The Manifestation

She hadn't been home in years, and now it belonged to her.

It was still the same place she grew up in.

It still held life and beauty for her.

But that was not all it held... Sadness and childhood memories of fear and a dark presence came back like a flood. Would those fears and horrors of her youth infect her new life?

It did not take long for the strange presence that haunted her memories and dreams to return. It had been waiting for her and would once again manifest.

This realization led her to fear once again and nothing on earth could numb it.

Why her and why this house?

After days of restless nights and dark dreams the spirit began to twist and mold itself into new forms, a contorting shadow of hate and death, so utterly lost and devoid of heart and purpose, it's form shifted and changed growing bolder and darker. .

No sleep was safe, no corner untouched by the dark drifting horrors of the unknown.

 

She pretended all was well as the darkness haunted  her.

 

But in the back of her mind she knew what awaited her.

She could feel it watching...

Was she mad?Had she lost her mind?  Only time could tell her.

Late one night, noises stirred in the basement. It was a place she avoided as a child, moldy, cold, and filled musty memories of her families past.

She could not bring herself to go down, to face her fear or the dark and vile spirit that haunted her every step.... She looked away for only a moment, a few seconds of time. .

That was all it needed, all it ever... wanted.

#1 Smudge, light/contrast, soft glow, and black and white
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#2 Smudge, Clone, Free Select, and desaturate

#3 Picasa Focal B&W, and Smudge
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#4 Crop, smudge, paint, colorize to black and white.

#5 Free select, smudge, dodge, burn, clone, saturation/light, soft glow, and cut/paste.

#6 Light, saturation, made black and white.

#7 Light, saturation, made black and white.
 
#8 Smudge, dodge, burn, clone, saturation/light, soft glow, and made black and white.

#9 Paint, smudge, clone, saturation, light, and colorize

#10 Smudge tool, clone tool, paint, saturation/ light, soft glow, and colorize Black and White
 . 
#11 Smudge tool, light/saturation, soft glow, colorize Black and White.

#12 Smudge tool, clone tool, paint, saturation/ light, soft glow, and colorize Black and White . 

#13 Light, saturation, made black and white, soft glow.

#14 Light, saturation, made black and white, soft glow.

#15 Smudge tool, clone tool, paint, saturation/ light, soft glow, and colorize Black and White . 

#16 Light/Saturation, smudge tool, paint, gradient flare, soft glow, colorize Black and White. 

#17 Smudge, clone, light and saturation, soft glow, lettering, and colorize Black and White.

Portraits

Clone

On this photo I had a lot of work to do.  Unfortunately the grit and dirt on the SLR's lens is just getting worse and worse. While I was in Arizona with family, every single outdoor photo looks this terrible... Luckily I have developed some editing skills. See if you can spot all my edits. 

 No spots, no tag on Alexis's dress, and I look skinnier.

So, with this one I used the clone tool to blot out my eyes. I then used desaturate to turn the picture black and white. After than I used bucket fill to add the strange coloring lines around my face, on my lips, around my eyes and on the sheet behind me. I played with it until I got something I liked. I then used the smudge, paint, and clone tool to smooth out my hair and skin. My goal was to get myself to look like a chalk drawing or a digital painting. After I just added one of my quotes and gave the word layer a Gaussian blur so it would blend and seem like it belonged there.

The Haunted (possible photos all unedited)