In the labyrinth of sighs, a place suspended in time and unreachable by human beings, mysterious shadows and riddles lay beneath the crystal starlight that shone brightly over the kingdom of heavenly nightmares. Slowly I tried to find an escape but the more I proceeded the more I found myself at the same point at the very beginning. In vain I studied the opportunities to free myself from that labyrinth, nevertheless, it seemed that there was no chance for me to flee. At each moment a sigh revealed to me a part of the secrets that had been concealed by the clouds of dusk, when the moon could have touched the sleek dark blue surface of the ocean. Ominous shadows manifested their presence around me surrounding me with startling emotions making me hesitate to continue my frenetic quest for freedom. Was all that I needed a quest for the very liberty from an extremely extravagant place claiming my heart in a vehement storm of dismay and longing? As long as I was forced to stay in the labyrinth of sighs I could find myself absorbed in my thoughts between sweet and bitter pleasures while the moon on the horizon re-emerged from the brilliant ocean as if it had been born from the deepest depths. I felt the starlight caressing me softly descending all over me like a rain of delicate petals whose exquisite scent was bewitching but at the same time intimidating me. And however cynical and unscrupulous my cruel fate had been, I could not escape that sense of helplessness and exquisite mourning that had taken root in my heart; while ice-cold tears crept down my face, almost as if to remind me how my misery had become as infinite as the number of stars scattered across the firmament of the dark night. The wind softly whispered painful memories to me just as I had resigned myself to the idea of permanently leaving that place—so deeply hated yet equally yearned for—the labyrinth of sighs and forsaken desires.
Elisabetta Esther
Tag: dark literary fiction
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In The Labyrinth Of Sighs
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Undisclosed Secrets
Undisclosed secrets were kept inside antique grimoires like precious jewels well preserved in inaccessible treasure chests. While I was insensitive to the gripping cold wind of the night surrounding me, I fell into a state of torpor maintaining an absolute stillness. Although I had no particular attitude of letting events overwhelm me, I could not resist the escalation of events my fate decided to divulge to me. Memories drifted slowly through my mind, weighing down my heart like burdens too heavy to bear. That excruciating pain that tormented the deepest recesses of my heart had never left me alone, not even during the deepest sleep. And it was precisely in the deepest darkness that I rediscovered my secret refuge of peace and solitude. No mortal who happened upon those enchanting books would have been able to find—let alone decipher—the undisclosed secrets I myself had inscribed in my magical grimoires. Night became eternal, and I had become a creature of darkness, shunning the prying eyes of humankind, with whom I no longer had any connection. Silently, I listened to the melody of the stars gleaming in the gloomy sky like everlasting flames. The sound of faraway bells evoked spirits that seemed like the shadows of my fears, which had not yet dissolved into nothingness. The anguish I felt plunged me into an ocean of unease and a peculiar kind of mourning that deprived me of all my desires. Those undisclosed secrets I tried to preserve were no longer where I had placed them in the form of arcane symbols; in fact, my grimoires had become blank-page books immersed in the emptiness of oblivion. My memories faded away afterwards as if I were a creature with no past, living in a wintry realm where time had been obliterated. Regrets and disappointments turned my heart to stone, and nothing could touch my sensitive inner self anymore—not even the bitter, permanent loss of my most cherished undisclosed secrets.
Elisabetta Esther -

Emptiness And Oblivion
Emptiness and oblivion claimed me as if I had lost all my discernment while wandering in the cold night aimlessly. So little was I acquainted with the mysteries of the night, and the more I proceeded, the more I became bewildered, to the point that there was no wisdom in the precious crystals I had found along my route. Every instant I strove to preserve my fragile dreams that the biting and harsh wind longed to take away from me. My attempt to gather the flowers from my secret garden was in vain since that night when my will started to be bent by the spirits of the darkness. Emptiness and oblivion unexpectedly usurped my realm of arcane enigmas and phantasmagorias. Eerie lullabies attempted to enchant me with their cryptic call but no spell could be cast upon me for I was invulnerable to enchantments. No commitments or vows could tarnish my desire for endless emptiness and oblivion. The mirrors in my abode reflected different images of myself each time I stared at them, as if they scrutinised my soul carefully, like mind readers. Underneath antique frocks, a vintage pocket clock sprang like a living creature of the immortal night showing me an hour that was evermore. Small bronze keys peeked out amidst the chaotic jumble of my enchanted manor. Nothing could be the same anymore. All my attempts to use the bronze keys were fruitless, given that I wasn’t able to discover any lock suitable for their size, but in the end, I didn’t care. All of a sudden everything vanished and I was surrounded by emptiness and oblivion, which had obliterated every treasure and possession of mine. Devastation had accomplished its mission properly and darkness suppressed all the light irradiated by the glimmering stars, which were totally concealed by gloomy clouds. I could no longer make out my former path, and in place of my elegant mansion lay heaps of rubble and fragments of my belongings. The supremacy of emptiness and oblivion was unassailable, in fact, they were my cold-hearted rulers. Nothing could have been altered. Even the stars had lost their authority in the firmament, which had now transmuted into the empire of void.
Elisabetta Esther