Little Lamb
I lied, the first thing I post is more of a horror piece -Sounds
Night time is always a dangerous time; even in the middle of spring. Just because the sky is cloudless and the days last longer, doesn’t mean you’re safe. Whether it’s the city, the suburbs or the countryside; there’s always something. A lurking whisper, a lingering shadow, a hulking mass. Anything and everything can turn out to be your enemy. Anyone can be your enemy; could want you dead. You can see flashes of it in the faces of strangers as you pass them on the street. Dark shadows that pass over their eyes as they meet yours. Indifference at the suffering of others, needless rage at otherwise trivial things, curses and hateful words spewed at others over accidents. The strangers who don’t catch your eye and you can see their soul, violent and cruel staring back at you. Always be afraid. Always be careful. Be wary, even if they dare to flash you a smile.
Never walk alone at night. The streetlights can’t help you if you cry out. The neighbours are too afraid; too busy covering their ears and hoping, praying that you go away, that the silence returns. They turn away like a farmer’s daughter as the little lamb is taken away into the barn; makes no comments as her mother serves her a hearty roast the same night. People who can’t see, who feign they can’t hear are out of harm’s way; why would danger come for them if they didn’t stir up trouble? No, no need for that! Not when they had lawns to mow and picket fences to paint. Why would they notice a monster walking among them? Why would they care?
Never look back when you hear a noise in the dark. If you know it’s there then it has power over you. If it knows that you know it’s there; you’re as good as dead. Even if you did last long enough to catch a peek; you can’t trust what your eyes tell you. Eyes often lie, especially in the dark. They can’t see past the shadows cast over a person’s eyes. Can’t see their soul; not that they’ll have one. Monsters come in all different kinds nowadays. A friendly face can become awfully twisted once the moon is up. Nightmares come to life and take human form. They walk in the skins of those who they devoured. The ones that succumbed to the darkness in their eyes; who gave into the whispers heard just behind them, the shadows that lurked over their shoulder. You can’t beg an empty shell for mercy. They already gave in to the inky blackness that infested them, spread like the plague by others like them. They couldn’t resist it, so why should you be allowed to?
Don’t stare at the shadows too long; that’s exactly what they want. They want to trick you, pull you in like so many before. Don’t let them. They hide things that they don’t want you to see; keep secrets they don’t want you to know. The darkness will taunt you; make you see things that aren’t really there. Distract you from the real monsters sneaking up on you. If your attention is elsewhere then it’s the perfect time for one of the nasty little secrets that the shadows hide to strike. You can’t be afraid of them if you’re already afraid of something else. You can’t scream if they never gave you the chance to.
Monsters stopped hiding under beds and in closets long ago; it’s far more fun to prowl the streets at night these days. You’ll learn that soon enough. After all; you never did see me sneaking up behind you, did you my Little Lamb?