Children of Darkness (3 page)

March 14
th
, Emily Frost

Parent Meeting: Parents tell me that Emily is a very smart little girl and learns quickly. Started having nightmares at the age of five infrequently. Scared of the dark, parents bought nightlight. Woke them up by screaming at least once a month. After four months, nightmares started to increase. Didn’t want to go to her room at night. Toys disappeared or found torn. Emily denied having done it. One year mark: nightmares coming once a week. Emily starts to withdraw. Dark circles under her eyes, pale in color from lack of sleep. Didn’t want to play piano or go to school because of pallor. Withdraws even more. Two year mark: won’t go anywhere without her doll. Doesn’t want to go anywhere. Doesn’t want animals. Stopped screaming at night, but signs of sleeplessness continue. Stopped talking to parents prompting parents to seek professional help for Emily.

Session 1 with Emily: Emily is thin, four feet two inches tall. Copper red hair and pale, freckled skin. Bright eyes seem dimmed and sad. Likes to talk of school. Won’t touch on nightmares. Plays with toys, always keeps doll in her hands. Reads well, responds to books. Shows no interest in music despite ability to play
piano. Terribly withdrawn and doesn’t want to open up. Recommend frequent sessions until she feels comfortable. Maybe home office next visit.

I flip to the next page and read about the visit to my home office I requested to the Frosts. They came and Emily seemed to like it a little more than the main office. I flip through and see the different notes about Emily still being closed off and unresponsive to the nightmare inquiries. One of the entries caught my eye and I read through it quickly.

May 23
rd
, Emily Frost

Parent Meeting: Mrs. Frost told me of a school incident the day prior. Emily was being picked on by a fellow student ending in Emily pushing student. Note: Ask Emily about the incident and what lead to aggressive acts. No change in sleep pattern.

Session 18 with Emily: Seems more closed off than usual. Doesn’t want to talk about school or the incident. Slightly aggressive and visible bruising on her arms. Session ended early because Emily cried and asked for her mother. Parents extremely worried. Advised them to take a day with her over the weekend and do what she wants to do. Calm moods. Note: Ask again about the incident next session.

I flip through the rest but don’t see an entry that explains why Emily responded with violence. I need to remember that and ask her parents if she ever revealed the reason to them. I shut the folder and move on to the next one.

I work well into the night and my eyes begin to burn with the need for sleep. Max is asleep by my feet and I rub his ears before I walk to the kitchen. I put on a pot of coffee and grab my new book from the bag on the counter. As soon as the coffee pot is full, I make a cup and move to the back door. Max hears me pushing the door handle and comes running over to me.

“I’m going to sit out here for a little bit and read. Want to keep me company?” He wags his tail and his tongue lolls to the side. “I’m taking that as a yes.”

We step out into the yard lit by a bright lamp above the door. My backyard is spacious and I have a covered bench swing in the middle. Hedges line the fence and I have sensor lights sporadically placed to illuminate almost every inch of the yard. I struggled to find the perfect places for the lights so I wouldn't bother my neighbors. I walk over to the bench swing and settle down on it, holding my book.

Max claims his usual spot and lies down. I glance over the arm of the swing and see him nestled between the posts, always my guardian. I flip open the book and dive into the story willingly. The first chapter was like the first bite of a slice of cheesecake. Once you have the taste in your mouth, it is hard to put down. I read for a while and when I drink the last bit of coffee in my cup, I decide it is time to go back inside. The humidity in the air is not good for the pages of my book.

I shift to stand and Max is instantly alert. He stands up and stretches his back out like a cat. A very big, very hairy cat with huge teeth. I laugh at the image I paint in my head and call him to my side so that we can walk back in the house. He got to the door before me and jumped up to open the door.

“That’s my smart boy. Thank you, Max.”

He barks and grabs the rope with his teeth to shut the door. He really is my little sweetheart. I make my way to the couch and stretch my legs out on the coffee table while Max hops up and lays his head in my lap. I giggle and pet his head idly as I pick back up where I left off in my book.

As I begin to doze, I am transported into a world of dragons and witches and shifters. All the characters of the book I was reading were present, fighting off the bad guys with swords and magic. They all look to me to figure out how to defeat our nemesis, as I am cunning and sharp-witted in this dream world. The dragons burned the enemies’ shields and we broke their lines of defense with ease. We win, of course, and as we begin the celebration feast, suddenly the light fades. The dragons disappear and the characters run away into the darkness.

Then, I am in my childhood bed hiding under my covers. Confusion paralyzes me and I strain to hear anything around me. The sound of small feet hitting the floor makes my stomach drop to my toes. My heart hammers in my chest and a lump forms in my throat. I can't breathe under my covers, but I don't want to come up for air. The heat from my breath causes sweat to bead on my brow. I hold my breath for as long as I can before gasping for air.

Three little children are running around my room and playing with my toys. They run past each other, tossing the items back and forth between them. Their eerie giggles send chills up my spine. I look at their little feet and see only three toes on each foot. I count their toes twice and come back with the same number. My gaze travels to their hands and see they have sharp claws where their nails should be.
These aren’t children at all.

Of the three, the one with the longest claws is taller than the others and tearing my toys apart while the smaller ones simply play. Its skin looks like leather, thick and tough. The monster’s appearance is shriveled compared to the others and the hair atop its head is thinning, making it seem to be older.

