Julian and Elena’s marriage was built on a promise: “I will never let you go.” For ten years, it was a romantic anchor. Now, in their decaying Victorian estate on the edge of the Blackwood cliffs, it had become a threat.
Elena died six months ago in a tragic carriage accident. Her body was never recovered from the freezing, churning depths below. But Julian refused to mourn. He kept her seat at the table, her clothes aired out, and her favorite lavender perfume misted throughout the halls. He spent his nights in the cellar, surrounded by ancient leatherbound books that were Elena’s favorite to read.
On a rainy Tuesday, the front door creaked open. Elena stood there; skin the color of wet river stone, hair matted with salt and seaweed. Julian didn’t scream; instead, he wept tears of joy, throwing his arms around her shivering frame.
“I knew you’d come back,” he said into her neck. Elena didn’t embrace him back or say anything at all. She stayed standing, silent as a mouse, staring straight ahead as if she saw something he didn’t. That’s when Julian began to realize: the Elena who returned was not the Elena that left.
However, Julian’s love blinded him to the horror until one day, he found her in the nursery- the room they had hoped to fill with love before the accident. She was rocking on a rocking chair; back to Julian, humming a low distorted pitched lullaby.
“Elena?” Julian choked out.
She stopped humming at the sound of her name and remained silent for several, long, agonizing moments. Then, finally, she slowly turned to him. Only her head moved- the body stayed stationary- her neck popped as she looked at him with the unnatural movement. Her eyes, once bright with life, now glazed and hazy, filled with a darkness that sent dread right through Julian. Her jaw unhinged, stretching impossibly wide to reveal rows and rows of sharp, needle-like teeth. A voice that sounded like grinding stone sounded from her throat.
“You…..promised….never….let…..go.”
The horror wasn’t just that she was a monster; it was that she was his monster. He had pulled her back from the veil, and now the veil wanted him in return. In a final act of tragic devotion, Julian led her to the balcony overlooking the cliffs. He took her cold, clawed hands in his and looked into the abyss of her eyes. “I keep my promises,” he whispered.
As the sun began to break through the gray clouds, Julian didn’t run. Instead he stepped to the ledge and jumped off, pulling the creature with him, ensuring that even in death- and whatever was next- they would finally remain inseparable in a hearse for two.
