《Short Stories》


 Short story #1 - The Glow

    I feel the cold air of the wind push my hair behind me as I trudge my way down the trail. I hear my friends not far behind me. We¡¯re all covered with snow by this point.


    ¡°Hey guys, maybe we should turn back. It¡¯s getting late and I don¡¯t want to get sick.¡± I call out to them. I turn to look at them, only to find them looking at each other in concern. I trudge my way over to them, only to stop a couple feet away. A soft buzzing fills my ears and the sounds of nature start to disappear. What is going on? I try to speak, only to find that I can¡¯t hear my voice. I look to my friends once again. We all share a look of worry, before huddling together in a circle. As I step closer to them, the buzzing gets slightly louder. We tried to communicate by facial expressions, but we all ended up confused.


    After a while, I decide to follow the buzzing. We were not getting anywhere and I want to know where the sound is coming from. As I move, the sound either gets louder or softer. This reminds me of the ¡®hot and cold¡¯ game. I keep going until the sound is so loud I have to cover my ears.


    In front of me, I find a brilliantly glowing square just floating in the middle of a clearing. All the snow around it is melted. As beautiful as it is, it gives me a sinking feeling in my gut. I shouldn¡¯t be here. I turn to run the other way, but I¡¯m blocked in by my friends. I try to call out to them once again, but all that can be heard is the buzzing. The look in their eyes tells me they aren¡¯t going to move. Their eyes have all been turned a very pale version of what they were before. What¡¯s happened to them? I back away, closer to the square. The closer I am to it, the more that feeling of panic grows. I turn away from my friends and sprint off into the woods, away from the square.


    I don¡¯t stop running until the buzzing is gone and I can hear my own footsteps in the snow. Who knew it¡¯d be so hard to run in snowshoes? I take a moment to catch my breath and observe my surroundings. I¡¯m not entirely sure where I am, but I know I¡¯m further from the trails than that Square. I need to head home and figure out what¡¯s going on. I head in the direction I think will take me home.


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    After what felt like hours, but was probably only forty minutes or so, I find a familiar-looking trail. If I remember correctly, it should lead me home. Finally, I¡¯m almost home. I hope my friends will be all right. The sun is almost setting, so I need to hurry if I want to make it home before nightfall.


    Upon making it home, I quickly make sure all the doors are locked. What do I do? My friends are out there in the freezing cold with some weird square in the middle of nowhere and I just left them there! Before I can decide what to do, I hear the buzzing again. It was so soft that for a second I didn¡¯t realize I could hear it again.


    ¡°Join me.¡± I heard a whisper. It was so soft I wasn¡¯t sure if I really heard it or not. Until I heard it again. ¡°Join me.¡± It was louder this time and I could hear the buzzing get louder. Panic sets in. What do I do? I can¡¯t call the cops; they¡¯ll think I¡¯m crazy! I¡¯m running out of time; it¡¯s getting louder by the second. Soon, I hear a knocking on the windows. I rush upstairs, not sure where else I could go. I realize only afterwards that I¡¯ve trapped myself. The only thing I can do now is to hide and hope that everything goes back to normal. I run into my room and shove myself into the closet, closing the doors behind me. The buzzing has gotten so loud that I can barely hear myself think. And then, nothing. I can¡¯t hear anything. I can¡¯t see anything anymore either; it¡¯s all just black.


    Suddenly, I hear a soft rhythmic beeping. I try to open my eyes, but they feel heavy. I start to see red through my eyelids, as if there¡¯s a bright light behind them. I slowly opened my eyes, having to blink due to the lights. As I look around, I notice I¡¯m in a bed with white sheets. Glancing around the room, I realize¡­ I¡¯m in a hospital.


