People who live in Darkness...

[the ghost]

Prologue: 1200 was a year that should have been the happiest in John Lockford's life, but instead memories of the year still brought him pain, sorrow, and most of all rage. Why had the lord cursed him so, he was a good Christian man, attended church regularly, and had even donated some of his earnings to local charities, just as the lord had wanted him to. He was born into a family of Blacksmith's and had been an apprentice until January 1st 1200, where as a late Christmas gift his master had promoted him to a master Blacksmith and announced that he was willing to accept John as a partner in his business. John was overjoyed and rushed home that night to tell his beautiful wife, Sara. Sara was his life, he loved her more than anything in the entire world, and she was the only woman who could truly make him feel happy. A few weeks later she announced that she was pregnant.

The next nine months were the happiest of John's life. He was earning much more as a partner, and Sara even seemed to be doing well with the child. He ensured that she had the best medications available and would be as comfortable as possible... but it was not meant to be. One day while he was working on a sword a young boy came galloping to him as fast as he could possibly ride, yelling to John that his wife was giving birth. His partner heard the messenger boy as well and told John to go with him... he would finish the sword for John. He arrived at his home expecting to feel happiness, but instead he got a sense of urgency and dread. He saw his wife in great pain, heard her screaming at the doctors that something was wrong... that she couldn't breathe. He ran over to his wife, yelling that he was coming, but the doctor's aid kept him back, warning him that his wife and the baby were in critical condition, and a wrong move might kill them both. He heard his wife utter a long scream, heard the crying of a new infant, heard the doctor yelling at the aid to occupy the baby while he tended to Sara, but John could see things were not right. There was a lot of blood, it was everywhere and would not stop flowing. He could see his wifes generally red and lively face slowly losing its red color... as if... as if he were watching his wife die. He heard the screams die out as she lost the energy to make noise, and a few seconds later she was silent. She whimpered for him to come to her side.

"John, isnt he beautiful John?" She asked in breathy whimpers that were starting to fade as her condition deteriorated.

"H... He?" He asked, receiving news that would usually delight him, but not on this tragic occasion.

"Yes John... he. He is a part of me that will live, remember me through him."

"I... I cant raise him without you." He bellowed, losing all control of his emotions.

"You will be a great father." She said as she closed her eyes for the final time.

John sat there next to his wife and cried for what felt like an eternity, the entire time the cries of his infant son echoing through the room. The doctor and his assistant had sat at the kitchen table during the conversation, the entire time listening to the conversation in silence, their hearts filled with sorrow. The child was wrapped in a blanket and the assistant had been watching it the entire time, a look of worry on her face. John suddenly got up and walked over to the lady holding his son.

"May I see him now, please?" He asked, still sobbing.

"You may, but there is something you should know... something went... wrong." She said, trembling slightly as she handed John the baby.

John stared at his son in horror. The baby had one eye, a crooked nose, and a misshapen mouth... this was no infant, it was a monster. John suddenly felt rage rush through his bones, his wife, the most beautiful woman in the world, had delivered a child to be a representation of her, but he did not see beauty at all in the child, what he saw was not at all beautiful.

John put the infant into a crib and sat in a chair, his face in his hands, sobbing. Over time the assistant and doctor left in silence, not really sure what to say. The infant remained in the crib crying, shrieking and making all kinds of terrible noises. A few hours later he removed the infant from the crib and walked with it into the woods. There he left the crying infant at the base of Silverwood Mountain where it would be disposed of by the wolves, John did not want his last memory of his wife to be a deformed infant. He walked back to his house, still sobbing, as the cries of the infant echoed through the trees. The next morning he awoke with a change of heart and rushed to the base of silverwood mountain. He had had a dream in which his wife was alive and had scolded him, had demanded she get to see her son be raised by her husband, but as he ran to the base the spot which he had left the infant was bare... he was gone.

What happens next? Chapter 2: Misfits: Coming soon.

Edited April 15, 2011 by the ghost