The Creature

Another one had appeared; a large, perfectly circular purple bruise on the inside of her forearm. The strange marks had been appearing occasionally for as long as Tess could remember. Always in a different place, but always the same precise shape.

The marks seemed to appear overnight-one day her skin was clear, the next she had a new bruise in an odd place. To her knowledge she hadn't hit the inside of her forearm recently, but the marks were undeniably real, and sore to touch.

When Tess met the creature, she didn't feel afraid. She had met this thing before. She just couldn't remember.

Peering through the dark, she watched as it crept up to her bed and stood beside her. It didn't speak. It didn't move. The top of its misshapen head almost grazed the ceiling, its thick black body blotting out any light from the window. It didn't seem to wear clothes, but colours swirled across its body, constantly shifting and changing and merging. From a dark grey it faded to a rich indigo, and through greens to yellows and reds. It was oddly beautiful.

Tess held out her hand to the creature. It shrunk ever so slightly, and a gentle rush of air raised the hairs along her arm. This creature didn't want to hurt her again. It was lonely. She didn't know how she knew.

The creature reached out one dark green arm and took her hand in its soft flat paw. High up under the ceiling, deep scarlet eyes blinked open. It stared at Tess, and she could not look away.

'It's okay,' she whispered. 'I don't blame you. Take what you need.'

The creature blinked once. It released her hand, and rested its paw on her shoulder. A sharp stabbing pain spiked through her and she gasped, her eyes watering. She couldn't pull away. The paw held her firm.

Tess's strength quickly ebbed. Her eyelids drooped. Her head lolled to one side. Then the pain cut off, and the creature took its paw from her shoulder.

Tess shook herself, lifting her head with great effort to look at the mark where the paw had been. A large, perfectly circular purple bruise marked her arm just below the sleeve of her top. A tiny drop of blood pricked the centre. She wiped it away.

Blinking up at the creature, she was surprised to see it still there. Usually it disappeared as soon as it had what it needed. Its colours swirled more intensely now, glowing bright without lighting the dark room. It blinked its deep red eyes at her again.

'Are you going now?' Tess asked it.

The creature shook its head slowly.

'What more do you need?'

The creature opened its mouth, revealing rows of blunted teeth. In a deep, echoing voice, it spoke a single word.

Remember.