r/nosleep • Animal Abuse
u/nocturnalnanny
Out of all my past lives, my current one terrifies me the most
I died many years ago. It wasn’t the first time, and it certainly won’t be the last. I had made it to eighty-three before I left behind my legacy of children, grandchildren, and a sassy old cat that I still do not miss. My husband Frank, a gentle man and kindred spirit, died about six years before I did; I hope his new life has been treating him well.
Seconds after my last breath on Earth, I took my very next in The Cinema. I looked around at all my past lives with fond memories; they all smiled in return. As I nestled into my seat, a golden retriever hopped up next to me. I loved being that dog; the freedom, the belly rubs, there’s nothing like it.
I looked across the theatre to my right and noticed the toddler sweetly playing with her doll. A pang of immense sadness grew in my heart. My poor mother. Watching her spirit slowly die along with my tiny, fragile body was the worst. Fuck cancer.
The room became dark as the screen in front of us flashed to white. Here we go. I watched my new self be born, “Hey, our parents look wealthy, maybe I’ll try out Harvard this round, get that Masters degree in Psychology we’ve always dreamed of,” we all giggled at the thought.
I was going to be a boy this time, a blonde boy. Interesting, I’m usually a brunette. Something was different, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Why were my eyes so dark? Are they always that dark after birth? A shiver ran down my spine.
We all sat in silence, patiently waiting to see who we would grow up to be. That’s when I looked at me. I looked directly into the camera and gave the most sinister smile, almost as if, as if he, I, knew. How would that be possible though? We weren’t allowed access to our old memories until we passed on.
The screen turned black and all at once the rest of my incarnations glanced in my direction. Eyes wide, mouth open, we were speechless. Normally we get to see what our whole life entails, why was this different? I gave a small shrug and before I knew it, I was born.
Things are different this time, I remember everything, every life, every death, but it’s almost as if I’m trapped inside my own mind. My thoughts have changed; I find myself fixating on details I never would have noticed in my past lives. Some days I have no feelings at all, while other days I feel everything at once, but on a heightened level. Like an itch I just can’t seem to scratch.
I’m seventeen now and I have done things I wish I hadn’t - horrible things. Poor Ducky, she was a good, loyal dog. I remember the soft kisses she gave me as I eagerly slit her throat. I remember the feeling it gave me to run my fingers through the warm blood. Why did she have to die?
To watch her bleed, the voice in my head taunts. Ah, that’s right. I looked down in shame and understanding.
I’m at the park right now, watching, waiting. I watch as a child runs away from her mother, chasing after a butterfly. I used to enjoy life like that, back when I felt free, back when I was someone else. Something else. Back when I didn’t fantasize about how much blood could pour out of a single vessel.
Now! Her! my inner demon hisses, interrupting my thoughts. I feel my body tense as a young woman passes by. My eyes instantly target in on her jugular, I wonder if humans make the same gurgling sounds that animals do.
I think I’ll find out.
▶Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/b70qjf/out_of_all_my_past_lives_my_current_one_terrifies/
▶Author: https://www.reddit.com/user/nocturnalnanny
