The Wish Monk

Aderyn finally freed herself, this time she wouldn't make the same mistake like going to her neighbours for help, she regretted it for weeks after, they were her stepfather's friends and they just handed her back over to that evil man, with their stupid grins on their faces.

This time she decided she would run up the hill toward the castle and hope that she can reach the police station on the other side.

First, she had to get out of their back garden, It was at this moment that Aderyn heard a bang as the front door opened 'What he isn't supposed to be home now!' Aderyn thought

Aderyn's heart jumped into her throat and ran not wanting to give up her chance for freedom, she just rushed toward the back of the garden, the fence which backed onto the castle grounds, at the end of the sparse garden there was a shed which she could use to boost herself over.

She jumped over the fence but not without something crashing loudly from within the shed as she'd pushed against it, Aderyn froze waiting to see if her stepfather had heard it.

The house was quite Aderyn hoped he hadn't heard it but as the back door slammed open her hope faded away, Aderyn snapped out of her frozen state and made her way up the hill towards the castle.

The Garden fence shook with the impact of her stepfather but, some more crashing sounds came from the shed and soon he was back at the fence with even louder thuds, Aderyn could hear the echoes of steel hitting wood and the fence shuddering under its impacts.

Under that assault, it soon gave in and the fence broke down falling to the floor in pieces revealing the shadowy figure that had haunted her life.

Looking back Aderyn, seeing an axe glinting under the moonlight, as it swung manically in his hands as he started his run up the hill a shiver travelled down her spine.

Adrenaline rush to her limbs and Aderyn's heart pounded against her chest as she fled up the hill.

Aderyn only had a few moments to decide.

The distant lights of the city centre or the much closer brightly light Tesco.

But Aderyn knew with a glance back that the odds of making it to either were low, seeing that the castle gates where strangely open, a spark of hope lit in her mind as an idea sprouted forth.

This idea was to hide in the castle and hope that she can avoid him and then double back and run for the centre that was her only hope for escape.

She fled into the castle noticing the small map, taking a passing glance to remind herself of the layout, of Oystermouth Castle.

Aderyn heard her steps echoing within the depths of the castle it wasn't until she found a place with many diverging paths that she settles into one of the branching dungeons of the castle.

Aderyn shrunk back into the darkness as she heard the pounding feet of her pursuer, pushing herself as far as possible into her dark corner she tried to calm her ragged breathing 'Quite down or he'll hear me, God I hope doesn't hear me!' Aderyn thought

As the sound of that man's feet drew closer, her breathing quickened and no matter how much she stifled the noise it sounded loudly within the otherwise quiet darkness.

Aderyn's eyes adjusted to the darkness, as a shadow appeared that devoured the little light that filtered into the room.

The shadow that lumbered its way into the room was heaving great gulps of air making a loud noise that Aderyn hoped overshadowed her own, it crunched its way into the middle of the room looking around at the darkness.

Aderyn dare not move a muscle, her heart threatened to burst from her chest when the figure moved again, heading back towards the door to continue its pursuit of her.

But when the figure turns its head back into the room and spoke loudly Aderyn almost lost control of her body as in its deep rough voice he spoke to her "Aderyn when I find you, you will pay for this one way or another, your mother always tried to get away from me and you saw what happened to her!"

As its voice echoed throughout Aderyn mind, images of her mother always protecting her, never fighting back, trapped and chained by her, doing everything he said to the T just to protect her.

It wasn't until a time after her 12 birthday when they tried to escape from the building did she find out the truth and it only got worse for her after that as he no longer hid his actions.

Then her mother died. Everything her mother had experienced throughout her life was suddenly piled onto her, that was 4 years ago!

Aderyn waited until she couldn't hear movement, then crumbled into a fit of tears, she tried stifling them but they just poured out uncontrollably.

After some time she managed to gain control of herself as her mournful thoughts turned dark as hatred boil up out of the suppressed knots that had formed throughout the years.

Tightening her fist she growled "I wish he … he would just die! Why can't they just leave me alone, why me…" As she continued remembering her mother and lost the grip on her anger. Her mother always wanting her to be better than that and not letting anger lead her through the smoke that it produces.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself again she heads toward the corridor whispering "I just wish I was free of them!"

As Aderyn looked out into the corridor, looking deeper into the dungeon a breeze blow down her neck, she shivered.

"Hello, there dear!..."