    Before I get the chance to question what happened, the door to the room and an older man in a white coat enters the room. He is holding a clipboard.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re awake. You¡¯re probably wondering what happened, yes?¡± He spoke calmly, as if he¡¯s done this a thousand times. I nod my head, not feeling brave enough to speak up. ¡°Well, you had an¡­ accident when snowshoeing with some friends two years ago and you ended up in a coma.¡± He told me with a sympathetic look on his face. Two years? No.. That can¡¯t be true. I remember going home and hiding in my closet. I was running from that square! ¡°Now, I know it can be a lot to take in, but-¡± I stopped listening. I noticed something too important to listen anymore. His eyes¡­ they¡¯re glowing the same yellow as the square.

 Short Story #2 - Back up Friend

    ¡°I¡¯m just the back-up friend.¡± I whispered, alone in my room. I glance at the clock and watch as it turns to midnight. I think I¡¯ve always sort of known how they thought of me. I¡¯m always the last person. The last person they ask to hang out with, or the last to be invited to things. They always shove me to the back of the group or to the end of the table. I¡¯m only there when no one else from the group is there. As my mind races to recount all the evidence, I feel something warm and wet sliding down my cheeks. I¡¯m just the back-up friend and that¡¯s all they¡¯ll ever see me as. A wave of tiredness swept over me and I fell into slumber.


    When I went to school the next morning, I made it a point to avoid my so-called friends. I lasted until lunch. There was nowhere else to sit. I was trapped. When I sat down at the table, I was bombarded with questions. I could hear ¡®where were you?¡¯s and ¡®where have you been?¡¯s.


    ¡°I¡¯m just the back-up friend.¡± I muttered. No one heard me and they all yelled for me to speak up.


    ¡°I¡¯M JUST THE BACK-UP FRIEND!¡± I yelled, my sadness twisting into anger.


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    ¡°You all have never treated me like I was your friend! I¡¯m always the last one invited to things, I¡¯m shoved to the back of the group all the time, and the only time you guys speak to me is when no one else is around!¡± All of my thoughts spewed out. They all held a look of shock on their faces. They either hadn¡¯t realized what they¡¯d done, or thought I didn¡¯t mind. I watched as they tried to form words, but they ended up staying silent. I walked away from them and just hid in the library for the rest of lunch. I didn¡¯t see them for the rest of the day and all the group chats were silent.


    ¡°I woke up the next morning to cops at my door. Apparently, they had been murdered, and the cops suspected I had done it.¡± Just breathe, you got this.


    ¡°So, they took me in for questioning. I went to school and then came home.¡± Stay calm. The school has me on camera, so I have an alibi for that timeframe. I rode the bus home, alibi. My parents were already home when I got home, so they can vouch for me.


    ¡°We ate dinner, and I went to my room to study. I¡¯m not sure what time I fell asleep that night, but I was exhausted.¡± I sniffed and kept pretending to be sad. I have to lie to cover my tracks. Were my ¡®friends¡¯ murdered? Yes. Did I kill them? Also Yes. Does anyone know it was me? Nope!


    I had snuck out of the house after it got dark. I made sure I had a way back inside and that I had made it seem that I was in bed. I walked all the way to Katelyn, the leader¡¯s, home. It wasn¡¯t too far away, and I got there in no time. I adjusted my gloves and snuck into the house. All the lights were off and not a sound could be heard. I wasn¡¯t expecting them to be having a sleepover, but it meant I wouldn¡¯t have to walk to everyone¡¯s houses. I moved quickly and made sure I was silent. I cleaned up most of the mess and left as soon as I was done. I hurried home and buried the evidence with our old dog, Floof. I crept back to my room and fell asleep, knowing that I won¡¯t have to deal with them anymore.


    No one will be treating me like a back-up friend anymore.

 Short Story #3 - Monster on the Outside

    My life feels like a never ending nightmare that I can never wake up from. My parents are alcoholics and take any money they can get just to buy more booze. When they¡¯re drunk, which is most of the time, they start hitting and smashing anything and everything they can get their hands on¡­ even me. I get bullied in school because of it, and the teachers just turn a blind eye.


