A Whisper in the Dark
Tell me...Tell me...
Her eyes snapped open. Again this whispering. It had filled her dreams for a few days now. Barely audible at first but now...
Blinking she looked around her room. The moon stood bright in the clear night sky, its pale light casting long shadows across the walls. For a moment she just stared, taking in their various forms and shapes. The way some of them danced and crawled across her furniture.
Tell me...Tell...meee...
Again. A bit louder this time. No! She shook her head. It was just a little remnant of her dream. She ran a hand through her hair, marvelling at the feeling of the strands moving across her skin. It had been so wonderful the past few weeks. Soft as silk and glowing in the sun. She was the envy of the other woman of the court and more than once had noticed the men staring at it.
Tellll...meeee...
Although it had become a little itchy as well. Nothing too serious but she definitely noticed it more often than before. As if called, the skin a short bit above her right ear began to itch slightly. Her hand moved like it had done a thousand times before and seconds later she felt that familiar ease.
Tell me...
Strange. Her hand seemed stuck. Normally a slight tug would have been enough to remove her fingers from whatever entanglement they had gotten themselves in. But now...
Tell me...TELL ME...
She froze. That hadn't been in her imagination. She had heard that! Wait! No! She felt the strands around her fingers. They were moving!
Tell...ME...TELL meeee...
No! It moved around her arm, like snakes made from steel, keeping it in position. Around her head too! On her forehead, in her ears, along her cheeks!
TEEEELLL MEEEEE...TELL MEEEEE...
NO! She tried to scream but a mouthful of hair was all she received. Smooth and dry, like hair and yet so utterly foreign it thrashed down her throat. Muffled screams, thrown weakly into the air, her other arm and legs getting caught in the strands iron grip.
She heard it now. Loud and clear. A monstrous voice not from her dreams or the shadows. My hair. The voice comes from my hair. was her last coherent thoughts as a blanket of reddish-brown moved over her eyes. Only the thunder in her mind remained.
TEELLLLL MEEEEEE...TEEEELLL MEEEE...TEELLLL MEEEEEEEEEE...
When her maid entered the room the next morning she could only scream at what she saw. Leaning on the wall, a lifeless body. No eyes or teeth, the face eternally caught in a mask of utter terror. Men entered the room. First soldiers then a medicae. They took the bald body away.
Days later she still hadn't forgotten the sight. No one could imagine how she had died. She wasn't stabbed or had been struck. She hadn't suffocated. Her hair had been removed and the face, throat and arms were covered in strange markings. Other than that she had looked normal.
Sighing she turned to finish her daily tasks. There was no use in breaking her head for answers. Casting a last glance around the room she couldn't help but admire Admera's hair for a moment. It just looked so shiny, so perfect.
So that's what Vardanians fear eh? Shadows, silence and hair...I mean at least they are pretty creative don't you think?
A victim is consumed by the Faris Capare or Hairy Monster as it is known among non Vardanians. Artistic depiction by Master Armund Cameris, dated 2599 DA.
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Be careful Erin or the Faris will get you! Can you feel its tiny, tiny teeth gnaw at you already?Faris Capare Vardanian myths are filled with non-human creatures. They range from simply terrifying to utterly bizarre and everything in between. Be it the kid robbing Shadow or the voice imitating Idrin, there are thousands of stories of horrific monstrosities crawling from the shadows to torture man. The Faris is special even among them. Depending on the tale it is either a mass of actual hair or merely able to perfectly imitate the feeling of human hair. Which is more bizarre is left to the reader. It will either act as a wig, waiting for some unfortunate being to buy it or stalk through the night and quietly replace its victim's original hair with itself. A few weeks later it strikes, taking the victim's eyes, teeth and inner organs. All that remains is a bald corpse, strange markings all over its face.
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I loved the imagery in this story! It really strikes fear into one's mind, and can sort of work well as a cautionary tale against vanity. The whispering is a nice touch.