ABC Chapter 1-The Mysterious Graveyard

[ILiveOnTheChatBox123 936]

The Mysterious Graveyard

 

Chapter One

Opening by kaisdf              

 

By ILiveOnTheChatBox123

Disclaimer: Besides for the direct plagiarism of kaisdf that was part of this contest, all other plagiarism is purely coincidental, and it just means that the author has a great imagination. All similarities to real events or occurrences or any resemblance to real life, may have actually inspired these daydreams that this writing is based on. In a more likely event, it is absolutely coincidental in all forms. So consider yourself disclaimed.

 

Death hung in the air. Cobwebs tied iron bars together, as if to stop them running away. Within the iron boundary, grass was diced into neat, uneven lines of stones. Carved into the marbled faces were remnants of writing: “…memoriam…”, “…loved”, “…Peace”, each in contrast with the forgotten, unloved nature of the lumps that featured them.

 

Along one edge of the cemetery was a narrow road, long and spindly, winding through the countryside. At one end was the small farm Scarlet called home; at the other was the town she worked in. Every day, she made the five-mile cycle ride there and then back again in the evenings, passing the imposing iron gates each time. As is the norm with daily commutes, Scarlet made this journey every day for years without ever even noticing the cemetery.

 

This time was different. It was mid-winter, early evening: dark, but with no trace of wind. Yet, as she got closer, the trees rustled, and the gate creaked open. The impenetrable iron cage, normally designed to keep people out (or was it to keep things in?) was now inviting her in. She screeched to a stop, ditching her bike, and walked towards the opening.

 

 

As Scarlet proceeded through the gates, she wasn’t sure what she really wanted in there. It might have been just curiosity, but since she had always passed by this place without entering, she simply wanted to check it out. Scarlet figured she had some time to spare, as it was on her way home from work, so she figured she had some time to waste.

 

Scarlet strode down the so-called ‘streets’ of the cemetery, as they wound their way around the cemetery. She peered at some of the tombstones that lay on the large mounds of earth. Most of them were indecipherable, as they had faded away into the heavy air. They were obviously not well tended to, with shrubs sprouting about all around. There were no fresh-flowers or mourners. However, one thing did stand out. They all had a bright blue sticker on them that read “Burial performed by the Arid burial crew”. Scarlet thought it strange how they had all used the same company. Also - why were all the tombstones faded, but not the company’s stickers?

 

 

The next thing Scarlet noticed was the street signs. Not one gravestone on the intersection of Peaceful and Hopeful streets were comprehensible, yet the street signs stood out so brightly, and clearly. Not only that, but they were coated with the an extremely reflective paint, so as to be visible at night. There was also a low chirping of some birds, breaking up the terrible silence. Scar found it all intriguing.

 

While she was concluding her stroll, she noticed a large strip of land was bare and empty. There were two sister streets. One was named ‘The Rainbow Pod”, and had a plaque stating that it had been purchased by a generous rich man. He had donated it to be used in case of a large tragedy that the town might experience, with a large amount of deaths, and not enough graves. Thankfully for that town, it was empty, meaning there never was a large killing in the town.

 

 

 

The other sister street was named “A Deadly Quandary.” Rumor had it that the local mafia had purchased it, in case any of them are killed. This too lay empty.

 

Then the two streets met again, and there was a small hut. It seemed to have been used by a security guard back in the day. Now it stood abandoned, and covered in cobwebs. Another one of the reflective signs hung over the entrance to this hut. It read “A Grave Affair”.

 

Scarlet glanced at her watch, and she realized it was time to leave this mysterious place. Fortunately,  for her, the iron gates were still tilted open. She hopped on her bike, and she started for home.

 

That night in her home, she thought of a great plan. Scarlet worked in an office. She was a secretary, along with two other women. One of them, Ellen, was super annoying. Besides for the fact that  she was not so socially inclined, she always wanted to tag along with the rest of ‘the crew’. Whenever they wanted to go out together to the beach, an amusement park, or just to chat over some tea, if Ellen found out about it she wanted to come. Scarlet thought, this would be a great opportunity to prank Ellen, and put her in her place.

 

The next day at work, Scarlet went over to Ellen at work. She asked Ellen if she would like to go camping with her on the weekend. Ellen was overjoyed. She had always been begging for this, and now it was being offered to her. She obviously responded “Yes”. Scarlet told her that she was going to an old abandoned hut on a hill by a cemetery, and it might be slightly spooky. Due to Ellen’s excitement at the offer, she readily agreed despite the location.

 

Meanwhile, Scarlet told some of her other co-workers about their camping trip. She asked them to do her a favor, and drive by that night at two o’clock. They should make sure to swing the gates around to make them creak and squeal, make loud footsteps, and perform some terrifying shrieks. They will wake them up. Ellen will be terrified and ask Scarlet about the noise, and she will say she doesn’t hear anything. Hopefully, Ellen would never want to come with us on outings again.

