Dancing with a Stranger
The stranger in the night is her fondest companion. He takes her hand while coyly persuading her to stay til morning. She's instantaneously enraptured– His charm is undeniable, but there's hell hidden in his eyes. She's become blind to his vices. Just like a child reaching for the hot stove, she extends her hand to meet the one he's outstretched to her.
Together they step through the shadows to the very edge of the precipice. Breathlessly, she recalls the steps he's already shown her, and he takes the lead, as they begin to dance. If anyone else could enter their secret, they would surely see the horrific chaos of darkness swallowing her whole.
Anyone outside of herself would see the danger for exactly what it is. But no one can come in. He is sure to keep her locked away here as though she were hidden in a high tower. He could never take a chance on someone revealing his identity to her. No, he must keep her hidden. He must have her all to himself.
She tells him of those who come to her in the light of the day. They issue her warnings and cautions. They tell her all they believe to be about the man who dances with her in the night. They plead with her to stop seeing him. She refuses. She knows him so well. Surely, they must be wrong?
After all, he is the only sure thing in her life. The only one who can comfort her, and the only constant she's ever known. He can't be what they say he is. He laughs as she tells him of the warnings that came before he arrived. He assures her, just as he always does, that they are wrong and no one can come between them here.
She's blind to his devices and ignorant to his motives. All she can hear is the enchanting music he plays each night. Familiar melodies fill the atmosphere, while she cautiously recalls the choreography, counting the steps silently in her mind. Whatever she does, she mustn't mess up. He is expecting her to be perfect and she couldn't even begin to imagine disappointing him.
They continue to dance. Every step moves her a bit closer to the edge of the abyss, but it's so subtle, she never notices. She's danced each night with him for so long now, that she is completely unaware that the first time he visited in the night and asked her to dance, they were hundreds of miles away from the edge of the cliff. He's led her a little closer each time she agrees to the dance. But he is sly and cunning, and he is ever so careful to move slowly so she does not see him for what he really is.
Every night he leads her closer to the edge.
His intent is to push her to the limit, and watch as she tumbles over the edge into her ultimate demise. He's anxious and impatient. But It's not time just yet. He knows he must wait for the perfect moment, but the edge is finally closer than it's ever been.
Soon enough, she will be his forever.