“Holloway”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Prompt: Birdcage.

Holloway walked through the dark tunnel, his shoes simultaneously squeaking and slapping on the soggy stones. The lamp swung in his hand, changing the sizes of his shadow cast along the walls. One second, he was a giant; the next, he was a dwarf. Both were equally chilling to look at.

Holloway had never been known for his warmth. In fact, he was barely known at all. Some said that he was a vampire. Others claimed that he was a ghost. Most didn’t believe that he existed.

But there was one thing that everyone could agree on: Holloway was a monster.

Most of the descriptions of him were shockingly similar. Pale, green skin. Sharp fangs. Red eyes.

In other words, he was the perfect monster. He even had a habit of appearing in children’s dreams, staring down at them as they cowered under their sheets.

And yet, as Holloway plodded along, his red eyes were soft. He turned slightly and jumped, as if his shadow scared even him. He pulled his thick cloak tightly around himself, shivering from the dampness, and quickened his pace.

Finally, at the end of the tunnel, he stopped. A bony hand reached into his pocket to withdraw a beautifully ornamented key. His hand shook as he guided to key to the lock. As soon as the lock was turned, the door swung open, releasing a soft sigh of contentedness from finally being released.

After stealing a quick glance behind himself, Holloway darted inside, pushing the door back into place, ignoring its whine of protest. The lock turned again and Holloway let out a deep breath.

He set the lamp down and softly called, “I’m home!”

A chorus of contented chirps echoed back at him. He smiled; finally he could spend some time with the only creatures who didn’t think that he was a monster.

Final Comments: I’m not sure why, but I had a lot of fun sneaking alliterations into this one… It was also a fun one to write in general!

Overall Rating: 😊