Every now and then, as the muse wills, I post a small piece of fiction or poetry as I continue to work on my writing chops. This short was inspired by some recent events, as well as thoughts surrounding this particular time of year and the multiple cultures that share similar holidays. In this one, as you will see, I attempted to use alliteration as a way to stretch and grow.

Enjoy.

A simple, subtle thing, the stroke of midnight, signaling the new day. During the dreary hours of this deceptively complex day, the dead would rise in decidedly different forms around the world.

In a particular part of the world, a certain man slept silently as the dead rose around him. Ancestors, having died in multiple ways across multiple lands came to him. Invading his dreams, they visited him in imperceptible ways, invitations to something deeper than he had the inclination to understand until later.

Beckoned from beyond, the blood he carried in his veins was a beacon for the by-gone dead to find him. Easily maneuvering through the buffers and buttresses of brick and steel which guarded his deepest fears and pain, the phantoms brought them out before him.

The haunting was a solemn, sacred act; the specters seeking something profound and purposeful in their visitation of their descendant. Not meaning to break or frighten, but to strengthen and embolden. They created scenarios, full of substance, steeped in themes of his past.
Watching over their ward, they wordlessly called to him through the world of his unconscious.

“Face them. Be Firm; formidable.”

His face tormented and troubled. Beads of sweat blossoming on his brow. Small tears welling in his sleep from the tribal torment.

All too real.

They stayed by him until the warning of the approach of dawn; a gray, ghostly light on the horizon.

Seemingly slow to say their farewell, longingly and in a way lovingly, they said salutations in their own way. Ancient words from ancient worlds, relieving him of the testing.

The last to leave looked back at his descendent, disappearing into the shadows as the daylight broke through the distant clouds.