Danse Macabre

Can you hear it- the soft sound of the flute as it plays out of tune? Can you feel its madness; its persistence? Does it nag at the corners of your mind and tear at the fabric of thought? Can you taste its sour notes- a flavour that causes you to choke? Can you smell the foul odor of the breath blowing through it? Can you see the notes dancing on the breeze? I can… I cannot ignore it. How are you unaware of its presence? How can you move through existence ignorant of its sway; blind to the influences of the gods that control the dance of life? It flows through me with all the smoothness of needles piercing through my veins. It scratches at the inside of my mind, causing fracture and dissent. I can feel myself falling; slowly slipping into the void created by the disparities of our world. Darkness envelopes me; consumes me; holds me as a mother holds a child to her breast. I am careening into the chaos of destruction and creation. Sanity is a stranger to me, madness my new mistress. I am falling… falling… falling…

I awaken from my slumber in a strange land. The sky is black as night and all celestial bodies shine with a dim light. Stars twinkle and asteroids race by without a care for destruction. Several planets are within view, seeming as close as moons. The landscape of this unusual place is rocky and mountainous. There is no visible life; no foliage, no fauna, no fungi within view. I feel the heaviness of loneliness settle on the dust of my heart. I rise to my feet and begin to explore, lost in the maze of jutting stones. I drag my bare feet, shuffling slowly. There is a slight breeze, which causes me to shiver. “Where is this place?” The thought crosses my mind, but I know no answer will come.

I begin to hear the soft melody of a flute. At first, it is hard to discern from which direction it is floating. I turn about in place listening carefully, for it seems to echo off each stone. “Ah, there it is.” I pinpoint the sound and begin to move towards it. In my sight a large violet planet with deep blue streaks of cloud and pale-yellow rings seems to rise as a sun. In that direction far in the distance, is a silhouette that stands out from the mountains in the eerie light. I cannot quite make out what this shape could be, but I am certain that is the source of the music.

The planet rises high about the horizon and sits about mid-sky. I cannot discern how long I have been trudging through this barren land. There is no sun to cast light or shadow, there is only the darkness and the distant glint of stars. My feet are sore and bloodied from travelling barefoot over the jagged stones. My body screams at me to rest, but I cannot rest. The song grows ever louder as I move closer, and I am compelled to continue towards it. I can no longer see the distant figure that sat in stark contrast to the violet planet since it has made its ascent toward the heavens. My only clue to my position, is the steadily rising volume of the tune.

A sudden, quick movement in the blackness breaks my concentration. It seems to pass between the obelisks, keeping itself hidden. My pulse quickens. Perhaps it is my tired eyes, tricking me into seeing things that aren’t there. A breeze sweeps through, rattling my bones, and chilling me to my very core. It seems to coincide with a crescendo to the symphony that permeates the air. ‘I am close now,’ I think to myself while tripping over my damaged feet. I feel a sudden shift in the texture of the ground: it’s smooth and cold, softer than the rough rock of before. The path slopes steeply upward and I begin to ascend. I feel a tremor that nearly knocks me over, the music matching its intensity. I am driven to continue moving; pulled by the misplayed melody; consumed by it.

I finally reach the apex of my ascent. The music is enveloping my soul with it’s twisted, distorted sound. I approach a door that has appeared before me, its size too large for any being I can fathom. I heave my body against the smooth stone with all the strength that I possess, though it remains immovable. I draw back and come at it with a running start, but to no avail. I continue to struggle with all my might, but no matter how I try I cannot gain access. With each push, the door remains unyielding. My muscles pulsing and sore, my bloodied feet slipping beneath me. I lean my weary body against the door and slowly slide down into a slump at its base, defeated.

‘What is that?’ I turn my head toward the edge of the building where a shadow catches my eye. I can see movement, a fluttering of fabric shrouding a mysterious figure. ‘This must be what I saw earlier,’ I presume. ‘I guess it wasn’t just a trick of the darkness after all.’ I raise my hand to beckon the creature closer, for I cannot find my voice to call out. The being approaches me, seeming to glide across the marble floor. As it nears, I feel an unwavering sense of dread wash over me. The creature is massive in height, but slight in girth. I cannot make out any distinguishing features even as it draws closer, as it is completely drapes in flowing black robes, yet I can see an odd movement where its feet should be. A limb protrudes from the base of the shear garb, long and unnatural, raising toward the door. The gaunt figure slowly pulls the heavy door, allowing me entrance. I crawl through the gap as quickly as I can muster. I thank the being as it closes the heavy stone, leaving me alone once more. My eyes meet with a dim light, which seems blinding for a moment as I had grown accustomed to the darkness of the perpetual night outside. I slowly rise to my feet, almost toppling over as the pain shoots through me. My muscles almost give way, but I am reinvigorated as the music fills my ears. I am drawn forward to the next massive chamber, where I behold a sight most macabre.

Before me in the chamber is life, or as close to life that could be. More of those creatures are floating above and around the perimeter of the room, tentacles teeming under their shrouds, thick and glistening in the candlelight. A large chandelier hangs awkwardly from the high, domed ceiling, crooked from several of its supporting chains having snapped in their fastenings. Black was drips to the grey, marble floor, leaving an ever-growing pool of wax beneath. Scattered around the room are beings dancing out of time with the distorted tune of the flute. I can only describe these beings as corpses- many are fully lifeless and in various stages of decay, although some seem as though there may still be a spark of life in them, however puppet-like they may be. These people, if you can call them that, never seem to notice my entrance. They continue moving in a sharp and jerking manner, awkward and stumbling over themselves in their waltz.

Beyond the dancing, lifeless bodies, set back at the farthest reaches of the chamber is a large, dilapidated throne with its occupant firmly planted upon its cushion. This being is the source of the haunting tune. It sways, playing skill-less, blaring into the reaches of one’s sanity. A true horror, this being is. Its eyes are bulging, lidless, and full of malice. The pupil of each reminiscent of a goat’s: strange and horizontally slit. They are numerous and placed at odd intervals upon its body, as are its mouths. It’s holding its flute to a mouth near where it’s shoulder should be. The unoccupied mouths are gaping, full of broken teeth, and drooling an opaque, yellowish slime. From several of its mouths protrude clumsy, purple, bulbous tongues; licking the thin lips, or hanging listless and dripping noxious spittle. It has no nose, nor any semblance of where a nose should be. Neither does it have any ears, which would explain its terrible skill. Its body is truly immense, amorphous, overtaking the throne upon which it sits; its sagging flesh spilling over the sides. It reeks of rot and is a lurid, sickly greenish colour. It has neither arms nor legs, but writhing tentacles in their stead. If one of the floating being or dancing corpses gets too close, a thick tentacle reaches out and grips it like a serpent, pulling it toward one of its numerous gaping maws. A sickening smack, slurp, and resulting crunch echo through the chamber under the sound of the shrill flute.

I want to be disgusted; I want to run away from the scene before me, yet I find I cannot. The music overtakes me as I feel my will ebbing. I sway, a rough movement compelled not by myself but completely by the tune. Without warning, I feel as if I am gripped by an unseen force as my body unwillingly lurches forward, wobbling and juddering as the corpses and puppets surrounding me do. The gruesome ballet uninterrupted by my sudden joining, almost as if my part was written in aeons before this began. I am mindless, overtaken, devolving into a madness compelled by this beast-god and it’s flute. Obsession grips me. My heart slows, its beating in opposition of the music that swells and fills my soul. Sanity is a stranger to me; madness my new mistress. I’m falling… falling… falling…