    I¡¯m covered in scars and bruises, but no one ever seems to care. I have no ¡®safe space¡¯, no place to hide... no place to run. My parents refuse to let me leave or move out, because how else would they get money? Who else could they beat up when they¡¯re drunk? I sleep in a tiny closet on a ripped up blanket. There¡¯s no room to move around, there¡¯s only just enough to sit down and even then you¡¯re touching all of the walls.


    I¡¯m depressed and anxious all the time and I can¡¯t get myself to trust anyone anymore. My mental state is plummeting and there¡¯s no way to stop it. It¡¯s time to do what must be done.


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    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    I get home from school a few hours late, covered in blood with a gun in one hand and a knife in the other. I give a sadistic smile to the two figures standing in front of me.


    ¡°M-Monster! Y-You¡¯re a Monster! What did you do?!? How could you!¡± They yelled at me, cowering behind a broken table in the middle of an empty dining room. The only response I could give was laughter before I was calm enough to speak.


    ¡°Why should I apologize for being a monster, when no one apologized for turning me into one?¡± The sentence that had been plaguing my mind for years finally escaped my mouth, directed towards the ones who made me into what I am now.


    I watched as their eyes widened and their mouths opened wide in what I can only assume to be shock. They turned me into a monster, so now they get to see what a monster can do.


    By the time I¡¯m finished, the room is stained red and their bodies no longer resemble anything human-like. I can hear the sirens outside and I know what awaits me. I don¡¯t care. I¡¯ve accomplished what needed to be done and I no longer have anything to strive for. As the cops walk in and see my masterpiece, I fire the one remaining bullet and watch as my body hits the floor and the darkness overtakes my vision.

 Short Sorty #4 - June 17th

    June 17, 2017. That was the first time I met him. Ein Finnly was his name, or so he told me. We made eye contact from across the room and he smiled. That should have been my first clue to avoid him but at the time I thought he was being polite. I watched as he started to cross the room. My friend Chloe greeted me before I could see where he was going.


    ¡°Hey, Alison. You ready for our exam next class?¡± She sounded just as preppy as usual, despite having an exam.


    ¡°I guess, although I¡¯d rather we not having to take it.¡± I replied, already knowing I¡¯ll pass it. I see her about to respond, but she stops before any sound comes out. I turn to see Ein standing by the table with a nervous smile.


    ¡°Mind if I sit here?¡± He asked.  He stood waiting for our response. We glanced at each other before shrugging our shoulders and letting him sit with us. He sat across from me and his smile brightened.


    ¡°Thanks, my name is Ein. Who are you two?¡± He introduced himself. I had a bad gut feeling about him, but nothing seemed off so I pushed the feeling away.


    ¡°I¡¯m Alison and this is Chloe.¡± I introduced the two of us. That was my first mistake. He nodded and pulled out his lunch. Chloe had bought her lunch from the school that day. I don¡¯t know how she could stand to eat the school lunch, but everyday she bought school lunch. I had packed my lunch that day. I had a peanut butter sandwich and a water bottle. We spent the rest of lunch just talking about random things. At the end of lunch, Ein gave us his number saying that he wanted to be friends and to get to know us better. I found this odd, but went along anyway. Chloe immediately added his number, so I followed suit. She had a smile on her face and I knew she was just happy to have made a new friend. I, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t sure about him. That feeling refused to go away, despite me trying to ignore it. He seemed nice, so I figured I had nothing to worry about.


    After school, Chloe created a group chat for the three of us. I was sitting at home, working on my end-of-year projects. I didn¡¯t really talk in the chat, I just watched as Ein flirted with Chloe and Chloe being oblivious to his advances. The next day at school, I started seeing him all over the place. It was like he knew where I¡¯d be at any point in the day. Whenever I saw Chloe, he was with her too. I couldn¡¯t tell her how weird this was without risking him overhearing me. The day¡¯s passed by and I took notice of them getting closer. By the time the school year had ended they started dating. At this point the feeling started getting worse.


