The Haunting

Chapter Eighteen

It looked like Simon, but...I could tell that it wasn’t the Simon I had grown used to seeing.  It was covering the standing Simon like a shimmering veil, and I could barely discern its features.

But, what I could see frightened me.  It covered Simon like an ill-fitting second skin, and it rolled and swirled, covering most of his features.  The eyes, mouth, and nose were just sockets of empty black.  When it saw that I had noticed it, it smiled, showing thousands of thin, needle-like teeth.

Then I blinked, and it was gone.

The world had snapped back into full color, even though I didn’t notice it had gone grayscale, anyways.  Simon stood there for a second, and smiled at us normally.

There was nothing wrong with him.  No shimmering second skin, and no needle teeth.

The day passed slowly after that, and nothing else interesting happened.  Jason tried a couple of times to talk to me, but I was still angry so I ignored him.  I knew it was petty, but I just didn’t want to deal with him.

After dinner finished, I went straight to bed and passed out.

*****

I was on a hill.  It was one of those rolling hills that you see in pictures.  It was surrounded by trees on both sides.  The tall grasses looked like waves when the wind hit them.  There were sprinklings of flowers everywhere, too.  I grinned at nothing in particular.  I was just filled to the brim with happiness.

I leaned down and picked a single flower.  It looked vaguely like a daisy, except for the fact that instead of white, flat petals, they were blue and almost frilly.  I put in my hair, right above my left ear.  Then, I giggled, because the butterflies and the bees were swarming around my head.  I playfully swatted them away then moved on.

The grass tickled my toes, and the dirt smelled so good.  I stood there for a moment, my head tilted back, my toes digging into the soft loamyness of the ground, and I spread my arms wide.  I felt like a goddess, soaking in the earth at my feet.  I opened my eyes to look at the sky.  It was almost an unearthly midnight blue, with white puffy clouds, like the kind you make when you’re really young.  I was surrounded by beauty.

The moon crested over one of the clouds, and silver light covered the earth like a blanket of silver.  The stars were gleaming, and it looked as if the sky was covered in their milky essence.

I probably should have thought that it was scary the way the trees around me were lit, their branches and trunks covered in shadows, but it didn’t.  In fact, it only made me want to run into their depths and explore.  I saw several pairs of glistening, amber eyes, but I ignored them, and walked on.

Just then, I came across a hill.  It was rather large, and it seemed to touch the sky.  I started to climb it, wondering what secret it was guarding.  Another meadow?  Perhaps a little cottage!  My feet continued to walk up the hill while I contemplated what could possibly be there.

When I realized I was almost to the top of the hill.  I ran the rest of the way up, because I was excited about what I could see.  But, at the same time I couldn’t help but feel a sharp twinge of horror.  I shook it off, and continued running.  My red-gold hair flew in my vision as I ran, my silk shirt and shorts gripping my body as the wind blew them into my skin.

I had finally reached the top of the hill, and what I saw made me shiver.  A gorgeous old Victorian looking house came into view, and there was a pale wash leading up to the front of the house.  Little pebbles littered the side of the path, and the flowers were more abundant down here.  The smell of their perfume was intoxicating, and made me smile.  I bounded to where the tall grass was cut to a neat and orderly size, around two inches, I think.  I stopped, and looked up.