Of the Shadows

Chapter 1: Fireflies

Often times there are things that lurk in the darkness that we are far too occupied and naive to notice. We convince ourselves that it was a trick of the eye. We blame it on exhaustion. Those things we see when our senses are weakend and we are vulnerable. The fear plays with our minds, we reason, and drift off to precious sleep.  None of it could possibly be real.

When we are children our eyes are open and time moves more slowly. Everything is magical and we find joy in the simplest of things. In our youth we are not immersed in the ever-pressing lifestyle if adulthood and responsibility. We have time to See. Sometimes we see too much. Many of those occurrences we forget as distractions cloud our minds. No one has time for an overactive imagination when there are bills to pay and mouths to feed. However, a small few maintain the Sight after we mature. Those that do have very few options. Allow the darkness to know that you see it and face its wrath. Ignore it and live. Or go insane. For decades I went with door number 2.

I was distinguished in the art of acting as if the things that go bump in the night weren't there. I used my perifrieal vision to see, I did not turn my head in their direction. I never stared. I never displayed signs of listening. I would not show my fear. I would not reveal my surprise or disgust at the creatures and what they do. I lived my mundane life ignoring those things along every step of the way. I learned at an early age that when They know you can See it doesn't end well.

A friend of mine, Anne, in elementary school used to argue with her parents constantly that fairies existed. "They're in the shadows." She would state with stern conviction. Her parents nor the teachers ever believed her but I did. I saw the sneaky beast that led her away. It was small, about the size of a squirell, with razor sharp claws and a large toothy grin. Its flesh was dark red like the abysmal surface of a pool of blood. It whispered to her and presented itself as a friendly being. She giggled with it in the corner of the playroom where one of the overhead bulbs were shot and the light there was dim. Shadows lingered in that space and Anne sat with them and conversed with any that would listen. Classmates would laugh at her and make jokes about how much Anne liked to talk to herself. She did not seem to mind and took pride in the things she could see. The little monster that spoke to her that day led her away. Away from the classroom, away from she school, away from anyone she knew or loved. I didn't tell them what took her. I did not wish to be taken as she had. They searched for her for years. I never believed they would find her. The tiny thing that led her away had dug its claws into her hand and drew blood as it giggled mischievously. Anne hadn't seemed to notice. It was as if she were mesmerized by the creature and would follow it into a volcano if that was where it led.  That kind of power was dangerous. So I made myself appear oblivious. That is, until a few months ago when the darkness finally found a way to trick me into letting it know I could See.

It was a muggy Thursday night in August. The light of the full moon was barely visible behind the incredibly dense fog. My head felt a little like my surroundings; still muddled from the alcohol I'd consumed in the hours before I recklessly charged to my car and drove away.  Smoke trailed from the joint in my still shaking hand, invading my senses with its dank aroma. My knuckles shone red in the streetlights as I drove furthur away from town. I wasn't sure how much of it was my blood and how much was his. As my adrenaline declined I could feel the throb in them. It had been worth it. Chase should have kept his entitled hands to himself and I was just drunk enough to beat the shit out of him. My buddy, Angie, pried me off of him and told me to go. I guess she was afraid the cops would come.

My windows were cracked, music playing softly in the background. I pulled over for a moment washed my hands with a bottle of water I had in the floor. I cracked the door a hair to let the water pour into the street and slammed it quickly with a finger before I retrieved a roll of tissue and cleaned my hands with those as well. It was a mess but I was fine. Elated even. I could almost hear the bragging Angie would do the next time we decided to drink. Fireflies blinked in the field across from me and went on for a good stretch dotting the fog with yellow. It was late in the season to see the insects but this far south it wasn't too uncommon. I smiled at the fireflies and returned to the road. The streetlights were further from one another with each passing mile. Their light illuminating less and less space the deeper into the country I went. There were creeks and streams out here that caused the fog to flourish.

"Almost home." I kept telling myself, gripping the steering wheel tightly, leaned forward trying desperately to see into the fog. As I approached one of the sparse street lamps, something walked in front of my car and I pressed the brakes. At first I thought it was an opossum or raccon because of its height but it wasn't.  It was a person. A little person. Well, not a person exactly. Its skin was ash grey and its sleek black hair drug the ground. Its eyes glowed bright yellow in my headlights and they were looking right at me and on through my soul. When it saw me looking at it, the creature unleased a shrill chattering like a hundred cicadas from its mouth.

The fireflies in the distance were no longer dancing through the air, but instead were floating uniform like eyes staring at me in the dark. They reciprocated the noise and chattered back. The eyes began to move towards me when the creature in the road ran at my car incredibly fast and kicked off the glass, causing it to crack. It landed in front of me once more and began running to try it again when I stomped on the gas. It jumped over me. A creature that was less than two feet tall jumped over my speeding car. I glanced in the review mirror as I zipped down the familiar backroad. The fear of these things possibly chasing me was far greater than the fear of hitting a deer. They were definitely chasing me. Their eyes were locked on my car and their hair whipped wildly behind them.
No creature should be this fast. I was going at least 65 mph on these narrow country roads and these things had all but caught up to me.

A patch of woods just ahead made my heart leap in joy. The fat fir trees that were on either side of my driveway stuck out a little further than the rest of the trees. The steel ramp at the start of the driveway gleamed in my headlights as I threw on the brakes causing some of the creatures following to slam into the back of my car. They squealed when they rammed into the metal but it seemed the impact did nothing more but further piss them off. After I turned into the long driveway I pushed on the gas with my house in mind.
"If you ever come into any trouble, honey, come on home. God protects this house and so do I." My mom's words echoed in my mind as I made it to the warded willow tree, protection symbols etched into its bark. The creatures hurled themselves towards me but appeared to thump into an invisible wall. They hissed when they hit the barrier as if it burned their flesh. The salt and iron flecks muddled in our soil did the trick. I was safe. For now.