hoarfrost

Hoar Frost

The couple inside the big red Ozark Tent were struggling with their sleeping bags. “I told you we should put our heads at the top of the decline. If we don't we'll feel like our eyes are going to explode, and there isn't a way around the slope. Why can't you just put your head under the skylight thing or something?” Lisa asked perturbed with her husband's issues which always seemed to plague their vacations.

“I told you before Leese, claustrophobia isn't something you can just turn on and off. I have to have my head near the opening or I'll never sleep. I'll freak out in the middle of the night.” Dan replied to her irritancies.

“Well, you put your head down there, then, I'm sleeping this way.”

“I'm going to leave the zipper open too a little so I'll go get you an extra blanket from the car.” Dan swished the right side of the tent flap open and let it slide back behind him as he headed toward their dark blue Odyssey.

Lisa punched her hips with her fists and tried really hard to keep her anger, but it wasn't going to happen. Dan did have a real condition and now he was trying to keep her warmer because of it. He never tried to push, he just dealt with his fear in the best way he could. Shaking her head with an amused smile playing about her chapped red lips, she began moving her sleeping bag so she could sleep facing her husband's sweet face.

“Hey! What have you been up to?” Dan questioned as the flap hissed again and he entered the tent.

“Aw, well, you know, I kinda like that ugly mug of yours.” She answered her voice tinged with that sexy husky tone that told Dan everything he'd fantasized at the camp fire, while cuddling his wife as they gazed into the flames, would come true.

Dan reached for Lisa's hand and squeezed. “I hate you ya know. You are such a bitch.”

“Scratch that. Your Bitch.”

“Okay, MY Bitch.” Dan whispered as he pulled her close and pressed his lips against wind blown blisters. “Ooo” he responded. “Are you okay?”

“Nice! Yeah, I have some chap stick but I thought I'd wait before I put any on.” She said in that sultry, come-on-it's-time- voice.

“How very kind of you.” Dan kissed her again gently, “But I don't want to hurt you and those look like they could split. Put on your chap stick and I'll get warmer.” He smiled and began removing his clothing.

Within minutes Lisa had joined him inside the sleeping bags which had been zippered together so they could sleep next to each other.

* * *

Deep in the night the temperature began to drop. As Dan and Lisa exhaled their breath not only fogged, it created crystals around their mouths where they drooled down their pillows. The freezing wind blew in lightly from the opened tent flap and seemed to swirl above them like a tornado that did not touch the ground. White and blue twirled above them in a great big spiral looking much like the Milky Way Galaxy.

As the spinning continued in a clockwise motion, pretty little star shaped crystals crackled together forming a bridge of Frost that traveled over the bottom of the tent flap. The crepitating grew stronger as snow flake shapes formed of ice began to integument the couple's exposed skin. Without a sound the HoarFrost sank deeper inside their skin, turning it blue and unreal. Pieces began cracking and splitting off each body hitting the bottom of the sleeping bags like aged paint. The devastation went threw their skin, threw their organs, and bones until nothing was left.

In mere minutes, the bodies of the vacationers were no more, the HoarFrost came quickly and efficiently devoured the couple like a child eating it's favorite ice cream.

* * *

Brenda Wilkins walked around her natural stone alters happy with her work. The once dark haired vixen with a virtually translucent complexion had tried for years to gain the power she'd lost over a century ago when her Order had cast her out for performing rituals of an uncouth, destructive manner on the local villagers. As soon as the Order had discovered her behavior against the locals, they had bound and gagged her, carried her out to the top of the highest mountain and cast her over the side thinking that would be the end of the bad luck which had befallen the village.

It wasn't the end of anything.

Brenda had fallen down the side of the mountain into a deep ravine of crisping snow which acted to preserve her in a hypothermic state. A century past, and the mountain snows melted away revealing the body of Brenda Wilkins, if not a little worse for wear. She was emaciated, but alive, for the cold had slowed her blood pressure down much like the bear that sleeps during the winter, only this was much longer, and her blood pressure was nearly non existent. As the rains came and the snow melted her prison away, the sun slowly warmed her body to that of the living once again.

