And the winner is….
We have ruminated, we have cogitated, and we have put it to a public vote. And we are now pleased to announce the winner of our second #twitfic Challenge.
Third place went to chilling and atmospheric short The Ack by Scolefiction.
Second place went to the beautifully lyrical Why The Moon Wanders by ZAmmi.
And the winner? Well we’ll let this inventive piece of fiction speak for itself.
Nightmare.
by Metruis:
Five in the start, but now there were three. Three hopeless, tattered, haggard humans caught in the glare of a roseate sunset.
Fogard didn’t know where the other two were. Probably dead. These ones wouldn’t last much longer. He could smell their fear.
He sat under the shadow of a wildly branching tree and let it obscure his stygian face as the three humans stumbled down the hill.
They must have given up hope, he reasoned. That would give the three reason to expose themselves. They wanted to give up and die.
He didn’t expect the call. “Nightmare!” the oldest screamed with a cracked and ever so strained voice. “We seek a trade.”
Fogard frowned and rose… and rose… and rose. Soon his shadow swallowed that of his tree. The three drew back in fear and shock.
“A trade, is it?” His voice was a low whisper but it thundered deep into the earth. “And what would you trade?”
“Sien was taken…” the eldest stammered, running his fingers through his blond hair to avoid making eye contact with the entity.
“And what would you give in return for your friend’s soul?” Fogard snarled. The human found the will to make eye contact again.
“What do you want?” the human replied boldly. Fogard smiled and the sun went down.
Silence fell. Not even the humans’ breathing could be heard. This was Nightmare’s domain:nothing but a hum amidst velvet starlight.
The hum exploded outward with a cry of “What do you want?” Fogard smiled to himself. The human was strong. “Anything you want!”
“I want to live again,” the Nightmare whispered into the human’s ear. “Bring your friend before sunrise and I will restore her.”
“In return,” continued the breath of dreams, “I will prey on your minds eternally. Do we have a deal?” The human exhaled sharply.
“Yes.” Light exploded outwards and the night was as normal: preying shadows, feathery monsters, and taunting nocturnal cries.
They dragged the body under the tree just before dawn, when the dark was deepest. Her body was little more than a shell.
She sat up with night’s deep blue in her eyes when Fogard touched her forehead.They had tears and joy to share, even as he watched.
“Remember,” Fogard warned, “the fear of the night is now yours.I have given you hope, now you will give me back what is mine.”
“What is yours?” Sien asked shakily. But Fogard didn’t answer, vanishing deep into the shadows of the dawn. They were now his.
He gave them back hope,and they would give him fear.For what were dreams made of if not the tiniest bit of both hope and fear.[fin]
You can read all the finalists here, and there is also a permanent page which contains all the #twitfic entries.
Who was your favourite? Tell us in the comments! 