 

That weekend, Scarlet and Ellen took some sleeping bags and camping gear. They parked their cars a mile back, planning on trekking the rest. A thick mist hung over the countryside that night. The road was quiet, and they conversed noiselessly as they hiked up the road.

 

There was a swift wind that swung the gates open as they got there. They looked for the reflective bright-green street signs. After a few minutes, they got to the sister streets. They took “A Deadly Quandary,” and they noticed an old rusty mammoth sitting on the hill. A shiver ran down Ellen’s spine at the sight of it, but Scarlet just thought that her friends had somehow pulled this off.

 

When they got to the hut, they set up camp; putting out their sleeping bags, and hanging their lanterns from the ceiling. They ate a few snacks, chatted, cracked a few jokes, before they turned off their lights, and went to sleep.

 

At two o’clock in the morning they both suddenly woke up. They heard a car without a muffler roaming around outside the graveyard. They heard the gates swing open, and it sounded like a Gauss’ shot. Ellen looked scared, but Scarlet just smirked that it was nothing. They heard loud footsteps, thick winds, and bloodcurdling screams. At this point Ellen starts crying, she is truly frightened.

 

Scarlet thinks about how Ellen doesn’t mean bad, and it was very enjoyable spending some time with her after all. She tells Ellen that she is sorry, it was all a plan to make her scared. She calms down, the noises stop, and they go to sleep. They finish their outing the next day, and go home.

 

The next Monday, at work, Scarlet tells her friends about what a good job they had done. It was very realistic. But her friends tell her, “We are sorry, but we completely forgot about going to the graveyard.”

 

Now where did those noises come from? Stay tuned to find out.

 

Author's note; If you think this story is not good enough, and you can easily do better, then please do so! This story won me loads of crystals in 'Finish The Story' contest, so if you really can do better, you could have cashed in big-time. So start writing your stupendous pieces and fill the AWS. Maybe with all your participation we can revive some of these contests!

Happy Writing!

p.s. Suggestions are welcome for a series title. Until then this series is called ABC-Arid Burial Crew.

[Tidebreaker 1,669]

Edits:

No. No edits necessary at all.

 

Approved.

 

First of all, I'd like to apologize for leaving you hanging like this for 3+ weeks. I really do have no excuse other than poor time management and insane workload, so I do hope you understand.

Now, let's get down to business. Your piece was everything that an intense story should be - addictive, engaging, descriptive, etc! What blows my mind is how you managed to start this all of from the contest and finish in a much more expansive story. I, for one, don't think I would ever be able to do that. Great job!

 

Keep 'em coming. I may be busy sometimes and forget about pieces, but a reminder is enough to make me go and fix things.

[Person_Random 4,991]

Excellent story!  I found some fine, top-notch description and a great plotline, and the subtle humor in there really made my day.  (yes, by the tone, you can tell I'm a bit worn down from my usual, bit sad because life has decided it wants to tear one of my best friends from me)  Anyways, I truly enjoyed the piece.  I felt like I was much like Ellen, and it helped me relate to the story even more. Though a slightly more dramatic or horrific ending would've been just as nice, I enjoyed how you resolved the conflict and added a bit of suspense.  Next time, it would be better to subtly introduce it, like the humor you did (which had me chuckling to myself in class).  Also, the formatting made it a little hard to read, so it would be preferable if you had a line break (if that's the right word) before each paragraph, would make the reading process much easier.  Overall, though, it was a great story.  Keep up the good work!  I can't wait for your next piece!

[ILiveOnTheChatBox123 936]

Tidebreaker: your amazing descriptions of what my story contains blows my mind! You really do a great job commenting on stories.

Person_Random: your feedback made my day (it wasn't that bad to start with so..) I will consider your advice, but if you can please elaborate (maybe in PM) it might be easier to implement.

Edited November 6, 2019 by ILiveOnTheChatBox123

[ILiveOnTheChatBox123 936]

Chapter 2 is coming soon!

Preview of Chapter 2:

Josh found himself a seat on the bus, folded umbrella in hand. It wasn’t too long of a ride, not more than 5 miles. The bus route even ran parallel to part of the cycling route he enjoyed. But it did afford him the opportunity to analyze his previous interviews. He knew they can take quite some time to be processed, and he hadn’t received too many rejections. He had not gotten the job at the local Tanki office. He met the minimum age requirement, and had the experience necessary of a Major. But that was more of an outlier, as it was likely due to his lack of proficiency in Russian.

Stay tuned!

[ILiveOnTheChatBox123 936]

Chapter 2 is out, check it out here-

ABC Chapter 2-The Clean Karma!