Her bonds were soggy and easy to wriggle out of. She spit out the gag trapped within her mouth as she woke to a brand new world, brand new power to gain, and a need for vengeance so thick it could cloud the brightest bulb in the box.

Before long, a river flowed close to where Brenda's body lay warming in the sun. Fear of drowning in the floods of water rushing past her she forces her body up and gingerly walks with care around the glade. One hand to her hip, the other around a walking stick, Brenda nurses herself back to a tentative health, eating berries, and dandelions and drinking from the waters of the swift moving river.

She is hesitant to leave the glade. She wonders about time and the Order who cast her out so savagely. Being up in the mountains didn't offer her much information, but she needed a good place to shelter in case they discovered she'd survived. Spending several days searching the ever warming forest, Brenda eventually discovered a cave that ran deep into the mountain, yet wasn't but a brisk fifteen minute walk to the waters edge.

Brenda walked carefully into the cave to examine and make sure no one else had decided it would be as good a home as she'd decided. Finding no animals or vagrants, she created a fire pit with her walking stick, and gathered small sticks, twigs, and other things she could use to start a fire with. She took her stash of berries and dandelions with a few nuts discovered along the walk to the river and chose a safe place to store them in a nook between two stones along the cave wall.

When everything she could do had been done, Brenda resigned that she would have to go down the mountain and find out what had happened. She had many questions and the towns below could answer. She had no idea how long she'd laid in the ice and snow, nor if the Order were still around. Her body had healed nicely and her age would be hard to determine as she herself couldn't even quite tell.

Brenda was wrinkled after her time in the cold. She was thin and more feeble than before but her wits were as sharp as ever. Brenda Wilkins was clever too and she would soon learn just how long her stay in the cold had been.

* * *

The trees had hidden her movement for the days she traveled down the mountain following the river in secret and shadow. When she reached the edge of the forest she looked out over a cliff the trail she'd been following led her too, where the water crashed down to the jagged rocks miles below. Beyond the waterfall she could see a town but it looked nothing like the towns she remembered. This town was very large and had many trails covered with an odd gray color. Things moved along those trails that scared her. She had only seen carts made with crude fashion and they never moved of their own volition. They were pulled by horses, or in some cases, people. She looked down, startled at what she had seen and immediately noticed her clothing.

Brenda looked terrible. The shift she'd been wearing was tattered and no longer the pristine white she had first pulled over her head. Now she wore a gray dress that resembled undergarments more than clothing fit to wear outside your home. She reached up and touched her hair. Her fingers met with tangles and snarls, matted in every section, puffed out beyond her head. As she pulled her fingers away, an old brown leaf crumbled away between her finger tips. She sobbed and was at a loss at what to do.

Knowing nothing but to move forward, never back, she turned and re-entered the forest heading down a new trail which led away from the river heading toward the town she had seen. The sun was high in the sky by the time she reached the end of the dirt path which led into the backyard of a home. But it wasn't like any home she had ever seen before.

It was created with wood and painted a light color. Brenda saw clothing hanging outside between four logs stabbed into the ground, blowing in the gentle breeze. One of the garments looked to be about her size. She might not be able to brush her hair yet, but that dark long dress would fit her just fine. It even had a cute little white lace trim at the collar.

Brenda crept threw the wooden and metal toys strewn about the yard with wonder trapped in her eyes. She didn't understand what these odd things could be, but she didn't care. She traversed the obstacles deliberately and anxiously reached the garment with more ease than expected.

She looked at the dress and caressed the material with her tender darkened fingers. She smudged the material with dirt as she followed the lines up to where it hung along the rope. She pinched herself trying to remove it, but accomplished her goal and quickly headed back to the security of the trees.

