Snippet #2480858

Clutching her bag tightly, Hadyn left the great library and stepped out into the morning light. She was assured that she had no need to return for she shift she’d been scheduled for in the coming evening, as she’d managed so skillfully to take it during a night she’d not been assigned to. Between that and being praised for her discovery by Director Janesca, she should feel very accomplished. The young woman had discovered something to be marked in history books for years to come; something every astronomer hopes to do in the course of their studies. So why did she feel so uneasy?

Her mind kept thinking about the astrological implications of the comet: that big change of an unknown nature was on its way. And perhaps it was the fact that she didn’t know what sort of change could be coming. She could have just seen the harbinger of a great catastrophe! Hadyn blinked her tired eyes and shook her head. Thoughts like that were probably just the sleep deprivation talking…
And there, in the periphery of her senses, began the same noise from the previous night. She froze in place, waiting to see if she could detect the source of the echoing crinkly sounds. No one else seemed to be able to detect the sounds, and the source was ambiguous. The astronomer shook her head a bit, hoping the noise would fade, but it refused to wane. She strained to try and detect the source of the sounds, but to no avail. Just then she detected a movement out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned to figure out what it was, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. By this point, Hadyn was completely sure that there was something wrong with her. She continued towards home, hoping sleep would remedy her hallucinations.

The sounds did not cease as she moved forward. Nor did the movement. Hadyn’s grew uneasy; it felt like something was starting to chase her. Not only that, but the moving shadows in her peripheral vision had started to look like the winged creature formation from the nebula. They crawled away before she could get a good solid look at them, but she swore she could hear their tiny snarls among the subtle, echoing cacophony only she could detect. By the time she drew close to home, she’d broken into a full on run.

She pulled open the door and thrust herself inside, slamming the door behind her. Still, the sounds and winged shadows did not cease. Hadyn found herself in the middle of her den, turning, desperately trying to follow the shadow creatures she was no longer sure were hallucinations. Hadyn’s vision grew blurry on the edges, as if the crinkling static was overtaking her vision. She clamped her eyes just and gripped her head, hoping to stop the advancement, but instead she grew lightheaded. Breathing heavily, dizziness overtook her and, unbidden, her legs gave out. Hadyn fell to the floor with a slight gasp, and lost consciousness.

When the white static and winged shadow creatures left her mind’s eye, darkness took over. Shapes began to burn into her field of vision, subtle, blocky shapes. She had the feeling of being underground- a hallway dark and cold. It smelled of dust and old paper, familiar smells but more powerful and aged. The blocky shapes turned into shelves and shelves of antique books, many of which seemed as old, if not older than the journal she’d found mention of the nebulaic formation in. A portion of her unease was overtaken by wonder at the sight of all the ancient literature. Hadyn wanted very much to explore, but as quickly as the vision took shape, it faded away to a blank silence.

Her breathing slowed, and she felt the wood flooring of her home beneath her. Opening her eyes, she escaped the darkness left behind by the aged library for the realm of consciousness. For a minute, she lay there, staring up at her ceiling, processing what just happened. She no longer felt odd, or even all that uneasy. Just tired. Rather than wrack her tired mind to explain what just happen, she followed her body’s only command at that time to her bedroom, flopped down on her bed, and fell asleep.