PENSIONNAT - VERSION ENGLISH - BOOK FINISH

° 16 °

He stood in front of Mary to protect her. Perus lit a small fire in his palm, with blue flames. I understood that he was preventing the shadow from passing.
Marie made little giggles and if Perus had not held her hand, she would have probably screamed.

A wall separated the kitchen from the stairs. I rushed to the corner of the frame and looked to see if the shadow had seen me. No. Phew! So I started to call out to Mary, waving to her. Only neither of them would look at me.

- Marie! Marie! Marie here! Unfortunately, my whispers did not reach anyone. Then a fright struck me. Could a shadow hear? If so, I was done for!

- What is a shadow doing here? Perus shouted. My child you must return to your room! I'll take care of it!

He was talking to Marie, but the poor girl could barely stand. I refused to let them fall! And this, in spite of my legs which could hardly stand... I took what little courage I had left and went out of the kitchen.

I took what little courage I had left and went out of the kitchen. They had to come, that way we would only have to turn on the main light and they would be safe.
It was the first time I had seen a shadow. I didn't know anything about them, but my intuition told me that this kind of creature came straight out of the darkness.

As I started to come out of the darkness, a cold wind blew through the first floor. And unluckily, it extinguished Perus' palm.

At the same time my breath stopped. We were again plunged into darkness. Marie gave a little cry and I was running back against the wall. My heart was beating so fast, I was afraid that this thing would hear me!

Perus lit his palm a second time. He sent the flames flying to the main light bulb on the first floor. Now we were dimly lit by a blue light. It was mostly on the stairs, the lobby, and the creature.
And I think we all expected it to disappear. But instead, the shadow detached itself from the ground.

It floated like a Fantomas would. The difference was that this one was black and seemed to be wearing a hooded cape. Suddenly, two red eyes appeared at the level of its head. The shadow crossed the room quickly, and as it passed in front of me, it looked like a small black cloud.

It passed through Perus who immediately fell to the floor. Marie, alone in front of him, could do nothing. I decided to come out of my hiding place and show myself. She looked at me with tears in her eyes.

- Hurry up and come here! I shouted. He can't do anything to us in the kitchen!

She went down the step, but slipped. The shadow swallowed her and ran off into the forest.

- NOOOOOOON !!!! I screamed, my eyes wide with horror.

With tears in my eyes, I ran after the shadow into the dark forest.
It was cold and I was barefoot. I was wearing a pair of pajamas, too big for me, that belonged to my mother. I couldn't see the shadow anymore and to tell you the truth, I had lost sight of it quickly! Nevertheless, I kept running in the direction he had gone.

I only had the few rays of moonlight to give me some light. I wasn't sure how long I had been there, but it felt like hours! I was running around in circles, panicking, running around in circles and panicking, etc. I felt like a loser and the cowardice was getting to me.

I felt like a loser and a coward. Marie had just been swallowed up in front of me and I couldn't do anything to help her! I had only hid in the kitchen!

Near a field of red flowers, I found an oil lamp. It was hanging on a tree trunk. It must have been the beacon for all creatures of the night.

I took the opportunity to stop for a few seconds. I was slowly catching my breath and observing the surroundings, I was wondering if it was still reasonable to pursue this thing. All the more so, as I was moving forward blindly!

Then a sharp cry chilled my blood. It sounded from everywhere. I couldn't tell if it was close or not. I was exhausted, but staying near that lantern could be dangerous for me. This way, any creature could see me. I started walking again, this time at a trot.

Just when I thought I was alone, a scavenger showed up in front of me.

- I was naive to think I was going to escape trouble in a cursed forest!

Patient, he was waiting for me to run into him. I immediately turned right. I ran as fast as I could. It wasn't long before he caught up with me. He was running, on all fours, beside me. He seemed to be amused... I was afraid!

He raised his right front paw in my direction. If I hadn't ducked in time, he would have ripped me in half! I turned around and ran back. However, I knew I wouldn't last long. How long would I be able to dodge his blows? How much longer could I run without stopping? I was losing my breath and starting to feel a sideways punch. In no time, I'll be done for!

Then the bug slowed down. But I didn't have time to see why. In the distance I could see the lantern with the red flower fields, which was a good sign! If I kept going straight, I would get to the cabin! My head filled with hope, I forgot about the beast.

However, something grabbed my ankle and made me fall. It cut off my momentum as well as my breath.

Shadows!!! They were everywhere! I got up with difficulty and ran to the lamp. It alone would protect me! I rushed to it, hoping to be safe.

I could not leave its field of light as long as the shadows were there. Nevertheless, staying was not really the right solution. The scavenger was approaching. It was coming at full speed, determined to have its meal!!!

I was going to die.

It was over.

The scavenger was only a few feet away.

- What's the worst ?... Getting eaten by the scavenger ? Or being swallowed by a dozen shadows?