The Girl Who Stopped Time

Riddles

Night has fallen through my bay window, mimicking the sunset I became so fond of at my real home in Delaware. Even the night sky looked the same as I peeked my head out the window; the stars just as bright and the moon waning above me. None of it was real though, just some sort of simulation. This isn't my home. I sat and stared at the unmoving stars for about two hours before I decided that it was time for me to get some sleep. Atlas wasn't going to come in tonight, and my eyes were becoming droopier by the second. If he wanted to talk, he could wait until tomorrow. I also got really annoyed when I realized the constellations were in the wrong places for the simulation. The stars that usually are out in the winter time were placed in the sky... it was nowhere near winter outside. So, I got in bed and I let my dreams take over, ignoring how annoyed I was.

The entire night I tossed and turned. Waking up from the feeling that someone was watching me, only to open my eyes and find no one there. A few times when I would glance in the corner of my room, I would find dark shadows presiding there. We would have a staring contest until I had to blink and when my eyes would open again, they'd be gone.

At one point I remember looking at the clock on my bed side table. The time had said 3:22 AM. I sighed and thought how I would have to try and sleep for a few more hours. I laid back down on my back only to be frozen in terror as I found the shadowy demon floating above me. Its eyes had stared right into my soul, making me shiver and try to move away. But my body was stuck and my chest was heaving up and down from freaking out. It had become harder and harder to breath and my body felt like it was being submerged in water. I felt as if I was drowning.

The demon brought a dark misty hand up to my face and caressed my cheek. I could see its mouth moving, but I couldn't hear a single word. My ears were filled with water.

I could feel my chest burning from the air it wasn't receiving. My mouth was clamped shut too so that just made it worse. The demon brought its hand to my chin and slowly lowered it. As it did, I could feel the burn my chest being released and a high-pitched noise entered my ears. The demon disappeared before my eyes and with it the paralysis.

I sat up fast, then quickly learning that the high pitch noise that I'd heard was actually the sound of my screaming. I soon stopped and brought the silky sheets up to my chest, breathing hard.

That never gets old.

I turned my attention to the door, expecting someone to come in at any moment and question me about my screaming but... no one did.

I had turned my head to clock again, finding myself being filled with even more shock. For the clock was just barely changing to 3:23 AM.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

After I was able to calm my breathing, I turned on the light and headed over to my bay window. I've been sitting here for the past three and a half hours just staring out the window. There was no use in me trying to get back to sleep. If I'm going to be sitting staring at something it should be the stars not the ceiling. At least that was my feeling when I first got out of bed, now I'm just extremely bored.

I watched the familiar sun rise about twenty minutes ago. So, the same scenery is brought out from yesterday. I'm going to jump out this window and kill that squirrel or chipmunk or whatever the hell it is if I have to see it run across the forest floor one more time.

As I'm getting myself ready to lunge out the window, I hear my door click open. I turn my head to see a head of shiny black hair peaking in. At first, I think that it's Atlas but as his face continues in, I realize that he's too young and his hair is too long. It's Oleander. He tip toes over to my bed and looks like he's about to pounce on the bed. His cheeks puff up and before he can let out whatever odd noise was about to protrude out of it, I clear my throat. He jumps a couple feet in the air and lets out a small squeal.