The Ladies of Horror
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The Reflection    
by Kathleen McCluskey 

In the dimly lit room of an old mansion, stood a forgotten pool. Its waters still and murky, a mixture of serenity and unease. A woman, her figure graceful yet hauntingly delicate, knelt beside it. Her vision was fixated on the rippling surface that barely held her reflection. Her name was Elara, once a celebrated Russian ballerina, now only experience remained. She was renowned for her ghostlike grace and ethereal performances. Her ego was legendary. But now she was a mere shadow of herself haunting the corridors of her former glory. She was trapped in a place where time had no meaning and memories were her only companions.

Every night, Elara was drawn to the mansion, to the murky water that seemed to beckon to her. It was said that the waters held dark secrets. It was a place beyond the living, where the echoes of the past mingled with the murmurs of the damned.

Tonight was no different. Elara approached the pool, the soft echo of her pointe shoes against the marble floor created a melancholy song that sliced through the night. She gazed into the water, her heart pounding in her chest. As her reflection stared back at her, a feeling of unease washed over her. For it was not her eyes that met hers but that of a grotesque figure lurking beneath the surface. Its elongated limbs stretched out of the water and  reached for her to slide her down into its darkness.

Fear gripped her heart as she tried to recoil away from the pool, but the sinister force had her in its grasp. She could feel herself being drawn in closer. She was becoming sluggish and uncoordinated, like a puppet on strings being controlled by an unseen puppeteer. She flailed and twisted in unnatural forms. Elara summoned all her strength as a piercing scream shattered through the night. Then as swiftly as it had begun the darkness receded, leaving behind nothing but the marble floor where Elara once stood. Her reflection remained etched upon the surface of the water. Her face frozen in a nightmarish grimace.

As dawn broke, the pool lay tranquil once more, concealing the horror of the night before. For those that dared to gaze into its depths, the echoes of Elara’s screams will forever haunt through the marble, as a chilling reminder of the evil that lurked within its depths.

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Fiction © Copyright Kathleen McCluskey
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com 

More from Kathleen McCluskey:

The Long Fall: Book 1: The Inception of Horror

Lucifer always cunning and intelligent challenges father to a battle of wits. Being the angel of light he casts a judgemental eye upon mankind. He begins a war with his fellow archangels and God. Michael, along with his siblings defend their home and mankind from their deranged brother. Broad swords and hand to hand combat drench heaven in blood. The four apocalyptic steeds are released, each having their own destructive power. Betrayal and lust are at biblical levels. Understand the very creation of evil and the consequenses that transpire in the first of THE LONG FALL series.

Available on Amazon!