Lucy's Sketches

Chapter 5

Sadness, Anger and Things in the Dark

Lucy

I was dreaming about Daddy and the day we went to the zoo.

He lifted me onto his shoulders to get a better view, and I became the tallest person in the world. It was a nice dream filled with the sound of his laugh, sunshine and happiness, but then it suddenly got dark and scary.

Big dark clouds came out of nowhere and made it rain really hard. I'm sure it didn't rain that day when Daddy took me to the zoo; it rained the day when I was angry with Daddy for being late on my birthday. He wasn't even very late, just a few minutes. I don't know why it made me so very angry.

He gave me a pretty package that day, and inside it were a thick sketchbook and a box of pencils made of wood. I was so happy about the gift, but I was still angry, and I don't know why.

Maybe it was because I got teased at school for being quiet and nerdy, and I wanted to tell him about it, or maybe it was because my best friend's parents were getting a divorce. Her Daddy was working all the time, and her mommy decided to leave him. That really scared me.

I don't know why I was scared and angry, but I don't want the angry storm dream; I want the happy zoo dream.

A loud boom of thunder wakes me up from the awful dream, and that thunder must have been part of my dream. There's no storm going on here. Everything is very quiet.

Where am I? This isn't my room!

I look around me at the strange walls and the strange bed I'm lying in, and then I remember that we're at the big, creepy house Uncle Josh and Daddy were working on before everything became wrong. I look at the other camp bed and see that it is empty. Mom isn't there. Uncle Josh isn't on the couch, either.

Maybe I'm still dreaming.

Uncle Josh dimmed the lights earlier. It's not totally dark; I can still see the shadows of the furniture. I need to pee really badly and want to get out of bed, but my legs feel all wobbly. I wasn't really paying attention when Uncle Josh told Mom where the bathroom was. I guess I'll have to wait for them because I don't want to walk around alone in the dark. I should've gone before going to bed, but I didn't need to go then. Maybe they went to get more things from the car or something... I hope they don't take too long.

I can see something moving around at the other end of the room and clutch my blanket under my chin.

"Mom?" I ask, my voice sounding weird, and the moving thing stops moving.

I cannot really see much way over there, just shadows and vague outlines, and everything I look at have strange shapes, and the more I look at them, the less I can see them clearly. I am starting to feel really scared now. What if it moves again and it comes at me? Where are Mom and Uncle Josh?!

I need light! I need light! I need to make all those creepy shadows go away. I need to see if something really moved there. I need to get out of bed and find my mom! The sound of my breathing is so loud it is beginning to scare me.

Oh! That's right, I forgot! Uncle Josh left a flashlight on the floor next to my bed! I start to reach down to the floor to grab it, and then I freeze.

What if... what if there's something under the bed, and it grabs me when I reach for the flashlight? I can still hear myself breathing, but it's changed; it is now coming in short, fast huffs, making my head spin a little bit. My heart is beating so fast!

Deep breaths. Take deep breaths. Calm down! I'm being a silly goose.

Leaning over, I reach and reach... where is it?! All I'm touching is air! I reach some more, feeling around for it, and just when I start to hear my breath becoming huffs again, my fingers touch something cold and hard. It has the right shape to be a flashlight, so I grab it and pull my arm back quickly. My hands are shaking so badly now, but at least I got the flashlight... and nothing grabbed me.