The deep, dark tunnels

The cool, moist air

Are the lines on the wall to help me?

Or to lead me to my demise?

Pat, pat, the sounds of my footsteps

Every sound startles me

I hope to not see my long lost fears

A faceless man in a slender suit

Or something from my haunting past

Thump, thump, the sound of my heart

Tall steep arches of immense height

Winding hallways leading to nowhere

Did man make this accursed place;

Or just my imagination?

Huff, huff, the sound of my breathing

In front of my eyes, the walls warp

A left turn becomes a right

Am I asleep or am I awake

Is this real or could it be fake

Drip, drip, echoes water drops

I see a shadow move

In the distance, but move nonetheless

My imagination runs wild,

Wild like the shadow that moved

Crack, crack, I hear not my own steps

I stumble on rubble

I gain my sanity

I can’t help but feel

That something is following me

Pat, pat, back to my own feet

You feel so venerable

You feel so freighted

But you feel so brave

And your senses are heightened

Swoosh, swoosh, the sound of a draft

This place can’t be real

It cannot exist

Yet it feels so real

The air on my face

Huff, hoo, my breathing irregular

Every time I turn a corner

I see a dark figure

Then I blink once

It disappears into vapor

Throb, throb, my mind playing tricks

There is a window up ahead

From it drips light

But when I approach

The window moves away

Rumble, rumble, a loose rock falls from its perch

Is there any other life in this decrepit old place?

Any other life than the ones I have made?

The way the halls twist, it cannot be real

But will my mind make it manifest?

Slosh, slosh, as I walk through water

My only company has been a lantern in hand

I didn’t even notice it but a few moments ago

The lights warm fingers hug me from the dark

The dark, the silence, but is the light a false love

Schwift, schwift, I turn in place

Not knowing where I am going, I decide to take a right

I want to find the window again, with the dripping light

Up ahead, in the distance, the light burns intense

When I step close, though, it scuttles away like a rabbit

Cough, cough, the air is damper

How did I get here, what led me?

I think back to my immediate past

Nothing,

Nothing but black

Pat, pat, walking picks up

But wait, those aren’t my steps

I turn around, full of dread

A shadow is cast, but cast from nothing

My inner conscience tells me, “Run”

Clop, clop, I pick up full speed

I run uncoordinated through the halls

Left, right, wherever my feet take me

Real or not, I must escape my fear

Must escape the dark cloud

All sounds are melded together

To horror, I find the start of my journey

The sounds now come before me

In haste, I turn around

I don’t know where I will be found

Confused sounds now come from behind

I reach a dead ended wall

The only stop I have seen

I stop and listen

Suddenly, all is quiet

All is serene

I look behind on the wall

The window is there just in reach

I reach and grab the edge

But something stops me in my tracks

Pat, pat, my own footsteps

I leave my escape

To find what chased me

A haunted past

A deep dark fear

Curiosity awaits those in a dream