The Madness Within ✓

VIII.

After everything that has happened in only a few hours, I decided to take a break and eat some lunch. I didn't want to think about anything that just happened. I might've woken up a few hours ago, but this whole situation made me feel terribly exhausted.
I was finding it hard to believe what was real and what wasn't. The image of the creature I saw was stuck in my mind and it didn't want to leave. Its eyes and wide smile haunted me all day.
I took out instant noodles from one of the cupboards and put it on the counter, then began boiling some water. Once it was ready, I poured the water into the cup and waited for it to cool down. While I was waiting, I decided to call my mom, since she wanted me to call her yesterday.
I dialed her number and began calling.

„Hello, Clara! I was just about to call you!" my mom spoke as soon as she picked up. Her energetic voice immediately made me feel better. She was always able to put a smile on my face, no matter what was happening.
„Yes, hi mom," I responded and leaned against the kitchen counter using my other hand that wasn't holding the phone.
„I hope you're eating well there! And I also hope you're safe. Are you getting along with the neighbors?"
Mom didn't know about anything that was happening around here, and I didn't want her to know either. She already had many problems with her current boyfriend. Or, well, just about any man that she's ever dated. She's very unlucky when it comes to relationships, and I feel really bad for her.
Mom is someone who can easily get manipulated. The fact that she loves the person makes her immediately want to do anything for them, no matter what it costs her. Sometimes it costs her her own well-being. I really wish I could help her, but she always manages to find someone else who does the exact same thing as the other ones. Just like now, for example.

Her current boyfriend, Andy, tries to control every aspect of her life. She can't hang out with the people she wants to go out with, she's not allowed to leave the house unless he comes home, stuff like that. I already talked to my mom about it, but she told me that she doesn't mind it and he only means well.
I really hope my mom will be able to open her eyes one day. It breaks my heart to see her be a prisoner in her own house. If I could help her, I definitely would, but she simply doesn't listen to anything I tell her. She's been blinded by love.

„Yes, everything's going alright mom, don't worry," I lied and let out a chuckle to convince her that I'm actually doing good.
„I'm really happy to hear that, dear. You can come visit me whenever you want to, I'd love to see you again soon."
We talked for a while about things that have been happening and after a few minutes of talking, we ended the call. I sighed and went back to my cup noodles. They were definitely good enough to eat now at least, maybe a bit on the colder side at this point. I sat down by the table, on the chair that I fell asleep on before and I began eating.
While enjoying the delicious noodles, I thought about what I should do next. I didn't want to stay in this house for too long on my own, but I also didn't want to go back to the village. Definitely not after what happened today.
After a bit of thinking it through, I decided that I'll explore the area around the house. I looked out of the window, only to notice that there are small, white snowflakes falling down at the ground. It was nice to see snow here again.

I rested my head on the palm of my right hand as I looked out of the window and watched the snowflakes slowly dance around in the wind, then fall down to the ground and melt in with the rest of the snow.
The falling snowflakes reminded me of my childhood again. When I was little, whenever it would snow, I would look outside the window and think that the snowflakes were little ballerinas. I imagined how they danced around in the sky, spun around by the gentle breeze from time to time, and when their little dance was over and they were ready to go, they slowly fell to the ground and joined together with the rest of the snow.
It was a nice thought to have, and many times I wished I, too, were a small snowflake ballerina. But as I grew older, I realized just how stupid, yet beautiful my thinking process was back then.

I smiled to myself and watched the falling snow dance for a little longer. But after a while of daydreaming, I noticed something buried in the snow. It looked like an empty food wrapper. And it wasn't the only thing that laid around on the ground.
From all kinds of empty wrappers to other mysterious things, the snow was littered with.. well, litter.
How have I not noticed that until now? I thought to myself and sighed. Unless someone's done it not long ago on purpose. But going to the police with it is, of course, pointless.

I walked towards the main entrance and put on my pair of black boots, then put on my coat and walked outside. I began picking up the litter on the left side of the house. Later, when I learned just how much garbage there is here, I quickly ran back inside to the kitchen. I grabbed a huge plastic bag from one of the counters, where I can now put the litter in, then I went back inside and returned to litter-picking.
While walking around, I also kicked into the snow a few times around me to check whether something wasn't hiding under the pile of snow. And a few times I was actually right and something did end up hiding there.

You can hide, but not from me.

As I continued cleaning out the area around my house, other than empty food wrappers, cans and plastic, I also found something.. extraordinary.
I picked up yet another wrapper, then kicked around a bit again. This time however, my foot ran into something solid and heavier compared to the wrappers that were as light as a feather when I kicked into them.
„Huh?” I frowned and reached for the mysterious item hiding under the snow. I took the item out from beneath the snow and revealed a wooden statue. As soon as I saw the statue, my hands began shaking as I froze in place. I screamed and dropped it, taking a few steps back right after.

The statue was of a tall, slim creature, with six eyes and a wide grin on its long head. Its grin revealed prolonged and sharp teeth. Its eyes all stared into different directions, while one of the eyes, that stood somewhere in the middle of the face, stared directly at me. Its legs and arms were long, and its five sharp and thin fingers each pointed at the ground.

Finally, it all made sense.

The weird shadow and the creature I saw in the photos. The creature I saw in the living room. The weird things that hid behind the trees in the distance. And those stranger things I saw in the distance by the tree. It was one and the same. Whatever this creature was, it has to be real.

And it's definitely after me.