Excellently spooky. Lots of craft on display, ominous and portentous dialogue, and a chilling ending to boot.

Fascinating concept that fits the theme of the contest perfectly! What few lines the characters spoke helped establish a depth of personality, and having them become aware of just how long they've been trapped in this loop at the end sent chills down my spine. My only criticisms were that of flow, a revision pass and some editing would have done wonders for the flow of the story, as some of the paragraph's endings feel abrupt when read over.

I liked this story a lot - it's got rich description and a very imaginative premise that you executed well. I think the story loses some of its flow as the relic's powers activate, but you chose something difficult to write about and I admire that you took the shots even if they didn't all hit for me.