Simply Cattywampus

Something Was Off

Rays of snshine billowed past the folds of my curtains, prancing about the room in a bright and cheery fashion. One might even assume that these beams of delicate heat were perhaps alive, for they danced a graceful pa de duxe into every darkened corner and every shadowy gorge, much in the likeness of mini prima ballerinas.

As the light hit me with its warm, feathery sensation, my eyelids fluttered open in sleepy caution. This only caused me to furrow my brow and crinkle my nose as overpowering brilliance pooled into my unajusted pupils. Yawning, I rubbed the tiredness from now disturbed eyes, a strand of matted hair somehow wandering atop my tongue.

With a disgusted sputter, I quickly sat myself up and pulled the folicles out of my mouth. "Bleh!" I exclaimed with bitter distaste as I wiped the saliva off of my slender digits and smeared it onto the newly crumpled sheets. "I hate it when that happens!"

Now in a huff, I swung my legs over the side of my bed. Indeed, this was an average morning; other than the fact that it wasn't. I snapped myself out of my dreams, had a spell of klutziness, and nearly fell back asleep just like always. I was still me, and I was still going to march into the kitchen for breakfast. "So what was different?", you may ask, and I suppose I'll have to tell you.

You see, something fishy had been going on for months now, and it was starting to get under my skin. It wasn't fishy like someone was acting funny, or there was a murdur mystery spreading through the town. Oh no, this fishy was much more subtle.

The thing keeping me up at night with a serious case of the chills, sending unwanted shivers down my rigid spine...was a house. A house that popped up with no recognition, no construction, and no new neighbors. Absolutely nothing occured to prove its existence. It was simply there, sticking out like a sore thumb in the middle of my backyard woods.

Call me crazy, call me paranoid, call me whatever you want; but don't throw away your suspicions without hearing the entire story. That is correct. There is more. Much, much more. However, if you can't stomach weirdness, I suggest you pack your bags and stop reading this very instant, because if you don't, you may find yourself becoming rather uncomfortable. I know I was definitely on the edge when this whole ordeal started in early January of my twenty-second year on this earth.

I remember nearly every single detail, as if my brain had been on record while the scene played out. As a matter of fact, It all began with just an average walk in the woods...

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An average walk in the woods, an average little town, an average college girl. That's what set everything into motion. It doesn't seem like much, and in the beginning, I didn't think anything of it either. It wasn't exactly out of the ordinary for me to be wandering among the evergreen paths, all alone even.

I often grew flustered from everyday trials and tribulations, so when the opportunity was present, I would stroll along the wooded paths in an attempt to clear muddled thoughts. Somehow, being surrounded by nature calmed me, allowing me to think to my fullest extent. Nothing else was able to provide that kind of serenity.

It just so happened that the previous day had been a particularly stressful one, and though I tried with all my might, sleep was far beyond my reach. Thus, I found myself partaking in a midnight romp among the freshly fallen snow.

"Stupid Hillary...", I muttered under my breath. "Who does she think she is, tripping me in the hallway like that? What a dweeb..."

The soft, cotton-like flakes landed delicately on my lashes, melting in an instant upon reaching the warmth of the few uncovered portions of my porcelain skin. My cheeks were abnormally rosy from the cold, and though I cocooned myself in gloves, winter boots, and a large, puffy coat, I was still overcome by shivers.