh Relf

Inside the dilapidated cottage, Luisa huddled beneath an old quilt. She hoped for a few hours of sleep before exploring the surrounding forest in the morning.  It had been years, she believed, since she’d had the courage to return to her old home. 

how memories 
still guided her steps 
a photograph thick with dust

Standing in front of the window, Luisa shivered within the cold light of morning. A fractured mirror cast eerie images along the worn, wooden walls.

hands
around her neck
a prayer almost uttered

She reached for the brass doorknob, slowly turned it to the left. It must be broken, she realized, then padded toward the kitchen’s back door.  It wouldn’t open, either. With a sigh, she looked for a tool to remove the knob. Or perhaps she should just break the window further, climb through. 

melodic bridge
followed by a defiant cadenza
her screams  in counterpoint

Luisa sank down onto the living room carpet. It had been soft once. Luxurious. As the sun rose higher over the trees, she could almost feel the hot sting of tears as they flowed down her cheeks. 

how blood pooled
beneath her
someone laughing

Her memories continued to rise, then dissipate like shadows in the room. That night, that horrendous night, when she had returned home from vacation early, her husband, Carlo, at work in the basement.

shelves overflowing
with memento mori
scent of embalming fluid

That night, he had strangled then stabbed her over and over and over again.  How could she not have known he was the local serial killer?

how the light swirled
around her . . . beckoning
her to take that last step 

Fiction © Copyright Terrie Leigh Relf
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

More from author Terrie Leigh Relf:

The Sisterhood of the Blood Moon

For thousands of Earth years, the Transgalactic Consortium has had a quiet interest in this planet and its inhabitants, the Haurans. While the Sisterhood of the Blood Moon works together with the Consortium and Haurans to maintain balance in the universe, the Blood Moon is fast approaching. The power of this moon reveals untold secrets . . . including a sacred covenant with the Mora Spiders. There is an ancient pact that needs to be honored—but at what cost and for whose purpose? The world may come to an end. But will there be a chance for a new beginning?

Available for purchase from the Alban Lake Store!