2008 Woodie Awards
How Many Come Back?
Stanley Konoval
Issue date: 11/29/07 Section: Visions and Voices
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She had been dead for how long? I had no idea, but I still wanted her. Her skin was a faint gray, with the slightest traces of an electric green. Crooked lines-thin black ribbons-trailed up and down her body; I fancied them traces of sweet oblivion. Her eyes were large, completely black. Her cheekbones were well defined and her lips were full, they were pale from lack of blood flow, but they had lost none of their allure; I could stare at them for hours. Her raven hair fell almost to her shoulders, it was wavy and seemed to be so only in rebellion. The white-lace gown she was wearing was just revealing enough to make me want her more. Suddenly, it dawned on me that her beauty not only echoed that which she possessed in life, but surpassed it. Where death tends to work to decay, here has only enriched.
"Will you stop staring at me, Jack?" She turned back to the mirror before her. Sitting there, I felt as if I had stepped back in time. How old that house was, I cannot say; I'll suffice to say it was old (whether or not it satisfies you). It was abandoned and alone, that is, the owners, Elizabeth's family, had long since fled, deserting the house. The nearest neighbors were miles away. You may expect a haunted house to be deep in some secluded copse-not so much in this case. It sat alone on a hill overlooking the city. It projected an invitation to the right explorer; "Come inside," she whispered to me. The house itself, though vacant and dilapidated, could not be ominous enough to repel me. She drew me in.
I rode my horse round the house, taking great care in my observations. The white paint had been chipped at, wiped away by the rain and snow, leaving only traces of its existence upon the faded wood. The windows were all boarded up, as were the front and back doors. The house seemed to pierce the sky-defiance. It refused to crumble, even after so many years. I admired its resilience; I was impressed.
My horse, I tied him to a post in front of the house, and I began to approach. I expected the steps leading to the door-I expected them to creak under my weight, to threaten to collapse, they looked so worn. But the only noise, as I came to stand before the door, was the shuffling of my own feet. I felt the cold breeze pick up as I ran my hand across the first piece of wood barring my entrance. I turned about; not a soul around, not a cloud in sight-but the sun provided me with no warmth.
"Will you stop staring at me, Jack?" She turned back to the mirror before her. Sitting there, I felt as if I had stepped back in time. How old that house was, I cannot say; I'll suffice to say it was old (whether or not it satisfies you). It was abandoned and alone, that is, the owners, Elizabeth's family, had long since fled, deserting the house. The nearest neighbors were miles away. You may expect a haunted house to be deep in some secluded copse-not so much in this case. It sat alone on a hill overlooking the city. It projected an invitation to the right explorer; "Come inside," she whispered to me. The house itself, though vacant and dilapidated, could not be ominous enough to repel me. She drew me in.
I rode my horse round the house, taking great care in my observations. The white paint had been chipped at, wiped away by the rain and snow, leaving only traces of its existence upon the faded wood. The windows were all boarded up, as were the front and back doors. The house seemed to pierce the sky-defiance. It refused to crumble, even after so many years. I admired its resilience; I was impressed.
My horse, I tied him to a post in front of the house, and I began to approach. I expected the steps leading to the door-I expected them to creak under my weight, to threaten to collapse, they looked so worn. But the only noise, as I came to stand before the door, was the shuffling of my own feet. I felt the cold breeze pick up as I ran my hand across the first piece of wood barring my entrance. I turned about; not a soul around, not a cloud in sight-but the sun provided me with no warmth.
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