viernes, 29 de noviembre de 2013

It was the radiance of an opium dream, an airy and spirit-lifting vision



It actually began like any other horror story.
I was at home with The Gentle One a couple of nights ago. The previous evening it had started snowing and since then the white flakes continued falling. Indeed, it was pretty cold and windy, so we decided to stay indoors and dedicate some time to read and just having some nice relaxing time together.
 To this point everything was right.

I don´t have all my books here at the moment (unfortunately, they rest in many boxes at my parent´s place) and consequently I chose the gorgeous brand new volume waiting on my library. A friend of mine gave it to me during my recent visit to Spain this month as a late birthday present. This very beautiful copy of Tales of the Macabre is illustrated by Benjamin Lacombe and also so stunning that I spent the first half an hour looking at the pictures. But then I started reading (or re-reading, like most of you, gothic ladies, would probably do with Poe).
 Is in this point when things went weird.
Didn´t you realize?
Ok, I´ll help you a bit.


 It was a dark and stormy night, the wind was howling around the house, the snow was lashing against the window, and we were all alone in our new apartment.
So, recap: stormy night, new house and bizarre tales... we were totally in a horror movie!
In fact, I had been feeling kind of conscious about it the whole day, maybe because I am not used to the new apartment (you never know if it is haunted until, I don´t know, six months or so? At least that´s the quantity of time that I need to feel comfortable at a new place), maybe because I was reading Poe and partially because I had been watching The Conjuring the previous evening and by then I was totally horrified...

And then, it happened.


Tap, Tap... went the window.

"OMG!" I shouted, jumping from the couch. "Here they are!"

"It´s just the wind" said The Gentle One (who had totally jumped out of his seat too, and was now adopting a reasonable attitude in the hopes that I hadn´t noticed.) "And who’s ‘They’ anyway?"

"I don´t know," I answered hidding myself behind the sofa. "It could be ghosts, psychos or those evil Romanian spirits I have been reading about" (and, in point of fact, I had been reading a bit too much about Romanian folklore and the Vârcolac too, which actually didn´t help either). "I have watched too many horror movies, dude, I can recognize it when I´m in one!"
 
"I think YOU´ve watched too many of those movies now" he observed. "But seriously, it was just the wind. Now come out from behind the sofa, please"

And I was about to do it when, believe or not, lights went off.

"Oh, God!" I screamed into complete panic then. "You see? I was right!"


The Gentle One didn´t look too secure by then, but he heroically found the value to go outside (against my will, you don´t want your boyfriend to leave you in the hunted house after saying "I´ll be back in a minute") and check what was happening. Apparently, it was a general blackout affecting the whole street. And darlings, I can tell you I am not a big fan of them. I mean, I do love horror films, but just because I like to know they are not happening to me

The thing is that my noble fiancé was brave enough to turn some candles on and prepared a delicious dinner all byhimself (I was too busy by casting suspicious glances around) and when the electric power was restored, well, he prescribed to me a good dose of non-horror movies for a time.

 Fair enough, don´t you think?

P.S: By the way, I keep receiving so many questions about me for the next Give Away on my mail, that I just decided to open an Ask Fm account in order to make it a bit tidier. 
Remember that every question is an extra chance to participate.

This is the link: www.ask.fm/Violettebaudelaire 

Good luck!

16 comentarios:

  1. Nothing can creep you out as a real evil ghost.
    We had both friendly and evil ones in our house. Luckily it's a lot calmer after we brought a medium home to cleanse. I hope that you will be alone in your apartment without any more inhabitants that you and your loved one. :)

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    1. That sounds terrifying! I don´t think I could actually live in a hunted place, the mere idea gives me shiverings.
      You are a very brave woman! I hope you won´t have any more unexpected guests in the future.

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  2. Hahaha that's a great (horror) story! I am all too familiar with the feeling of unease after watching horror films or reading spooky stories, and I can totally understand why you felt the way you did after watching The Conjuring! It's quite hilarious that your electricity went out just as you were reaching your peek of freaking out! XD Thank god for boyfriends! I have the same book and I agree, the illustrations are spectacular, they lend themselves perfectly to Poe's twisted dark tales! I feel I need another copy just to cut out and frame some of the illustrations!

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    1. Yeah! It was a terrible coincidence that made my heart jump for half an hour. I have to leave horror stories and caffein for a while, hahah.
      Oh, and I was thinking about getting another copy for frame illustrations myself, but then I started thinking that it might be ok with good quality scans, don´t you think so?

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  3. OMG. A nice beginning of the darkest season of the year in Romania, really ^^

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  4. Here is one thing for you, spirits CAN´T harm you <3 Do you feel better? I know. And if you are too afraid and there is something you might think it is might want to harm you (which there isnt) you can say you want them to go away or just ignore them. Ignoring make them go away because they understand they don´t have any fun anymore. Works for me most of the time when I have stupid spirits in the house.

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    1. Thank you for the tip, I feel better indeed, hahah. However, it was all about my huge writer imagination, so the situation didn´t follow any logical pattern at all :P

      I´ll try to deal with it a little less dramatically next time (or at least I´ll try).

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  5. Creepy but funny! Did you follow your boyfriend´s advice after all?

    Chelsea

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    1. Well, I am doing my best to respect the "medical prescription", so for a couple of weeks it will be more like science-fiction and period dramas.

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  6. The older I get, the more my imagination seems to run away with me. I have to be very careful about which horror movies I watch and books I read these days - which is unfortunate, because I really do love them! Of course, you're in Romania, so there are bound to be surreal moments when the undead are seemingly coming to get you. Although, vampires don't bother me as much as zombies - probably because they're prettier. ;o)

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    1. I totally see your point, it´s just the same with me. When I was younger I could watch a million horror films and after it I would go to sleep. But I don´t even try that now! I would suffer a heart attack or something, haha.

      Anyway, I am preparing a Van Helsing arsenal. Just in case.

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  7. Oh dear! That does sound scary! I also have the unfortunate luck of loving all things spooky but also believing in them completely! Then when you are alone, and there is a huge storm outside, or trying to go to sleep alone at night, it is utterly terrifying! I used to be visited by a dark form back when my boyfriend used to leave early for work in the mornings, but I managed to cleanse the house and send it away with candles and incense.

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  8. Wow! That´s truly horrifying, I don´t even want to imagine myself in such a situation. I hope you cut down the problem forever :)

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