Part One

A wiry girl runs barefoot along a deserted highway.

She turns down a dirt road.

Across an open meadow, the sunlight sets.

Her darkened skin glistens with sweat, her pale-blue eyes sit in contrast to her chapped face. The sky reaches out with violet and purple, far from the azure she remembers as a child.

Nestled beneath the nadir of a crescent moon and darkened by a sullen sky, a grove of trees hails her arrival. Like a ghost locked in time, the gossamer wind howls her name, Sofia, Sofia.

Wherever the wind blows, Sofia follows. She knows that Deluvia is reaching for her, calling her away from this place, this outer world of death and decay, Deluvia, the city of promise, of freedom and safety and home.

Sofia, let me care for you, let us show you love…

Within the trees, Sofia hears a sound, a trickle, a murmur, a rambling. She crests granite and finds herself below a brook, which falls into a bubbling pool. Steam floats above the surface, dangling reflections like mirrored puppets on invisible strings. She submerges her hand, considering. Removing her threadbare clothing, she dives in, relishing the first warm pool in ages against her skin. She doesn’t worry if the cold air will give a chill later, as the heat on her skin will release the moisture in due time.

A rustle. A crack. Sofia crawls out of the pool, listening. She pulls her clothing close to her, dressing deliberately. She circles around the pool, eyes darting, searching for the threatening sound.

Her slow walk from the pool turns into a light run. A shadow follows.

She flees up the side of a hill and through dense capers that tug at her hair and skin. On the leeward side of the hill, she trips, falling into a bed of decaying leaves. A fallen tree blocks her escape.

The shadow forms a man at the edge of the bush. He stands half hidden, watching.

Sofia slowly rises to her feet.

The man emerges from the brush, dressed in simple brown shorts, a stark contrast from his milky white skin. Jet-black curls fall from the top of his head, his eyebrows bushy and wild.

Sofia’s eyes widen at the sound of his whisper. Like the sound of the Noh. She backs up to the deadwood.

The man approaches to within a few feet of her. His eyes penetrate through her, into her.

With the deadwood pressing into her spine, with darkness falling, with nowhere to run, she realizes that the Noh will claim her, finally, after all the years of running and attempts to escape them.

To be continued (installments 2 through 8 of this story are coming soon.)

Part Two - https://steemit.com/fiction/@michaeladamparis/escape-from-the-noh-an-original-story-part-2

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"Escape from the Noh" is a short-story that is a combination of sci-fi and horror. As a writer, I enjoy deconstructing genres to see where I can mix them for a synergistic effect. This story will be told in 8 parts, and i hope you enjoy it. I welcome feedback and will be publishing my 300,000 word epic novel "The Messiah" on Steemit in 2017.

I encourage you to visit (and like!) my newly created Facebook page @ (https://facebook.com/michaeladamparis/) and
my blog which features all my Steemit posts using the Steemit Wordpress plugin
@ (http://www.michaeladamparis.com) (Thanks to @wordpress-tips @fabien and others for this app!)

For 20 years I have written hundreds of stories, poems, and a novel, and Steemit has finally made sharing this work possible. Thank you all for your support and encouragement.

Image Credits: stevebidmead | unsplash.com | toutes-les-jolies-roses

@michaeladamparis