A Dead Place
Pitch darkness enveloped the three friends. It was as if a steel curtain had been pulled across space, cutting off all light. At first they floated freely, with nothing above or below them. Then, gradually, they started to feel something firm underfoot. They weren’t walking on solid ground, but at least they were treading on something firmer than air.
“It’s weird. I feel like I’m walking on a feather duvet” remarked Chilli.
Gradually, a dim glow began to push back the darkness, giving them enough light to see one another.
“Look, it’s the moon!” cried Ty, as he caught sight of the crescent-shape of the new moon emerging from the horizon. “We must be back on earth.”
“I can see you guys, but everything’s still blurry” complained Chilli, squinting at her friends.
“Same here. It’s like looking at you through water” Ty agreed.
“I think we’re back on solid ground” exclaimed Chilli, relieved to feel firm footing under her.
“Look” cried Ty, holding out his arm, “I’m starting to become solid again.”
“I hope we get put back together properly” Chilli remarked drily.
“We’d better check to see if we’ve got all our body parts, Chills.”
“Yup, arms, legs, head, everything’s there. Dunno about my mind, though” Chilli joked nervously. This was an experience she wasn’t in a hurry to go through again.
It was still too dark to be sure where they were. All they could see were the outlines of long rows of oblong objects along the ground.
Chilli was the first to realise where they were. “Those are gravestones! We’ve landed in a cemetery!”
“Listen” said Ty. “It’s dead quiet. Nothing’s making a sound. Not a bird, not a bat, not a cricket. Nothing. This place is really dead.”
The silence was unnerving, but the thick smell of death in the air was more frightening. Its mustiness hung on the dank mist that swirled among the gravestones. Death had staked its claim here, but not just to the creatures under the gravestones; there wasn’t a single flower, shrub or blade of grass anywhere. The anguished trunks and twigs of dead trees scattered amongst the graves clawed at the dark sky.
Ty knelt down at a headstone to read its inscription. “It says ‘dodo’. Isn’t that an extinct bird or something?” he asked.
“I think it’s a bird that lived on Mauritius. I remember my folks talking about it.” Chilli followed his lead and examined another stone.
“This one says ‘pterodactyl’. The others are also engraved with the names of other animals and insects.” Suddenly it dawned on Chilli what the graveyard was for. “I get it. These are all the names of extinct animals.”
“We must be in the right place,” observed Ty. “Looks like that Morbidius guy’s been busy. There must be millions of tombstones.”
“Now we have to find out where this Morbidius dude is” Chilli said,“maybe...”
Chrrt-chrrt-chrrt. A strange sound drowned out Chilli’s words.
“What’s that?” Ty whispered nervously. It was like nothing he’d ever heard before.
“Dunno, but what’s that other weird sound?” To Chilli it sounded like sharp scissor blades being slashed together. She felt a wave of goosebumps spread across her body.
The menacing sound grew louder and louder as it moved closer and closer to them.
“Whatever it is, it’s coming toward us” whispered Chilli, terrified.
“Ssshh, keep quiet!” Ty hissed. “Maybe it won’t see us in the dark.”
The friends hardly dared to breathe in case they were heard by whatever it was that was stalking them. But it was too late.