Someone said in a deep rough voice, Aderyn recognised instantly she tried to scream but as she drew breath a flash of pain as something solid collided with her neck, she fell forward and familiar blackness consumed her vision but as she fell into unconscious she heard some beads rattle in the distances.

… A moan echoed from the depths of darkness as Aderyn regained consciousness moving to grab her bruised head as she heard a rattle of metal that restricted her movement.

While her eye adjusted to the light she felt along the chain with a feeling of impending doom she realised that she was trapped and bound in the cellar of her house.

The creaking of the trapdoor from overhead opening illuminated the dark room, the light dimmed as that thing carved his silhouette into the light, descending the now visible stairs.

"Hello there dear step-daughter, I'm here to make you pretty for your meeting with your Uncle, Now…" He slammed his axe between her legs "Stay still while I make you pretty, Just like how I and you're mother used to do!"

To the left of him, he put a case down and started fussing over her, Aderyn didn't dare move, scream or shake. Her heart could barely handle the speed at which it pumped making her feel sick!

With a source of light, Aderyn managed to move her eyes seeing if there was anything that could be used to escape again when she looked at herself she could see the thick chains.

But her mind spun as her clothes where gone, the jeans and shirt she was wearing, now replaced with a dirty red dress that Aderyn recognised as her mother's, she hadn't seen in 4 years.

After this realisation Aderyns mind broke with all the possibilities, not noticing as the comforting darkness consumed the room as it did she cried knowing her future was bleak and short.

Aderyn was awoken by a loud kerfuffle above her then the sound of something hitting the floor, another sound and something else thudding against the floor.

The house went quiet and the only thing she could hear was the sound of her breathing. Jumping as something wet dripped onto her shoulder, more drops started to fall from the ceiling, she tried moving away from it the chains held her there.

As the liquid kept dripping onto her she needed to find out what it was as she dipped her finger into put some onto her tongue and found the all too recognisable taste of iron.

She tried to move to keep the stuff off her but it kept spreading along the boards above her.

Being so preoccupied with avoiding the blood that when the door opened she jumped back into the corner like a frightened rabbit, forgetting the streams of blood that now filter through the boards.

As she looked towards the trapdoor there stood a man hooded in a plain brown monks habit and prayer beads.

The monk reached out his arm and dropped two football-sized lumps that thudded down the stairs.

The lone figure made it's leisurely way down the stairs dropping beads as it moved.

This simple movement sent shivers down her spine the simple fact that every bead that fell came from well… nowhere the prayer beads he held did not lose any of its beads, let alone the cold air that flowed in with him.

The figure moved past the lumps letting the light shine onto them showing Aderyn the visage of the severed heads of her step-father and an additional head that she had never seen before.

Once Aderyn had figured out what had happened upstairs hope and joy flooded her mind and even smiled for once in a long time.

The figure moved in a measured way, Aderyn tried to speak but the unnaturalness of its movements made her pause and watched it, as it moved closer.

She could now see under its hood and saw a pale, gaunt ghostly image of a monk with a smile on it's face.

In a cold and deadpan voice, it spoke: "Today, I will free a little bird!"

A thin creeping hand extended toward her the cold aura that it emitted repelled her and even though she was so tired, she attempted to get away but the chains that bound Aderyn broke across her skin.

Suddenly a bright light blinded her she could hear a voice coming from the stairs "There a cellar, someone down there?"

Once Aderyn vision recovered she recognised the black and white uniform and helmets of the Police.

The police asked the bloody and broken Aderyn many questions all they received were incoherent answers

She was barely aware that she had been released from her chains, escorted through the house avoiding the living room and headed outside into a sea of blue lights, as they escorted her towards an ambulance holding her up as her legs quivered and her strength left her, they decided to take her to the hospital.

At the smell of the clean-disinfected state of the ambulance she slowly came back to earth, She starts to listen to the paramedics while she was resting on the bed. "shame, that girl is never going to be free from that place always haunting her dreams, I know it will mine."

"Yeh mine too! The blood, man, she's covered in it and those chain marks, looks like she really fought. but where do the beads come into it they were everywhere in the house and seems quite a few made it in with us!"

A shiver travelled up her spine opening her eyes looking frantically around ignoring the calls of the paramedic, something caught her eye in the window, the face of the monk. It seemed to be miming something Aderyn saw its lips move and somewhere behind her a whisper "…Truly Free…"

A blinding light filtered through the window and the screeching sound of a car breaking fill her ears.