    I was sitting in my room when it all just hit me. Why am I feeling like this? Why do I have this feeling about Ein? He¡¯s done nothing wrong and yet everytime I look at him I get this feeling to stay away from him, like something is wrong. When I look back at everything, at every interaction, nothing is abnormal. Nothing seems wrong.. And yet here I am. It can¡¯t be jealousy. I¡¯ve watched Chloe go through several boyfriends and several girlfriends and I¡¯ve never felt this way. I mean, sure, I might like her but I¡¯ve learned to push those feelings aside and let her be happy. I was jealous once, but I¡¯m over it. And I know that this isn¡¯t jealousy¡­ but what is it?


    A week has passed and I haven¡¯t had any contact from either of them. It¡¯s odd, mainly because Chloe has sent me at least one text everyday since we exchanged numbers so long ago. She¡¯s never forgotten to at least send a ¡®hi¡¯, or a ¡®how are you?¡¯. Should I message her? What if she¡¯s with Ein? I don¡¯t want to bother her, but this is unusual and I¡¯m starting to worry myself. Maybe I should go visit her..? But what if Ein is there too. I shiver, just the thought of his name is troubling me now¡­ I need to go over there.


    I quickly throw on my shoes and throw my phone into a purse. I throw open the door and slam it shut as I rush towards the street. Her home isn¡¯t too far away, just a few blocks down. I break into a sprint as I leave the driveway. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest and my breath coming and going in short bursts.


    I round the final corner and watch as her house enters my line of sight. I¡¯m almost there. I reach her home and start knocking, almost pounding on her door. No one answers. From where I am I don¡¯t see any lights on inside nor any people. If she isn¡¯t home then where is she? I grab my phone, quickly deciding to call rather than text. I dialed her number.


    Ring¡­ Ring¡­ Ring¡­ Voicemail. My heart sinks. Where is she? She always picks up! I try again, but to no avail. I rush back home, trying to figure out what to do. When I reach my home I try her cell one last time. Nothing. No answer,  just voicemail. What do I do? Do I go to the cops? No.. what if she¡¯s just out with Ein or someone? Not picking up the phone isn¡¯t reason to suspect that something¡¯s wrong¡­ Well, for normal people at least. I take a seat on the couch, tossing my phone next to me, and breath. I need to calm down.. Panicking won¡¯t help me here. I just need to breath and clear my head for a moment. Everything¡¯s fine. There¡¯s nothing to worry about.


    I hear a ¡®thump¡¯ from somewhere upstairs. That¡¯s probably just my dad doing something¡­-Wait. My parents are on vacation right now.. They won¡¯t be back for another week.. So what was that noise..? I jump up from the couch and rush into the kitchen. I know where all the sharp objects are, so it¡¯s just a matter of whether or not I can defend myself¡­ I should call the cops.. I reach for my phone in my pocket, but.. It¡¯s not there?? No, wait, I tossed it on the couch..!


    What do I do? I can hear the stairs creaking as someone slowly descends. If I were to run back to the living room for my phone, they¡¯d see me for sure! I quickly turn and arm myself with a knife, only to realize that I grabbed a plastic knife¡­ I can hear the footsteps growing closer, as the person explores the house. I listen as they get closer, and right as they¡¯re about to turn into the kitchen, I ready my plastic knife. It isn¡¯t much but it¡¯s something..


    As they turn the corner, I prepare to swing my knife but stop as soon as I see who it is.


    ¡°Chloe?¡± I stare in shock at the sight in front of me. She was covered in bruises and scratches. I could see the tears in her eyes ready to fall at any moment.


