In the Dead of Night…

A/N:

Hi everyone! This is another story I did at camp, it just took me a while to type it and post it. Thanks for reading!

I circled back to the start, making it my twentieth time.

I was alone, with the exception of three mice and some bats overhead. I shuffled over to the edge, looking down. The view showed a magnificent view, even though it was at midnight; the full moon overhead was my only light in the dead of night.

I liked my job, I once again realized, even though it didn’t pay well, but just enough for me to but food on the table. My sister, though, thought my job to be too dangerous, too life-risking.

I was a watchman, in the tall Romanian Tower, watching to see if my country’s enemies, the Turks, were coming. I agreed with my sister with the part about my job being too dangerous. At any given time, I could lose my life to the Turks, and my family and country would be raided. That is why I took the job. I wanted to serve my country, even at the price of my own life.

Every night after dinner, I would climb the stairs—around three hundred—that lead up to this tower. Then I would pace around the whole circumference. Every hour, I was allowed a ten-minute break before repeating my same schedule until the sign of the sun rising in the east.

My eyes wandered over to my right, where a magnificent, large, rusted bell hung. IN case any Turks were to appear, I was to ring the bell, alerting tower after tower until it reached my king’s ears, who would then send out his army.

Again, my life was too much at risk. It was only me that was up in this tower. I, and only I, stood in the way of the Turks, who outnumbered me greatly. Without me to warn my king, then it would be my fault if my country crumbled.

As I was at the window, a sudden small light caught my attention. I thought it to be my imagination, because when I looked again, the only light I saw was from the moon. I shook my head, grabbed my canteen full of water, and splashed some on my face. I flinched from how cold the water was. I thought I was losing whatever energy I had due to lack of sleep.

But as I stained father out the window, I thought I could faintly make out soft footfalls. I shook my head, took a sip of water from my canteen that was in my hand, and started on my twenty-first circle of the tower.

When I came back to the window minutes later, I stopped.

I was almost positive that I saw a flash of light again, and head the silent footfalls. I leaned out, searching against the black silhouette figures of the trees. Then I heard it: The ever so faint noise of an arrow being released. And then…I felt the pain.

I stumbled back as I heard more arrows being fired. I felt more stabs of pain, and fell down to the cement floor, gasping.

Now, the voices were loud, yelling in a language that I couldn’t make out, whether it because I didn’t understand the language, or because of the buzzing in my ears.

My vision blacked, and I groaned, not wanting to move. Part of me just wanted to lie there and most likely die.

But deep inside me a voice spoke to me and gave me strength.

I struggled to open my eyes, which were closed, I found, and slowly staggered into a crawling position.

I fought against the screams my body were giving off, and crawled on.

My right hand reached up, touching nothing but cold air for a while. My whole right arm shook violently, and I dropped it to the floor. My body begged for me to stay still but I ignored the pain as well as I can.

Finally, I found the rope. Using the last of my energy, I reached up with my left hand and pulled. Hard.

Ding Dong. Ding Dong.

I sank down to the floor. I glimpsed up and then down, and saw that the rope, the floor, and my clothes were stained with my own blood.

Then I heard the sound I most wanted to hear at the moment.

I heard the echoing sounds of all the other bells.

Ding Dong.

Ding Dong.

Ding Dong.

Ding Dong.

I smiled to myself, knowing that my job was done, and sank into a forever sleep just as I glanced at the first light seeping in through the window.

Did you like it? Thanks so much for reading!

Have a happy holidays, everyone!

~Midnight-Wolfe