Spooky spooky

It was a dark and gloomy night. The streets were lathered with a thick layer of fog and it had been chilly for a while - a beautiful sight of changing seasons. I could see the sprinkle of rain glistening in the streetlight while I listened to my own footsteps on my way back home. I had had a long day, but the sharpness of the fresh air enhanced my senses. The sound of my clothes rustling was loud in the otherwise quiet road. I knew the way by heart, I was going home, but I had an unexplainable uneasiness in my throat.

Suddenly, I heard a screeching sound, like plastic wheels on damp concrete. I whipped my head around to see who it was, but I found a toy motorcycle abandoned on the sidewalk. No one in proximity. I looked around once more, only to find no one, but the dark shadows of trees towering over me.

I continued my walk with the same feeling of unease. I kept glancing behind my back, having a feeling that someone is following me. I wrote it up as paranoia and restlessness and tried to calm my breathing. But subtle sounds from behind me forced me to keep turning my head.

All of a sudden, everything felt threateningly loud and deadly silent at the same time. My chest heaved with anxiety and I began running. Shadows looked like they were chasing me, as if little demons with bright eyes were creeping out from under cars, behind fences. I couldn't wait to finally be home, free from this nightmare. When I got to my street, I started sprinting, like I never knew I could. I couldn't get myself to look left or right and definitely not behind me. I could feel the presence of something. Something trying to get to me.

When I got to my door, I fumbled with keys, the adrenaline rushing through my veins. I finally managed to open the door that meant final salvation and slammed it behind me in hopes to keep anything and everything from following me inside. I sighed in a moment of relief.

Csete Borbála   XII. R

Cold sweat burrowed its way into my back, as I opened my apartment’s door with an anxious motion. Before going inside, I looked back on the hallway, already expecting impending doom.

To my horror, a large shadow appeared at the end of the corridor. As the multiple-legged, wretched beast crawled closer and closer to the corner, I hurriedly assessed my chances, and realized that the only way out would be from my window with a jump from my 4-storey flat. Taking my chances seemed better than encountering the lurking monster.

But something froze me there. Later reflecting on the moment, I realized it wasn't primordial fear, but rather curiosity that stopped me in my tracks. I could not handle not seeing my tormentor in full form. I clutched my breath in my chest and cowered in the doorway, expecting the unimaginable.

First, a small paw appeared, then some whiskers. Before I could process the sight, a small, pointy-eared head appeared with large, almost glowing eyes. After my realization, I felt ashamed of my cowardice. I walked on down the hallway, as the kitten meowed excessively. I smiled with relief. At first it seemed frightened, just like me a minute before, but eventually, the feline let me pet him.

We have been inseparable ever since.

Rácz Gábor   XII. H