Before Midnight Fell

Before Midnight Fell

I walked the narrow path,

feeling the world fall still,

as midnight gathered,

and whispered my fate.

Nothing moved around me,

only the pulse of fear,

and the pull of something,

waiting just ahead.

I kept moving forward,

toward the unseen door,

knowing once it opened,

I would never be the same.

The trees leaned inward,

listening to my steps,

their branches trembling,

as if they knew my name.

A cold hush circled,

wrapping around my breath,

turning the darkness,

into a living shape.

I felt the night watching,

watching without blinking,

holding its secrets,

until I reached the end.