Removing her gray mass of cotton she could no longer refer to as a dress, she slipped the silky apparel over her head and relished the feel as it slid down her small frame. She buttoned it at the base of her neck and marveled that she could feel so much better with a stolen piece of clothing. Her new look of a dark, navy blue long dress with white lacey edging, covered her decrepit shoes, the leather thinned and brown as an old oak. Thinking again of her hair, an idea formed, and she ran back toward the waterfall. There had been a small pool where she washed her face and drank of the cool water. Brenda figured she finally had reason to dare to dip her head into the icy cold glacier water, and clean her hair.

Once she was as clean as she could manage, she headed toward the strange town again, fear chilling her insides as much as the mountain river water had frozen her skin and given her a terrible headache. Brenda didn't know what to expect from this area she didn't recognize but kept going onward. Soon Brenda saw children running around her pulling at her dress, singing strange songs in a language she didn't know. They pulled at her wet hair and seemed very cruel.

She growled at the children, “Shoo- Shoo.” she warned in a high breathy voice. The children taunting her laughed but also ran away. Angry, Brenda smoothed down her dress, pat her hair down and lifted her head to enter the town. “What horrible children this place breeds.” She thought.

Brenda had come upon a street, but she didn't want to step on the gray matter covering the area where the dirt should be. She peeked around large brick building and saw that everyone walked atop this ugly looking shroud, and though she feared to do so, her foot landed on the hard surface. She waited half a second to see if it would bite her before pulling her foot back again. Using her toes she touched the odd surface again, and slowly put her body weight on the road. Convinced she would not perish, she walked closely to the buildings straining her ears for bits of conversation.

“A most fine brew sir. I'd like to carry it at the Saloon.” She heard one stocky man shout in a language she could readily understand as some kind of English, though not the English she was used to hearing and speaking.

“What you like to dine upon madam?” She heard someone ask.

“Can you believe it's Spring Time again? These years have passed by so quickly! Why they've just finished the building of the new railroad a whole year early! It wasn‘t meant to be finished until eighteen sixty three.”

This stopped Brenda cold. “Eighteen sixty two? It was the year eighteen sixty two? She'd been asleep for nearly…a hundred years?”

Music was playing loudly and Brenda didn't understand the feelings it gave her. Things low in her body throbbed hard with the deep sounding thrum and vibrations. She moved away from that building without gleaning any useful information. Brenda saw an Outdoor Market and headed in its direction. It was set behind the hustle and bustle of busy people in the strange multi-layered clothing in dark colors. “ Men who wore things set a top their noses ?” She hadn't seen that before. She didn't understand this world, but food she could understand. Bartering for goods she could understand.

Under the canvass canopy set up like a great circus tent of the Market she perused the tables of fruits and vegetables and her stomach growled. She came upon meats and flowers and gifts and grains she recognized but didn't understand the paper people were exchanging for their goods. She had no paper to exchange for anything. She received uncomfortable looks and families moved their children away from her vicinity. It angered and hurt her. She'd done nothing to earn their distrust. Brenda doubted anyone had noticed the dress yet.

Then her eyes caught sight of something wonderful and baffling. A man was standing behind a smoking area that was cooking some meat when he grumbled and moaned as the fire lost it's flame. He reached under the table of the meats he was selling, pulled out a box and opened it. The man removed what appeared to be a stick and rubbed it along the side of the box and Brenda's eyes went wide as a large flame burst to life. The man used the burning stick to re light his fire and the cooking continued.

“Fire on a stick? What an amazing thing!” She thought. “This time is a wonderful place, but I must get some of that fire, and food too. I need meats to salt and eat.” When the man excused himself to an outhouse Brenda slipped behind his table and stole the box of fire sticks. She also stole a ham, a loaf of bread, and bag of salt then quickly hid her items and walked quickly from the market heading away from the strange town she'd found. She traveled back up to her mountain hide away and refused to leave again. She would hunt for what food she needed, and create clothing from the skins. She would raise her power and the entire area would fear her. She would be a formidable force.

