What We See in the Dark

Come Here Little Girl

Elizabeth Kelly sat in her dark room, shaking like the ground did when the thunder outside rumbled like a hungry giant waiting to swallow her whole. She could never sleep even when there was not a storm. Her eyes would wonder and even in the empty room her mind would create a silhouette, then starring eyes, gnashing teeth, and a body for the monster. Some nights it would seem so real the 10 year old girl would scream for her mother and father, who would of course, come to their daughters aid, assure her she had a nightmare and to go back to sleep. So her guardians got the little girl a small orange cat, something to comfort her in the night. Delilah never seemed to mind her screams, she would cuddled up to the little girl, curl her small orange feline body into Elizabeth's lap and purr. But this night was different, the little girl fell asleep it seemed a miracle to be safe from her mind for a night. Until she was woken up by a loud hiss, wild sounds coming from her cat. She jolted up, Delilah wasn't on her bed. She looked around and her eyes stopped on something in her corner. Her heart stopped. She didn't have time to think of any silhouette, eyes, teeth, or claws, yet there a creature stood in her corner. She was struck frozen, too terrified to even breath, to scream. Elizabeth just sat there, never blinking believing that if she did, the monster would grab her with its twisted claws then run off. So all she did was sit for what felt like eternity, when the silence was broken by a scratchy voice across the room. It didn't sound human, nor beast, it sounded like something in between. Strained and crackling as if it's ever breath made its throat close on itself, it whispered "come here little girl". And against everything in her body, she did. Slowly she took steps over to it, each time she lifted her foot the cold ground would makes a soft click as her bare foot left it. She was close enough to touch it, she could smell it, and scrunched her face up. Metallic fumes spewed off of the mangled thing. It's wide beady eyes looked down at her, bones visible through jaundice skin, long oily hair framing its face. She looked down at its long claws attached to its bony hands and saw Delilah. She went to scream at the sight of her bloody cat. It reached up.

Two doors away in another dark room her parents heard a high pitched scream. They both julted up and sprinted to their daughters room, shocked at the volume of the scream. When they flung open the door, all was silent, Elizabeth Kelly was no were to be found. There was nothing, except a small orange and red cat in a cold, dark room.