waking up at precisely midnight
you know are in a familiar house. you feel absolutely unfamiliar. the house creaks and groans. does it recognize you? you hope it does.
you sit up and stretch, hearing your neck crack loudly. too loud. a distant dog begins to bark.
in the closet mirror, you observe your disheveled hair and tired face. your eyes are so bright, so very, very bright, bright with madness and fever. perhaps if you look away, they’ll keep on staring at you.
the stairs creak, of course they do. when you get to the bottom you turn off the light and watch it go out. did it always flicker and die like that, like a weak candle flame in a strong, ghostly wind?
a flash of movement at the top of the stairs draws your eyes. but no, there is no silhouette outlined there. only darkness.
you’ve brought your laptop and earbuds with you. you dare not to put both of them in at the same time. glance left, glance right. which ear are you willing to sacrifice? which side of your face, for that matter?
the paintings hanging on the wall follow you with their eyes. ridiculous, you think. just my imagination. don’t worry about eyes. worry because all your paintings depict flowers and landscapes.
somewhere in the house a clock ticks. sometimes the ticks get louder and faster. sometimes softer and slower. the dull background roar of the heater suddenly cuts out, and it dawns on you that all is silent now. a shrill ringing from the lack of all sound occupies your brain.
out of every window and door you see only darkness, pressing insistently against the glass. how do you know the entire world hasn’t fallen away, and it’s only you and your house, drifting slowly in the void? go ahead, darling. open the front door. see what happens. maybe you’ll even emerge on the other side of heaven. go ahead, darling.
2087
snowghoul
stormborns
janainaart
gummygunk
origamiaround
