Morning came at last, and i clocked out as the day staff checked in. Nothing else had happened after that vision.... yes, a vision... that is the only explanation, I told myself. Everything that i had seen, had felt this night... must have been just the fruit of my wild imagination.
I had been exhausted after all, my first night at a new job, I was bound to feel overwhelmed. I left the pizzeria and as I closed the doors behind me I felt a shiver of relief. I briskly walked in the direction of my apartment. At home, I took a quick shower to wash off the thick layer of sweat I had built up the previous night and I briskly drifted off to sleep still wrapped in a towel.
I woke up hours later, and prepared myself a humble meal of soup. I got ready, peed and set off to my second night at work. On my walk there i felt calm, at peace, and somewhat tired. And....something else???
When I reached the entrance, the sky above was dark and calm. There was a certain air of sleepy quiet in the streets and I felt as if I were the only soul still awake for miles. I unlocked the doors and stepped in, met by the stale odour of pizza and sweaty child hands. In a way, these scents delighted me.
I entered the office, throwing out the old cup of coffee i saw there. leaning back in my seat, i lazily scanned the monitors with my eyes. everything was still. everything was the same as it had been the day before. the minutes crawled by, and i felt my skull get heavier, and heavier. slowly, my eyes fluttered shut, and i was whisked by the god of sleep.
It was a light sleep, one in which I could feel my consciousness drifting in and out like the flow of a river. Then my eyes began to flutter as I delved into a deeper state of R.E.M. I could see myself sitting in my chair of the office, blissfully asleep- mouth wide open. My feet were resting on the desk in front, facing the poster of the bear toy hanging up on the wall. In my dream, the poster began to radiate soft light, with a slightly purple tinge. Then there was the sound of an ice cream van and children giggling faintly in the distance. The air hung thick and heavy. The poster had stopped glowing. My perspective shifted to the magazines on the desk, everything in very high detail. My attention then drifted to the corner of the room. There was a little centipede edging its way along, its bright red legs clicking eerily each time they hit the black and white tiles. I became completely transfixed on this insect as it began to curl up into a spiral. As my mind took me back to the poster, across my field of vision flashed a vision in yellow. What was that? Suddenly, the world fell dark....i....i had been blindfolded!!!
around me, the room creaked lightly. i wasn't alone. i tried to speak, to shout, but in this dream realm i simply couldn't find the words. cat got my tongue, as they say.
"You look....delicious." a whisper in my ear, sending a violent shiver down my bony spine
"i want you so bad" and with those words, i moaned myself awake.
w-what...w-what was that....and why did i feel so hot? i thought, blushingly.
I took a sip from the musty water bottle I had found in the drawer and tried to recompose myself. I felt my cheeks beginning to cool. It was time to get back on the job.
I checked the cameras and saw that everything looked normal on the stage. I did a double take.
There was a looming gap between the bunny and the bear.
Where was the chicken?
I rapidly checked the other cameras, and there she was- in the dining area looking directly at the camera, as if in spite.
Or maybe as in invitation. I gulped hard, feeling my knees go gelatinous. i felt as if...as if this count possibly be real. There's no way....no way she's really moved! its not possible! i had to go and see it for myself, with my own two eyes.
I walked out of my little office into the darkened corridor, holding a small torch in my left hand. i walked slowly, almost breathlessly, engulfed by the quietness of the building. i reached the dining room, where i had seen... her. Slightly disappointed, i looked and saw it was empty.
"ha ha....... i must be going crazy" i chuckled to myself. Then, as I was turning around to make my way back to the office, I felt a feathered arm swipe across the back of my neck. I spun back to face the empty dining room, stumbling slightly backwards. almost losing my balance, suddenly a gigantic creature, a beast of yellow and white sprung out of the darkness, its teeth sharp and jagged hurling at my face. i fell backwards and on to my back, the fall knocking the wind out of my chest. the beast overpowered me, straddling me. this was it, i was done for, it was over.... as i braced myself for the shearing of bones and flesh, i dared look at my captor one last time before my death. just one last time...i had to see the creature.
our eyes locked.
hers, pink, round, gentle. mine, watery, fearful, scared. my body began to shake, and as I trembled under her powerful wings I dared not look away. She stared deep into my soul, stirring my conscience, lighting a spark in my heart. she leaned in......I.....I wanted to feel her metal beak on my own pink human lips.....my eyes fluttered shut.....but nothing happened. When I opened them, she had vanished.
