Three more drabbles today, little tales that tell a bigger story…
The Find
The faint smell of ancient leather and paper filled the room as he opened the book; an unmistakable scent. Fingering the yellowing pages, he smiled. All the secrets were his now. Anyone else who might lay claim to the discovery was buried in that tomb where they uncovered the find.
Sheer luck he escaped, if only with the book. The cave-in was an accident, even if the gunshot that triggered it wasn’t. His partner deserved what he got, all that talk about leaving and curses.
So engrossed in the book, he didn’t see the door open or the shadowy figure…
The Body
“Good heavens! The man looks as if the devil himself attacked him. Like he died of sheer fright.” The Inspector bent over the body.
“The doctor thinks heart failure?” A nod from the officer behind him.
“And no signs of an intruder?” A shake of the head this time.
“Hmmm.. Go see if the coroner’s here.” The officer hurried off while the Inspector examined the corpse. “What’s this? A scrap of paper in his hand?”
Tugging the piece of yellowed paper from the fingers, the Inspector mused, “It looks like part of a book.” He tucked it in a pocket…
The Retrieval
Standing outside the house, the Inspector shivered, despite the warm day. He glanced over his shoulder, with a strange feeling of being watched. No one was behind him.
It’s just the case. The look on that man’s face.
The Inspector shivered again. He dug in his pockets, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, never noticing the piece of evidence that flew away in a gust of wind.
The scrap of paper sailed across the yard, buoyed by an unnatural breeze, landing in the palm of a withered hand. The creature smiled, tucked the page fragment inside the book and disappeared.
Be Afraid of the Dark 
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