Written for: Imaginary Gardens With Real Toads – Wordy Monday with Wild Woman: “Castle Ruins, Lowering Skies . . . Tell us a story.
The Moors, North Yorkshire source
source
At nightfall, he roamed the Moors hoping
to find his missing half-the woman he loved
who had disappeared under mysterious
conditions. “Woe is me. Where can she
be, my long-lost love?” Below, they heard
his mournful cries but were unable to
give him solace.
A castle in which the missing woman’s
eccentric uncle dwelled, had vanished
like a polite ghost. He could not find
it. The castle had been in disrepair
for years. Splintered shutters clacked
across cob-webbed windows, that rattled
in the night like chains. Each time he walked
the Moors he heard a faint moaning. A call
for help?
One blustery night our hero walked farther
than he normally did, and came upon part
of a moat, and some grayish rocks which
he guessed had been used to build
the castle. Woo! Woo! White puffs of smoke
drifted upward, laughing. He spied a
latch covered over with grasses.
He pulled it with all his might and fury.
Creak, creak. The rusted metal came
loose. On hand and knees he peered
inside, and was startled to see the
castle. He crept slowly downward,
and spied the uncle, whose skin
was a sickly pea-green. Garnet eyes
rolled in his head. He looked up,
caught sight of our hero, and laughed
like a crazed hyena.
“So you’ve found me,” he said. “Well
you will not find your lady love. Even
if you did, she would be unrecognizable
to you.” It was at that moment
the moaning began.
purplepeninportland 
Scary!
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Good!
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This is VERY eerie – masterfully done. The pea-green skin is a nice touch. Smiles. I loved this ……. am worried about the moaning though!
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Thanks, Sherry. One just never knows.
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Bad news, Sarah. This was a nice-to-read story. A smile, at first I was wondering what a half woman was, “missing half-the woman he loved.”
..
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That would be cool also.
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Sometimes you should give up before you find what you shouldn’t be looking for.
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I guess love does strange things to your senses.
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This is immensely entertaining 😃 I wonder where the moaning was coming from .. and if it was connected to the whereabouts of his lady love 💜
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Ah, a story for another day. Thanks, Sanaa!
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I loved the build up and the blank ending not knowing what happened to his lover, doubling his grief
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Thanks, Robin!
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Never go down the stairs! 🙂 Nicely done.
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Thanks, Margaret!
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