Im not scared of the dark. No, im scared of what lurks inside it. So of course, on that cool january morning, I accidentally found my way into the pitts of Everdeen- the darkest place on earth.

Although I didn’t quite believe the rumors about the place, it did not lesson the eeerieness the darkness brought on. Some said that nothing alive could come into the pitt. That the second you went in, your soul would be temporarily reaped, leaving you only the ghost of what a person used to be. And even more crazyily, they said if you stayed there long enough, your very soul would fade away, and you would be trapped forever as a ghost. But thats only if you stayed long enough. If you left soon after you arrived, your soul would be safely returned.

Although the rumors seemed to be made purely of hesteria and fear- certainly not logic, the people were right about the place having no source of light. The only thing there was stone, dirt, and vine woven walls, surrounded by vine and brush, concealing the pitt from the outside world. I’d heard of people purposely going into the pitts to explore, and most made it out easily.

So I wasnt very worried.

Kind of.

I felt my way through its tunnels, running cold fingers over cracks in the walls. Eventually, getting restless, I pulled off my backpack, wanting to check one more time for something useful. I fiddled my way to its bottom, pulling out my empty bottle of water, and feeling my way underneath. I eventually closed my grip around somthing hard, with a button on the end.

𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬.

A flashlight flickered on, and I smiled, giddy with gratitude. I pulled it forward, gasping when i saw the space around me.

Skeletons. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.

Except they weren’t the skeletons of people. No. They were the skeletons of butterflys. Of course, butterflys dont have bones, but the dried wings and bodys looked as if they did. Moths were also in the mix, one I recognized as the Luna Moth. I wasn’t sure how they got there- most of them weren’t even from the region.

I carefully tried to walk around them, wincing every time I heard the subtle crunch beneath me.

I kept walking for awhile, sometimes finding rare plants and odd things that had been dead for who knows how long. Then, as spontaneous as snow in summer, I found water. A gentle, small stream leaked from a crack in the wall, going down the ground and curving into a puddle below.

I walked forward, gingerly avoiding falling in. I leaned forward to see if the water looked clean enough to drink.

Thats when I saw my reflection. A shrill scream filled the air, which happened to stop only when i realized it was mine.

I. Looked. 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘥. Not dead like peacefully sleeping. Dead like the sight of pale, withered skin, sunken eyes, and lifeless flesh. I looked as if I had no soul.

Once the fear and shock sunk in, I began to sprint, running from the water and any means of seeing my reflection again. I turned a corner, dodging butterfly skeltons, dead plants, and misplaced stones. I kept running until I ran straight into a wall. The edges of my vision went black as I fell into slumber.

*

When I woke there was only darkness, and I realized my flashlight must have gone out. A startling breeze blew through the tunnels, giving me chills up my spine. I grasped the walls, crawling from the spot i had been laying in. How long had I been asleep? Minutes? Hours?

I stood uneasily, limping slightly as I used the walls as a guide. I had to find a way out of here. I had to-

What was that?

Suddenly the sound of a thousand wings filled the air. As if hoards of bats were encompassing the area. Except- there wasnt any bats in the tunnels when I looked. Only… no. It couldnt be. They were dead. They were all dead.

The sound got louder, getting so close it sounded as if it were blasting through a speaker. The wings seemed to go faster as they got near me. I took a step back, realizing the wall i had crashed into was a dead end.

I scolded myself as my heart raced. Why was I scared? They couldnt hurt me.

Could they?

I turned around, panicking as my hands ran over the wall, trying to find some means of escape.

There was none.

Then, moving my feet, I stepped on my flashlight, causing it to flicker on for a mere second. But when i looked behind me, it wasn’t bats.

It was butteflies. Thousands of insects that were just moments ago dead, flicking through the air towards me. Moths too, gliding as if they were meant to be terryfing and not beatiful. Hunters and not hunted.

I flinched as they surrounded me, causing me to back against the wall. They ran up my arms, glided through my hair, crawled down my legs, I tried to shake them off, then went still.

I couldn’t feel them. I couldn’t 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 them.

When I looked at my reflection, I looked dead, and then, as wings fluttered against me, I felt nothing. As if- as if I was 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴.

Even though it was already pitch black, it was like the room got darker, emptier.

“Its true, isnt it? All the rumors?” I whisped to the butterflys.

I was a ghost. Stuck forever in the Pitts Of Everdeen.