Tales To Tell In The Dark

Swallow

You wake with a start, clutching your chest as you realize your heart is pounding feverishly. Sweat covers your forehead thickly and you swallow the lump of saliva that has built in your throat overnight.

Your mind is still foggy with sleep and shadows dance across your vision, making even your room seem frightening. You try to process your sudden start, wondering if it was just a bad dream or something more.

The clock on your desk reads 3:30 am and you groan as you realize the world outside is still dark. You wish for some light to calm your nerves, but that would wake your parents. So instead you settle for a glass of water, just now realizing the dryness of your throat.

You rise from your bed, frowning as your arm numbs up and falls useless at your side. Just asleep, you brush it off.

Making your way to the kitchen, you ponder once more what caused you to wake, why was your heart racing as if you had just run a mile? You're being paranoid, you reason with yourself.

You gulp away at the frosty water gratefully, it already seems to be making you feel better. Enough to go to bed, so that's what you do.

Your arm is still limp at your side and it seems your leg is following. Each step is getting heavier and you can't feel much of the plush carpet beneath you either. Not wanting to collapse in the hallway, you speed up, falling onto the bed with a sigh.

A black smiley face stars back at you from the ceiling.

You yelp in surprise, your heart jumping along with your body. It looks splattered across your ceiling and you can even make out small fangs within it's grin.

You blink once, still there. Twice. Still there. So you turn your head and it follows as its big grin mocks you. You turn again, this time to the other side. Still smiling.

At this point, your breathing hard, wondering what the hell is going on and why that damn smile won't leave you alone.

Then your brain clicks into place.

The smile is inside your eye.

That wasn't saliva you swallowed.