Shadow In The Night

1

ONE

The walls were painted with red. Eerie shadows crawled over the slimy floor. My little heart was beating, that I knew. Her hair, darker than usual. Red marks like scribbles drawn over her skin. The clock struck two in the morning.

Quiet solitude accompanied me, there were no stars in the pitch-black sky. I waited by the heavy mattress, tugging at the sleeve of her shirt.

"Mama I'm scared."

I peered around the room. The man was gone, he left no trace except for the dark liquid splattered across the room. I wondered, was he even here?

He was a foggy outline in the night, creeping along the ceiling and slinging his long stick. In a flash, he disappeared. I heard his footsteps before he was in the room. I was thirsty, I dared to venture out of my room. He was there in the archway, I feared he was a demon. A vile predator. I think I am sleepwalking, maybe this is one of my nightmarish dreams.

He walked past me, patted my head, and told me to be quiet. I sat down on the couch, my throat dry and my skin cold like wintry dusk.

Maybe they are playing a game? I heard mumbling, then a shriek. I heard loud and scary sounding noises.

I stayed where I am. I did not want to disobey; mama says that children who are bad get disciplined. Mama has never 'disciplined' me though. She says I am her good little girl.

I blinked; the memory was gone. I sat on the chair in mama's room. I waited and waited. I do not want the tall man to come back, I curled into a ball, wishing that mama would wake up and hold me close to her warm chest. Images floated in front of me. I traveled to a fairyland inside of my whirling head. Fluffy clouds and green meadows swirled in front of me.

My vision became black, my limbs became restless. Perhaps when I wake, everything will be okay. I floated away, the scary man and dark stains gone from my mind.

The radiating sun brought me back to life. My back hurt, my head pounded. The chair felt like wooden bricks and needles. My fantasyland disappeared. In my vision, I saw the scribbles in daylight. Dark red. Zig zagging over the sheets, over the wall. I hopped onto the floor.

My small feet splashing through the red pool, leaving outlines of footprints behind my trail. Mama would be mad if she saw this mess, I did not want to get in trouble.

A blanket covered most of her body. Her face pale, eyes shut. Hand hanging off the bed, I touched it. Her skin felt like a freezing ice cube.

"Are you awake?"

No answer. Maybe she was having a good dream. I reached for the paper towels, knocking over a cup. I found a bottle filled with white foamy liquid. I would see mama using this to clean the counters, so I hoped it would work.

I waddled over to the ghastly bedroom. I wiped my footprints, but they did not go away. The red stains spread wider. My dainty fingers touched the substance. It is sticky. I did not like the smell; it overwhelmed my senses. It smelled like mama's coins, but stronger. My skin turned to a pink color. I am making a mess; I need to clean myself before she wakes up.

The house was completely still. The birds were chirping outside, I looked through the window and noticed cars passing like blurry images. I put my hand on the glass, a print appeared.

Maybe this was paint, maybe mama was creating an art piece.

Back inside her room, I collected a piece of paper and a brush. I did not know how to paint or draw, I did not know much of anything. I let my imagination take over, drifting away and making lines with the liquid onto the white sheet.