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The fog drifted knee high, dancing around the trunks of trees and engulfing most of the modest flower garden. With the night illuminated by a full moon, stars were nearly unseen in the inky black near the lunar body. The world around the beheaded child was lit well enough for him to see into the window of the small cottage.
The boy held his head like a lantern up to the window. Inside, his mother lay on a cloth covered wooden bench in the family room. Her head too was seperated from her body, but both looked equally ill. The head held a face distorted in pain as the chest of the headless body rose and fell with rapid succession.
The woman was wrapped in a white gown, but the hems of the sleeves had been stained red. During the woman’s waking hours, her coughing frequently brought blood. As the Dullahan child watched on, even the child knew his mother was not long for this world. His mother was dying, and there was not a thing he could do but watch her suffer.
There was someone who could, however. As tears fell down the child’s cheeks, the clopping of hooves upon the loose cobblestone path pulled away his attention. The lantern-held head was turned to spot the massive black horse. Upon it rode a man in black armor, and an equally dark tabard that draped over it. Where the helmed head should have been was nothing but black mist spewing into the night sky.
While one hand of the man held the reigns, the other held the pale-faced head, distorted into a frightening grin. Eyes of death lingered upon the boy. More smoke spewed from the severed neck. This was a true Dullahan. Fable said that wherever this creature stopped, death would follow.
Except the child had seen this creature stop many times before, with no death in his wake. “Hello, Father…” He sniffled. “Mommy’s sick again… Did… Did you bring medicine?” There was hope in the child’s voice. Sometimes this bringer of death would bring home herbs to soothe the suffering woman. Tonight, there would be none.
“No,” came the man’s ethereal voice. It echoed in an unworldly way that would have sent chills down the spines of mortals. “Go inside, child… embrace your mother one last time.”
The swelling grief in the pit of the Dullahan child’s stomach dropped like a lead weight. “Tonight, her suffering ends.”
The simple words were clear as the night sky to the child. The boy almost dropped his head as he dashed for the door. The slow clopping of hooves followed, but the child quickly outpaced them. After throwing open the sliding door he nearly fell onto the struggling body of his mother. His head rested on the bench beside her upon one of her arms and his own headless body rested over her in a final embrace.
There was no way the horse should have fit past the door, especially not with the ancient Dullahan astride its back. And yet, there it was. It stood in the center of the cabin. The true Dullahan lifted the twisted head to peer over the dying body. Over-stretched lips uttered an ethereal name.
The child could not hear it, but he knew the name of his mother instinctively. The eyes of the child followed the drifting head of his mother as it slowly flowed towards the bringer of death. With the reigns dropped, the true Dullahan’s free hand gently caressed the floating head. “My beloved. Mother of my child. Let me end your suffering.” Once again the name was called.
The disembodied head of the woman fell with a sickening thump onto the floor. Still, the true Dullahan’s hand caressed the cheek of his lover. The ethereal apparition left behind was joined by the rest of the woman’s soul. It had rose out of the body the child laid upon. He could feel the hand tussle his hair, like a gentle cool breeze as it passed.
He could only watch with great sorrow as the beheaded spirit climbed effortlessly onto the back of the black horse. The ethereal head turned for one last look upon her son. A smile graced the beautiful woman’s features. “Me and Daddy are going for a ride… Be safe, Dullahan. Mommy loves you.”
“Mommy loves you.” The words caused a dam to crumble and tears nearly drowned the poor child. His chest heaved in heavy sobbing.
“Take me with you!” He begged.
“How could I?” Echoed the voice of his father. “You have yet to live, my son.” The eerie smile would be the death of anyone else to look upon it. To the child, it was almost calming.
The younger Dullahan sniffled as he tried to regain his courage. “Take… take good care of Mommy, okay? I’ll… be fine.”