The other creatures have similar features but at a less progressive state. The wrinkles are beginning to form and the claws coming from their fingers are short but sharp. Their hair shows signs of thinning and they stagger in height.

The smallest being has the thickest hair. Its fingers are small and frail. Frail is really the only description for this creature, but looks can be deceiving. I don’t find the thought comforting in the least.

They are all facing away from me, until my eyes land on a fourth one. He sits in the corner of my room watching the rest play. Even though he’s sitting, I can tell that he is much bigger than the rest. His toes have dagger-like nails protruding slightly and his knees are bent, hiding the middle of his body. His arms drape over his knees and in one hand, the missing doll of my childhood is nestled between his claws. No, not my doll. Just the head.

His eyes are deep set into his face and flat black. They glow dimly in a disturbing shade of dark green. His silver hair is thin and curled, covering most of his head. Between his eyes is a horizontal slit that opens periodically to take in air. Where the mouth would normally be is a tiny circle that I couldn't see into.

He looks down and strokes my doll’s head. Tears prick my eyes but I refuse to dash them away. I don’t want to draw any attention to myself. Moonlight brightens part of the room and lands on his eyes. They become reflective, much like a cat’s eyes.

Fear turns my insides cold and I slowly pull my legs up to my chest. His eyes go from the doll to my bed and meet mine. The tiny circle opens up and I see jagged, stained teeth sticking out in all directions. A big, thick, black tongue slithers past the pointy teeth and rolls around in the air as if trying to catch the taste of something.

A loud bark echoes through the room and The Leader turns his head, hissing. The sound breaks the spell I seem to be under. I scream and try to scramble back, only to fall off the back of my couch. Max is barking and I am back in my adult body in my own house. I am safe. The monsters aren’t here anymore; they left me a long time ago.

I push off the floor and feel small cuts in the wood. I look down and see scratches dug into the floor in little set of threes. The air catches in my throat as I stagger back to the wall. I squeeze my eyes shut and wish the marks away. A glance back down tells me it’s very much real. Max is still barking and I scan the room to find him. He is by the hallway, barking into the now dark space.

I know the lights were all on when I fell asleep. I try to call Max to my side, but I can’t make a sound. My throat feels like it is full of sawdust and I could only croak his name. My body trembles and it takes four tries for me to call him back to my side. I hastily shut the door to the hallway. No way am I going into the dark with creepy giggles still in my head.

“Please tell me I’m still dreaming.”

He continues to growl at the closed door. “Come on, Max. You’re not leaving my side.”

I take a shower and let the fatigue wash away, checking my surroundings the entire time. I had slept for nearly two hours and there is no way I can rest now. I am up for the day.

Music plays through my house as I make breakfast. Max wags his tail and spins in circles when I shake the spatula at him. I dance my way to the cabinet to grab the plates and make my coffee as the omelet cooks in the skillet. I flip Max’s steak one last time and he licks his lips.

I laugh and cut the steak to cool it down in his bowl while my omelet cools on my plate. Max’s ears are perked up so high you would think he has a cone atop his head instead of ears. When I pick up his bowl, he runs full force to the dining room and skids to a stop at his dog bowl holder.

I place his bowl in the slot and sit down to eat my breakfast. Once finished, I clean up the mess and walk to my bedroom to change. I pull on some shorts with a randomly picked t-shirt then turn to put on my shoes for our walk. Max loves to work off breakfast while I love to let it settle before I do anything. Max won today.

My iPod holder straps around my arm and has a slot for my spare house key. I put my headphones around my neck and plug them into my iPod.

“Ready?”

Max barks and I smile. I slip on his leash and off we go. A few neighbors are out on their morning runs and wave to us as they pass by. I pull on my headphones and turn on the new album I uploaded, Next To Nothing by RITTZ. We cross the street at the end of our block and Max begins to prance while I jog next to him. We are almost to the park and he can’t wait to run around like the crazy dog he is. One more block down and we turn the corner onto the street leading up to the dog park.

Max can barely contain himself. The other pet lovers at the park greet us as they do every time we come to play. Max is extremely popular with the other dogs.

A couple, Andrew and Mark, have the most beautiful Labrador I have ever seen. Her name is Lizzy and she is a very big girl. Max loves to chase her and roll around in the grass every time they see each other.
Dogs are so weird.

I let Max play for a few hours as I talk with the other dog owners. They live in the neighborhood and relay all the upcoming events for the town. Even though I don’t attend every gathering, I like to stay current with our community events.

I walk around the benches and sit down by myself to get some air. I don’t like being surrounded by noise and the park is one of the loudest places I go. I breathe in the air and feel the sun come out from behind some fluffy clouds. My hair sticks to my neck so I quickly put it up into a messy bun.
Much better.
Because I didn’t stretch before we got to the park, my muscles start to cramp, so I lean down to rub my legs.

A memory of my mom flashes in my mind and I can’t push it back down. She comes in to wake me up for school and finds me curled up in a ball on my bed crying. My mom stands there and cries as she watches me get off my bed and come running to her. I beg and plead to move away from our house, to get away from the children that come in my room, and all she does is stand there and cry. When I fall to my knees and sob, she walks away from me.
Why does she never listen to me? Will she ever believe me?

Tears prick my eyes and I brush them away quickly. I catch sight of Max running across the park toward me and I notice he is going too fast to stop. I put my hands up to protect my face and he turns at the last minute to take off in a different direction.
Did I mention that dogs are weird?