more short stories

It took me a while to figure out what to write today. I really struggled with this one. Tomorrow I might do something simpler.


Something in the Mist

It was a dark night in late April when I last walked through Calamity Park. I don't remember why I was out so late but I do remember the clock tower's bell rang marking midnight when I entered that foreboding space.

It rained all day leaving a mist so thick you could hardly see your hand in front of your face. The fact that the park had so few lights didn't help either. I remember almost tripping on overgrowth several times.

At some point I came across a lamp post I recognized during the day as being in the middle of the park. It was much shorter than the other lamp posts and had a rather ornate lantern on top. The light was bright enough to see around you but not enough to light the path to the next light.  There was a wooden rain slicked bench beside the lamp post that I rested upon for a minute to catch my breathe. In the distance I could see the next lamp on the path partially obscured by the many trees that dotted the park.

I took a deep breathe and leaned back wetting my overcoat on the dew still clinging to the bench backing. I walked through Calamity Park every day on my way home from work, I knew following the path would take me home, but I'd never been here this late at night. The whole park had a different feel when the sun wasn't out. There were no children playing or parents gabbing, just the sound of my foot steps as they echoed on the stone path.

Calamity Park was a very large area in the west end of town and was almost as old as the clock tower at its entrance. You couldn't see the end of the park from the black gates that marked its beginning. There was enough trees in the park that you could always find a shady spot to sit and relax during the hot summer days. In the winter the park closed down until the wet spring weather washed away most of the snow.

The wind blew through the trees causing some rain drops to land on the brim of my hat startling me out my reverie. I sat up and looked around the strangely unfamiliar park. The light from the tiny lamp post didn't reach too far off the path. Everything beyond the light was blackness.
In the distance I heard the squeak of the rusty old merry-go-round as it slowly turned in the wind. The leaves rusted in the trees above me and the grass swayed gently in the breeze. I sat still. The wind died down slowly leaving only the gentle hum of the electric lantern beside me.

Taking a deep breathe I stood up to continue my journey. I pointed myself toward the light in the distance and took my first step outside of the pool of light cast by the tiny lantern I had just rested by.

As I walked past each lantern I could feel myself stating to relax. A sort of calmness increased in my body with each lamp I passed on my way towards the exit of the park. The sense of confusion I felt earlier started to melt slowly as I walked. I smiled as I saw the exit come into view. The mist seemed to have broke too as I stepped out of the park into the streets. I could see the apartment complex I lived in kitty-corner from Calamity Park. I crossed the streets quickly and hurried to the door.

I stopped and turned around to look at the park I had just left. I'm not sure why but something changed about it. It didn't look like the happy refuge from the world I knew it to be during the day. There was something different about it. Or maybe there was something different about me. Either way, that was the last time I walked through Calamity Park.