* * *

Brenda Wilkins spent years in her cave. She gathered beeswax for making candles, kept her fires burning and stole a large black kettle pot for cooking and her brewing. Her cave offered shelter but little real warmth. The only reason she stayed and didn't move down into the town was because of the terrible people who resided there. They taunted her, hurt her with thrown stones and insults. They wouldn't help her, so she would help herself. She didn't need anyone else and would surely be granted the power to exact her revenge.

* * *

Three boys were laughing and wrestling with each other up the winding trial. They were on an adventure and seeing who could give the darkest, biggest, most lasting bruise to another was part of it. As they tumbled out of the forest they found themselves sprawled out before a cave. Water dribbled down the sides of the cave where patches of mossy earth had been plunged into the leaking stones. Trees grew a top the entrance and the most wonderful smell of cooking beast was wafting out the opening. Light flickered along the sides indicating a fire was crackling with warmth from somewhere in the depths.

“Hey, look!” Steven cried out. “Someone's in there makin' something' and it smells really good. Come on guys let's go see who's in there.”

“Doesn't smell so good to me.” Gavin claimed as his stomach rumbled in disagreement.

“Just come on.” Jonny whined and followed the others under the wet stone entrance.

As they walked their voices quieted and their footsteps didn't fall so quickly. They could see the firelight against the stone, and the smell of cooking meat was much stronger. Gavin's stomach finally growled it's protest to so many hours without food but as Steven stepped forward Gavin grabbed his arm. “Wait.” Gavin whispered. “Are you sure we should be doing this?”

“Yeah, sure why not?” Jonny questioned. Steven grabbed a hold of Gavin's hand and yanked it off his arm.

“Yeah, what he said. What's your problem Gavin?”

“Haven't you guys heard the stories? The Witch that lives out here and turns people into ice to just melt away?”

“Whhhat are you talk'n about Gav?” Jonny whined back in response.

“Shut up for a second Jonny. Go ahead Gavin, what about this witch?” Steven soothed.

In nothing but a whisper, Gavin began to recount the tale. “Well they say that right around the time of the railroads being built. This ole' bag lady, came down from the mountain and started stealing things and messing with people's kids. Everyone was mean to her and wouldn't give her food or water or nothing‘. So she set about making a curse to put on all that dared to cross her path to punish the town for not helping her.”

“And you think this is the witch who made the curse?” Steven asked quietly.

“Could be! Ya never know.” Gavin answered.

“Well I'm too hungry to wait to find out.” and with those words Jonny stepped out into the flickering light and said “Well hello. Whatever you are cooking sure smells good.”

Jonny was rubbing his tummy and smiling at a very old and wrinkling woman sitting on a stone in front of a large black iron pot, set a top her fire. Her nose was crooked and her back was hunched so deeply that she looked like she wouldn't need a plate to eat on. She sat at the pot stirring slowly.

When Jonny stepped out into the open, with Steven and Gavin bumbling behind him, her cruel chapped lips barely smiled. She would create her hosts this night and how grateful would she be for her willing participants. She wouldn‘t have to go to town after all.

“You may enter and come closer to the fire.” She cackled. Not because she was a witch, but because she wasn't used to talking. Brenda's vocal chords had long since been damaged by age and lack of use.

The boys looked at each other and shrugged shoulders. “Sure, we'll keep you some company and sit next to the fire. It is getting cold, even for September in these parts.” Steven offered cordially. They each took a spot around the camp fire and sat with their legs drawn up, Steven wrapped his arms around his legs, as Gavin spoke to the woman.

“Do you have a name? Mine's Gavin Brandy.”

Cold blue eyes searched his face for sincerity. Finally she answered, her wrinkles seeming to have wrinkles. “I am called Brenda.”

“Brenda? That's a funny name for a…” Jonny shut up when Steven punched his arm. “Heyyyy, that hurt.”

