Jack - English

A Tale of Terror

The house was large, perfect for family gatherings, in which Eva always met a new cousin. That time, she met Calvin, a blond lad, around nineteen years old. Calvin was a distant cousin and one of her uncles commented that he was barely family...

— Seriously boys, — warned Aunt Valda, — you shouldn't start a game now, the light will go out in twenty minutes.

Aunt Valda always said she was a psychic, a seer. She was the one who discovered Calvin's family, years ago, lost in some small village in Europe, with no Portuguese at all and poor English; it took her years to get the boy to Brazil and, now that he was there, he looked like a silent ghost. Dinner was great, the table was thorough and the dishes were scrumptious. Their glasses were always full, and there was no shortage of juice in the children's glasses. There were the usual "who I am" games, pretending, even presents that year. Calvin looked sideways at Eva, the only one there with understandable English.

— Aunt, what are you on about! The light company would have warned us of a blackout! — one of the boys complained.

— I still think we should be together in Eva's room. There will be the only safe place.

The woman continued to speak and no one paid much attention to her. Much of what she said was not real or so cryptic that no one understood. Eva, however, had a small flashlight in her pocket. With one hand in the other, the young woman checked to see if she had picked up the extra batteries, in case the flashlight was weak. Eva did not believed in aunt Valda with her whole heart, but that day, the young woman had chills since sunrise. Not to mention the terrible feeling that someone was watching her. And the shivers. It could be her period, she felt slight cramps that promised to grow, but there was also... Calvin. The lad simply did not speak. He just watched her with those so clear blue eyes and his blond hair of an unimaginable white. "He's albino" her aunt replied when she had asked. "Please try to talk to him... Calvin is quiet, but he has a good heart. Once you get to know him, you won't be able to get away from him! " but a mother was always a mother, even if she was an aunt: the child will always be the most perfumed flower. So Eva went towards the lad.

— Are you gonna play with them? It is fun game if you know how to play it... — she asked in English.

— No... I don't like this kind of game. My friends play it. I will read. — Calvin replied in his short sentences.

— Okay. — Eva felt a twinge in her uterus. She took a deep breath and left for the bathroom. The week was almost over, but that so annoying bleeding was just at the start.

When he got up to flush, the lights went out. She heard the boys swearing in the living room and her aunt said she had warned them. Without even thinking, Eva reached into her pocket for the small flashlight, but there was nothing else there. The other pocket, where the batteries should have been, was also empty. Eva felt a shiver... a cold finger that scratched her spine and spread chills over her body. Two huge, bloody eyes watched her through the window, and were gone in less than a second. She did not have time to even scream. Eva slammed the bathroom door open and headed for the living room. The boys were still cursing and Calvin was standing up, looking at her with those glassy eyes.

— Come with me, please! — Eva begged in a desperate tone.

— Where? — Calvin replied, his calm voice was a huge contrast.

— My aunt said the only safe place is my room. She's probably there already, with the kids and maybe some other people who believed her.

— Did you believe her? — Calvin questioned.

— Well... I normally wouldn't, but today is different. Today I... I've seen it too. Please, come with me, I can't be there alone! If I stay alone... it... it will catch me. — she cried.