Warm & snug, she lies in her bed, hoping with all her might sleep will just take over, eyes squeezed shut, trying not to think. All is quiet, she relaxes a little, yawns & snuggles in to her bed. She feels herself starting to drift & sighs.
A soft scratching noise drifts up, the very sound she didn’t want to hear. She curls up tight, trying to ignore the sound, the fear building in her stomach.
The scratching stops, she knows why, the floor seems to have a ripple, then slowly one claw appears, sharp, long & dirty. Three more follow, then the hand, the skin is white, the veins black, Criss crossing under the skin.
The head slowly appears, black eyes, rimmed with red, two holes for a nose, a mouth too small for the teeth, it drips saliva. The smell of rotten meat fills her nose.
The monster pulls himself out, a contorted smile on its face. It’s body is skinny & covered in scars, there is a new cut across it’s leg, still seeping black blood.
She is petrified, she can’t move, this thing started coming two weeks ago, no one believes her, she can’t scream, her throat feels tight, as if it is closing over.
She starts silently crying, she has been able to not cry every other night, to show it she is not scared, but tonight she can’t, she lets the tears flow.
The thing in front of her is hideous, she wants to look away but she can’t. She wants to run but she can’t. She wants to do anything other then sit here in fear.
The thing looks at her with a strange expression, slowly moves it’s hand, with a claw it grabs a tissue from her bedside table & hands it too her. She is confused but takes the tissue.
The thing sits down on the floor, completely still, when it looks up it’s eyes have changed to a green colour, a distinctive colour. She knows this colour, her best friend had the same colour, he went missing three months ago.
Suddenly she understands, the curse, the old wives tale, that once every ten years, a boy is given & turned into a monster, unless he is recognised he will stay like that forever.
Before she overthinks it all, she utters his name, ‘Eoin? Is that you?’
The thing screams, it’s body is thrashing, moving too fast for her eyes to follow. The thrashing starts to slow down, Eoin is lying on the floor soaked in sweat.
She gently touches his shoulder, he screams, then opens his eyes, he blinks at her. He raises his hands to his face, he seems to be in shock.
‘Eoin it’s me Trinity, can you hear me?’ Eoin nods his head, Trinity helps him on to the bed. He curls up, she wraps her arms around him. She closes her eyes. She doesn’t notice the claws coming back, nor remember there is no curse, just a thought planted in a innocent mind.
EllPoet Emotionally Raw Poetry. 