Excerpt from, "Moon Dark."

Dreams and Nightmares

Heavy eye lids flutter shut over sea green eyes and last angry thoughts fade into slumber. Dreams fill seventeen-year-old, Maria Martins mind. Sweet dreams, of a long ago, happy birthday.

“Go ahead dear, blow out the candles.” Renata Martin gave Maria a gentle, encouraging kiss.

The six-year-old giggled, “I’ll huff and puff until I blow the candles out. A loud, deep inhale is followed by a rush of wind. Six flames flicker out.

Madison Reed shouted, “You missed one Maria.”

Maria squealed,“No I didn’t, silly.” Two eyes opened saucer wide as the little girl stared at her double chocolate cake with pink frosting. Her best friend was right. Somehow, some way a candle had came back to life.

Another rush of wind, once again a candle is extinguished. “There, it’s out now,” but it wasn’t. She tilted her golden haired head upwards toward the laughing face of her mom and giggled. “You tricked me mommy.”

****
Dreams of happiness fade. Darkness and fear walk inside a young mind.

Maria felt the cold, rough granite gouging through her thin night dress. Blood drips around the rope, binding slender hands and feet. A long blade is raised high above the being with goat faced head, standing at her right side. Moonlight, faint and silvery flashes on the wicked looking weapon as it descended.

Terrifying screams shatter the silence of the night, “No, no, no.”

A bedroom door squeaks open, an overhead light flicks on, bathing the room with its brilliance.

“What is it girl,” the soft voice is filled with tenderness and love. “You must have had a bad dream.”

A sweat soaked, shivering teen sits up in the old brass bed and presses her tear stained face against her grandmother’s bosom. “It wasn’t a dream Nana, it was real. I was there, I was there, I was there.”

Time clicks past
on
heels of flame
until
at last
deep midnight
came.

Moon dark
in evil fullness,
is then born.

Forlorn,
sweet innocence
bound tight,
weeps
on bitter
cold
of stone.

Pagan hearts
delight
in anticipation
of
virgin blood.

Once
their hellish master
is appeased,
they will
rest
on bended knees,
awaiting
his approval
for
their gift of death.