“No.” Another sharp echo filled the room. “You will be far more than that.” With a pair of smiles for the love child, the horse turned. The fog that lingered just beyond the door flowed in and seemingly obscured the manifestation of death and darkness.
The child was alone.
The boy held his head like a lantern up to the window. Inside, his mother lay on a cloth covered wooden bench in the family room. Her head too was seperated from her body, but both looked equally ill. The head held a face distorted in pain as the chest of the headless body rose and fell with rapid succession.
The woman was wrapped in a white gown, but the hems of the sleeves had been stained red. During the woman’s waking hours, her coughing frequently brought blood. As the Dullahan child watched on, even the child knew his mother was not long for this world. His mother was dying, and there was not a thing he could do but watch her suffer.
There was someone who could, however. As tears fell down the child’s cheeks, the clopping of hooves upon the loose cobblestone path pulled away his attention. The lantern-held head was turned to spot the massive black horse. Upon it rode a man in black armor, and an equally dark tabard that draped over it. Where the helmed head should have been was nothing but black mist spewing into the night sky.
While one hand of the man held the reigns, the other held the pale-faced head, distorted into a frightening grin. Eyes of death lingered upon the boy. More smoke spewed from the severed neck. This was a true Dullahan. Fable said that wherever this creature stopped, death would follow.
Except the child had seen this creature stop many times before, with no death in his wake. “Hello, Father…” He sniffled. “Mommy’s sick again… Did… Did you bring medicine?” There was hope in the child’s voice. Sometimes this bringer of death would bring home herbs to soothe the suffering woman. Tonight, there would be none.
“No,” came the man’s ethereal voice. It echoed in an unworldly way that would have sent chills down the spines of mortals. “Go inside, child… embrace your mother one last time.”
The swelling grief in the pit of the Dullahan child’s stomach dropped like a lead weight. “Tonight, her suffering ends.”
The simple words were clear as the night sky to the child. The boy almost dropped his head as he dashed for the door. The slow clopping of hooves followed, but the child quickly outpaced them. After throwing open the sliding door he nearly fell onto the struggling body of his mother. His head rested on the bench beside her upon one of her arms and his own headless body rested over her in a final embrace.
There was no way the horse should have fit past the door, especially not with the ancient Dullahan astride its back. And yet, there it was. It stood in the center of the cabin. The true Dullahan lifted the twisted head to peer over the dying body. Over-stretched lips uttered an ethereal name.
The child could not hear it, but he knew the name of his mother instinctively. The eyes of the child followed the drifting head of his mother as it slowly flowed towards the bringer of death. With the reigns dropped, the true Dullahan’s free hand gently caressed the floating head. “My beloved. Mother of my child. Let me end your suffering.” Once again the name was called.
The disembodied head of the woman fell with a sickening thump onto the floor. Still, the true Dullahan’s hand caressed the cheek of his lover. The ethereal apparition left behind was joined by the rest of the woman’s soul. It had rose out of the body the child laid upon. He could feel the hand tussle his hair, like a gentle cool breeze as it passed.
He could only watch with great sorrow as the beheaded spirit climbed effortlessly onto the back of the black horse. The ethereal head turned for one last look upon her son. A smile graced the beautiful woman’s features. “Me and Daddy are going for a ride… Be safe, Dullahan. Mommy loves you.”
“Mommy loves you.” The words caused a dam to crumble and tears nearly drowned the poor child. His chest heaved in heavy sobbing.
“Take me with you!” He begged.
“How could I?” Echoed the voice of his father. “You have yet to live, my son.” The eerie smile would be the death of anyone else to look upon it. To the child, it was almost calming.
The younger Dullahan sniffled as he tried to regain his courage. “Take… take good care of Mommy, okay? I’ll… be fine.”
“No.” Another sharp echo filled the room. “You will be far more than that.” With a pair of smiles for the love child, the horse turned. The fog that lingered just beyond the door flowed in and seemingly obscured the manifestation of death and darkness.
The child was alone.