“That's the point you idiot.” Steven replied.

Brenda watched the exchange with humor and hunger saturating her eyes. “Here, you boys must be starving. Let me pour you a bowl of my soup. And how about a touch of my homemade mead?” As Brenda busied herself with finding enough bowls to go around, weird contraptions of rounded out pieces of tree, she poured a bit of the steaming liquid into each… bowl, and handed the boys a piece of bread which she'd ripped off a brown loaf set next to her. “My hospitality is wanting a bit I'm afraid. I've no jam or butter for your bread, but the soup is warm enough if sipped slowly. Just raise the bowl to your lips and slurp.” She said kindly with a loud mocking slurping sound at the end. Then she giggled and sat back down to stir the soup some more.

As the boys slurped their soup and nibbled at the tough brown bread, they began to feel funny, sleepy like you would after a large Turkey dinner. Soon, the rounded wooden bowls began to slip from their hands to roll across the floor. The boys had each fallen asleep.

* * *

Gavin hurt. He was uncomfortable and laying backwards in a strangely cramped, painful position. He tried to ground the sleep from of his eyes but found he couldn‘t lift or move his hands. He opened his eyes to see what was up and screamed.

Steven was already awake and bent over backwards on a sharp rock. He kept wiggling to try to get the point out of the center of his back when he heard Gavin scream. He lifted his body up to see Gavin across the way at the entrance of the cave bent backwards over a rock too. Jonny was in the same predicament but hadn't awakened yet. They seemed to be lined up in front of the cave like guards.

Steven could see that Gavin's hands were tied and bound to the base of the rock he was on. Steven figured his feet as well as Jonny's were tied much in the same manner. He tried to yank on the ropes but they wouldn't budge. They were trapped.

Steven heard a rustling sound and the woman named Brenda appeared above his face. Her sweat dripped down to land on his forehead and streamed downward tickling his head with a sick slimy feel.

“Hello there Steven.” She spoke. “You will become very cold tonight Steven. The very essence of cold will you become.”

“Hey, leave my friend alone you HAG.” Gavin cried out.

“Oh yes, we mustn't forget your friend over here, Gavin. Don't worry.” She said standing over Gavin now. “You won't be left out.”

Steven heard the rustling growing fainter and realized they were left alone once again.

“Think we can get out of here?” Steven called out to the night.

“Steve? That you?” Jonny spoke up this time.

“Yeah it's me. You okay Jonny?

“I think so. What's happened to us? I can't seem to move.”

“That woman bent us over rocks at the front of the cave and tied us to them. That's all I know.”

“No it isn't.” Gavin groaned.

“What do you mean no it isn't?” Steven said exacerbated.

“You do too know more. I heard her too ya know. She IS a witch and she IS going to turn us into Ice.” Gavin yelled.

“What? The crack about how cold it's going to get? It's September Gavin, of course it's going to get cold on a mountain at night time.” Steven banged his head back down against the stone and swore. “Besides, there's nothing we can do. We are stuck here.”

“Yeah, because of stupid Jonny.”

“Hey, I didn't know.”

“You just had to go and eat. Well now…”

“Just shut up you guys. Let me think.” Steven quarreled back.

The boys grew silent listening to the sounds of the night.

* * *

Sometime later, in the dead of night, Steven fancied he heard strange chanting on the wind. Words that didn't make sense accompanied by shimmering lights that glittered like snow falling. Snow was falling, right on top of him. “Great.” he muttered.

“Great what?” Gavin questioned.

“It's snowing.”

“Oh crap. Oh no. We're gonna die. We. Are. Going. To. Die. It's a fact. we've been cursed. We're gonna…”

“Gavin would you just shut up, it's snow. Damn it, Snow. Hey, Jonny are you getting snowed on?”

Jonny didn't answer. Steven tried to lift himself up to be able to see but all he could see was Gavin, tears streaming down the sides of his face. “That must suck not being able to wipe your face you cry baby. Now lift up and see if Jonny's okay.”

