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Home›Fantasy›Shadow Delving

Shadow Delving

By Douglas Hoagland
November 28, 2022
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old shack in the forest
Gandhar Thakur / Pexels

Content Warning: Drug Use

“Alright, so we agree that there’s more shit goin’ on than meets the eye on this plane of existence,” Tim said before he took another drag of the joint and passed it over to Declan. The two friends sprawled comfortably on the floor of the old farmhouse shack they’d laid claim to years ago.

The farmhouse sat deep in the forest of dense, tall pine and birch trees behind all their homes.

Tim sucked in a breath before passing the joint back over to Declan again and added to his initial statement.

“And most religious practices worldwide aimed at warding off evil spirits and shit have some type of effectiveness across multiple belief systems and languages.” Declan took the joint between his fingers and laid back to continue on Tim’s train of thought.

“Which begs the question—How do all these religions fit together, inside whatever is in the spirit world?

“Right, man? I mean, we know the Ouija board the other night was tappin’ into something. If any of the hundreds of exorcisms have a grain of truth, possession is for sure a fuckin’ thing. Not even just in Catholicism or “the West” and shit, but all over Asia, too.”

“Tim?” He shook the joint as he turned his head. Tim was no longer there on the floor beside him.

Shivers went through Declan as he wondered how long he’d been alone. How had Tim moved so quietly?

“Tim?!” Declan yelled. He opened the front door on its rusty hinges. Nothing but dense forest as the sun set. If Tim had left, he would have heard him open the door.

Declan would have heard the old stairs creak too, if he’d gone upstairs, so he thought he’d check, anyway. He poked his head up through the crawlspace entrance on the second floor.

Tim stood in the corner of the dark attic mumbling to himself.

“Tim?” Declan shouted, fear in his voice. He got closer.

“The deeper into the shadows you delve, the less the darkness is willing to sell,” Tim muttered, faster and faster. His head jerking in strange angles all the while.

Declan put his hand on Tim’s shoulder, and suddenly, he spun around, now shouting his motto down at a frightened Declan.

“THE DEEPER INTO THE SHADOWS YOU DELVE, THE LESS THE DARKNESS IS WILLING TO SELL!” Tim’s eyes were completely black as Declan scrambled back in terror.

Tim continued to shout from the corner of the room, as Declan jumped, fell, and ran down the stairs to his house.

He informed Tim’s and his parents. When Tim neglected to come home that night, they all went to the farmhouse with flashlights, looking for him.

What had started out as doubtful parents blaming their stoner teenage sons, ended in the unsolved missing case of Tim Laburges.

And Declan stopped delving into shadows.

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Douglas Hoagland

Updated version as of 8/4/22: Douglas Hoagland was a high school English and Creative Writing teacher living in Thailand for four years before recently moving back to America with his stunningly clever and adventurous wife. Hoagland received his Bachelor’s degree at Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS) in Geneva, NY where he majored in English concentrated in Creative Writing, and earned dual-minors in French and European Studies. Hoagland did this while being a journalist for the HWS Communications Department, studying abroad in Rome at Scuola Leonardo da Vinci, being a guitarist/vocalist in a band, and an intramural soccer champion among other things (the last of which being a half-joke). Hoagland is currently teaching middle school ELA, Creative Writing, and Social Studies, while freelance writing and pursuing his MFA in Creative Writing online through SNHU. He is beginning his attempts at sticking his foot through the door of the published writers’ world. He enjoys spinning tales, playing guitar, and toying with human languages as well as attempting rudimentary-level communication, primarily with the canis lupus familiaris subspecies. Hoagland also enjoys martial arts in life and in stories, and holds a black belt in TaeKwonDo. When Hoagland is not talking to dogs or doing any of the other above mentioned activities, he might be playing chess with his wife or enjoying nature with a good book.

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