Hell's Eyes

HELL'S EYES

Mr. Noblémyn’s home after several attempts at gaining his attention. Fearing he’d relapsed upon waking, Elsie readjusted her basket and went around to the side of the cottage that faced the woodland at the edge of town. Perhaps that was the source of all of Mr. Noblémyn’s troubles: there was something stirring in the woods and making strange noises at night, keeping him awake. That had to be the answer to all of Mr. Noblémyn’s troubles as of late. Elsie was certain of it as she gripped the edge of the windowsill with one hand and hitched up her skirts with the other. Finagling her way into the cottage with her basket still in hand, Elsie let her skirts drop as her booted feet hit the hardwood floor of the kitchen. Huffing, she took a second to glance around. Her breath clouded in front of her. Furrowing her brows, Elsie clutched her shawl tighter around her shoulders. It shouldn’t have been so chilly in Mr. Noblémyn’s home, even if the fire had gone out. A tingle of dread trailed down Elsie’s spine. The utter silence seemed cavernous as her thoughts began to echo in her mind. Where was Mr. Noblémyn? Why hadn’t he come to investigate the noise she surely made breaking into his home? Elsie shook her head and took a moment to gather her composure, wondering if perhaps Mr. Noblémyn’s affliction wasn’t contagious before she set her basket down on the kitchen table and called out his name. “I’m terribly sorry to have broken in, but you weren’t answering the door,” Elsie continued, stepping out into the hallway. “I’ve come bac—Mr. Noblémyn!” Elsie rushed to the base of the hallway’s staircase where Mr. Noblémyn lay unconscious. She grasped his shoulders and again called his name, shaking him slightly. Realizing her effort to rouse him was in vain, Elsie took a gulp of air and forced her frazzled mind to function. A pulse! She needed to check for a pulse, and breath. That was what the town

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