Gavin sobbed and sniffled and lifted his head to see if he could see his friend. “Hey Steven? I can see him but he's got a lot of snow on him but it doesn't look right. He doesn't look right.”

“What do you mean you have to describe it to me. I can't see anything but you and it's glittering icy bits so it's hard anyway.”

“Icy bits. Icy bits? That what it looks like is covering Jonny. It's almost pretty. It's like there are thousands of little snow crystals all over him except…” As Gavin watched, Brenda came back into his view standing over Jonny. He didn't say a word because she was blowing something on him. It was like a weird swirling mass of white and blue light making a great big spiral over Jonny.

The blue and white strands swirled over Jonny faster and faster until the little icy bits covering him began to melt. But no, they weren't melting, they were sinking into his skin and…”Steven…” Gavin whimpered. “Steven something's happening to Jonny. That lady is blowing something on him and it's making him…”

“What? What is it making him? Gavin tell me!”

Brenda stopped blowing the white and blue cords over Jonny and moved to stand over Gavin. Now at least Steven could see. She was blowing winter wind over his friends. Right before his very eyes, the icy crystal bits began lifting and turning sharpened points toward Gavin's skin. When Brenda stopped blowing the winter wind, the swirls kept twirling but the icy bits fell and melded into Gavin's skin turning him a blue color. Steven could almost see the pattern of snow flakes forming under the layers of his skin.

But then it got worse. Gavin's skin turn brittle and hard and began flaking off his body, clothes and all. Slabs of Gavin slid off onto the ground like chipped paint and began melting away. As the pieces of Gavin's flesh melted on the ground they formed a mist which floated above the sharp rock he'd been bound to, and trickled threw the air toward Brenda.

Brenda grinned a wide smile from ear to ear and opened her mouth. The floating mist that had once been Gavin floated into her gullet and she swallowed his friend away. Steven lifted his head just a little further and saw Jonny was gone too.

Now Brenda hunched over him and whispered, “Don't forget, I will require a service of your Hoar-Frost. You must find others and feed yourself, then to feed me. By the cold winters was I to die, and by the cold winters shall I live.”

The last thing Steven heard was a swishing sound of winter wind being blown over him. It filled his ears with pressure and he watched as beautiful flakes crackled and turned and formed little blades of ice. The blades of ice dropped all at once sinking deep within his skin.

Steven could feel the cold seep into his bones, hardening them, freezing his life where he lived. The water in his system froze and he couldn't move. He tried to scream but the skin around his mouth cracked and peeled away, sliding to the ground.

Soon the pressure between his ears popped, and Steven was no more.

* * *

Brenda inhaled the essence of cold that had been Steven. She held her breath for ten seconds relishing the deep freeze within her. She then exhaled three times and each time she exhaled, a blue and white mist exited her lungs. One cloud went immediately to the side of the stone cave and frost appeared as it hardened creating beautiful patterns against the old gray stone.

One cloud hovered over the middle jagged stone rock.

The last cloud hung suspended in front of Brenda who lifted her hands to caress the sides of the hovering mist, twirling it through her fingers and playing with it as a child might. “Go. Be alive. Be Cold. You are the Hoar Frost.” She whispered, and all three clouds dissipated into the night.

“Feed.” she whispered.

___________________

Kerry Morgan has been writing for over thirty years, and she still adores it. She has a number of publishing credits in Zines as well as Anthologies. Kerry has a novel called The Astral Avenger and is working on its sequel. Mrs. Morgan's latest published works appear in The Ladies of Horror 2009, which are some of her favorite stories, and features a brand new Angela Mystique adventure. She enjoys posting a continuing story on her blog hosted by myspace, and has attended several conventions. She was recently accepted into Broad Universe and enjoys helping the New England Horror Writer‘s association. Please visit her sites at kerryamorgan.com and her new Ezine http://www.paganimagination.com : myspace/krymrgn