Pearl: Preface

           It was the dead of night, the stars cast a luminous reflection on the still lake. The sky was an inky black-indigo as I edged toward the shimmering mirror of liquid. The verdant forest surrounding me was completely quiet. My chilled breathing and soft, agile footsteps were nearly deafening against the silence.
     I took a breath slightly deeper than my others and looked up to the sky to see only one cloud. Normally on nights like these, the color of the cloud matched the sky behind it. No...not this one...it was a bloody mahogany from what I could see.
     Chills rippled through my body as I considered the variables of how that was possible. No. I attempted to dismiss the thought from my mind as I fervently glanced around, anticipating something to leap out of the forest and ambush me.
     I quickened my pace to the vast, black lake. As I got closer I noticed a milky-white mist flowing smoothly over the top of the water. Eerie vibes jolted my frantic heart as my senses wearied of the supernatural surroundings.
     My pointed ears twitched as the direction of the wind suddenly changed and the mist on the lake began to swirl. I stopped, afraid to go any farther.
     Oh no...
     My worries were being realized. And there's no one to help me. I'm all alone.
     Images of my predicted death flashed through my mind. Unable to see, I knelt over and fell to the ground. I curled up into a ball, tears streaming from my eyes as my body trembled, for my irrevocable fate destroyed my thoughts, causing me to drift away.