• He just sat there in his monk garments, praying. Tears ran down his wrinkled face, a depressing sight as any. The monks brown eyes filled with the emotion and darkness of the deepest black sea. A terrible sight is that of the man that is lost like a boat in a storm. Whimpering and wining for the lost child that he could have saved. This once proud monk torn apart by a force so great not even a higher force could put his mind at ease. If only life was more fair and less heart breaking, I wouldn’t have had to watch this man cry tears of black pain and fall into the deepest pit of depression but I would not touch him. I slipped outside into the pouring rain, each drop like a dagger falling on me from high above. Like a punishment from god for not being more help. I sat in the gardens, just letting the minutes slip to hours and letting day turn to night. Nothing stirred but a bird in a tree that within itself seemed too depressed to even begin a tune of night.

    Through the crashing of the ran drops I could still hear the monks crying, it was beating into me like a drum. He hadn’t moved for hours, he was still there praying and praying for forgiveness but he had nought to be forgiven for. When I had first set foot within the temple, I saw a man looking wiser than any. Humbled yet firm, gentle yet stern but now it seemed that man had been washed away in blood and tears. Tears cried for the death of a child he could not save. The rain stayed for hours, crashing into the ground. It was almost like god was crying along with this man who was cowering on the floor. What could I do but sympathise? I had sympathy but I truly could not imagine what the monk had been through. I’d seen no murder and heard no scream. They would surely haunt this man for the rest of his life but what was I to do? Ask god to rewind time, to save the little girl and the monk from insanity. After all I was but one person in the world no different from any other.

    The room was almost blackened by the monks tears of anguish and despair. Every fear and tragedy stuck to the walls like black slime and the air was fogged with desperate times. It was chocking me, holding me tightly in its grasp and it wasn’t letting go. Then I saw it, if not for a brief moment, hanging above the monks head. A demon like figure, crouched. Deformed and hideous, it smirked and grinned at the monks every whimper. Almost like it was feeding from his despair. Its yellow eyes looked swollen like it had been deprived of sleep for ages. Its twisted grin showing sharp gleaming teeth and its claws glistening in the candle light. Licking its lips, eyes shimmering with adrenaline. Slowly lifting its claw ready to carve open the poor un-suspecting monk. I moved a foot backward and hit a table alerting it of my presence. Its spiteful eyes moved to me, its gawping mouth full of dagger like teeth shining. Still on the monk cried, desperate to feel well with the world once more. This was it, the thing that had killed the girl and I was next. Suddenly the demon halted and looked back at the monk. Then turned towards me with a revealing grin.

    The beast recited a sentence in what seemed an ancient form of Chinese language and then disappeared into the shadows of the temple. I stood shocked for what seemed a decade and then caught the reflection of myself in the mirror. Hair a mess, eyes shimmering in fear, skin sweating rapidly. I could no longer not interfere. This was more than murders this was beyond even what the police could have handled. I ran to the monk drowning in his own tears and grabbed him by the arms. His dark eyes filled with death and despair. I regained my will to talk and thrust upon him the demon and the shadows. What did it all mean? Silent as the mouse he gazed into my eyes and for a moment seemed as if he was going to die because I had used the word demon. His skin fell pale and his eyes darkened even more than before. I shook him rapidly crying out but still he stayed almost dead still like a statue. When finally the words fell from his mouth like fire hindering all those in its path.
    “Demon,” he began, breathing heavily. “It’s just the beginning, he returns more powerful now than before.” Babbling on about death and destruction, words sharp as daggers. I heard a demonic laugh.

    He stopped dead as did I. I caught movement in the shadows, more laughs. Cackling and sniggering in the darkness. Shadows of teeth and claws crept closer and closer in the eerie darkness of the night. I felt the fog in the room choke me again. This wasn’t sandalwood incense grasping my breath but something more of a hand of demon mist. I saw the eyes one more time and shining teeth ready to eat. Then it was gone in the blink of an eye. The monks eyes filled with tears as he pressed his hands together and began to pray once more. His wrinkled face screwed up in fear. What was this thing and why was this happening now? I heard it again those words in that strange language when suddenly it floated into English. The words stuck to me like slime… “Blood has yet to be split, the debt of a million people is due and the creature comes in the moonlight to collect the payment.” I stopped dead still, even the monk stopped praying and his eyes filled with fear at the words. Was this truly real? I dared not move, we both sat still awaiting morn’s first light. Spirits help us if it returns...