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    ¡°Chloe! Are you okay? What happened?¡± I started asking questions, needing to know who did this. I grab the first aid kit from under the sink and usher her to sit so I could patch her up.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, now that I¡¯m here¡­ Ein had come over earlier this morning. We were planning to hangout and watch a couple movies, but.. He had different plans. We had started talking and I mentioned how I hadn''t spoken to you in a while¡­ He got angry and just blew up when I mentioned you. I didn¡¯t understand why he was so angry and when I tried to ask, he resorted to violence¡­ I couldn¡¯t fight back against him, but I managed to run before it got too bad. I had left my phone in my room this morning and I didn¡¯t have a chance to grab it when I ran.. Sorry if I scared you.. The front door was locked and I remembered that you leave your window open most of the time¡­ So I grabbed the ladder you guys have and climbed in through your window. I didn¡¯t hear anything, so I wasn¡¯t sure if you were home..¡± Chloe had managed to hold back her tears while she explained. I patched her up fairly quick and returned the first aid kit to its place.


    ¡°Where is he now, do you know?¡± I asked, before engulfing her in a hug in an attempt to cheer her up. She shakes her head ¡®no¡¯. I should go shut the window then..


    ¡°Alright.. I¡¯m going to shut my window. Take my phone and call 9-1-1 and explain what happened. Okay?¡± I watch as she gives a nod and grabs my phone. I quickly rush up stairs and shut and lock my window. I go around the rest of the upstairs, making sure the other windows are locked as well.


    As I return back down stairs, I catch Chloe setting down my phone. She turns to me and gives a small smile.


    ¡°They sent some cops over, said it would be maybe ten minutes.¡± She spoke softly. I think shes calmed down a bit, or at least taken in what¡¯s happened. I can¡¯t believe he did this to her! I knew that something was up with him¡­ Why didn¡¯t I just say something to her? I should¡¯ve voiced my thoughts, but noooo I just had to stay silent and try to protect her feelings.. Maybe if I had just spoken up, none of this would¡¯ve happened..


    I give her a smile and join her on the couch, grabbing the remote for the TV.


    ¡°You wanna find us a movie to watch while we wait?¡± I hand over the remote and watch as she happily flips through the channels. At least she¡¯s able to push everything aside for a bit. She eventually lands on Lion King. Luckily for us, it had just started. We were only able to watch it for a few minutes, before there was a knock at the door.


    I stand up from the couch, ushering Chloe to keep quiet. Hopefully, it¡¯s the cops..but I can¡¯t help the fear that it could be Ein. I turn off the tv and sneak my way over to the door. Peeking through the peep-hole, I can¡¯t see anyone, which means they¡¯ve left the porch¡­ I doubt that the cops would just knock and run, so that means¡­


    ¡°We need to go, now!¡± I whisper-yell to Chloe. ¡°I think it¡¯s Ein.. I can¡¯t see anyone and I doubt the cops would knock and ditch.¡± I watch the panic rise on Chloe''s face. She quickly stands and looks through the peep-hole, before dashing and looking through the windows.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see anyone outside, nor are there any cars.. If it¡¯s him, he must¡¯ve walked all the way here.¡± Chloe grabs my phone before checking the windows again.


    ¡°The coast looks clear, but let¡¯s go with caution. You have your keys with you, right?¡± I nod ¡®yes¡¯ to her question and she slowly opens the door. We don¡¯t see anyone out front, so we slowly make our way onto the porch. We don¡¯t have a car¡­ My parents took it with them on vacation, so we¡¯ll have to run and hope we¡¯re faster than him.


    ¡°On the count of three, let¡¯s start running to the police station. 1¡­ 2¡­ 3!¡± As I finish counting, we take off running down the street...


    Ending #1


    As soon as we started running, I could hear an extra set of footsteps following close behind us. From the look on Chloe¡¯s face, she could hear them too. Soon after, I watched as Chloe got tackled to the ground. It was Ein...and he had a knife. I didn¡¯t stop running. There¡¯s no way I could save Chole, so my only hope is to keep running and hopefully get to the police station before he catches up to me¡­


    ¡°...And that¡¯s what happened officer.¡± I couldn¡¯t look up from the metal table as I tried to hold back my sobs. Warm tears roll off my cheeks as I replay Chloe¡¯s murder in my mind. I should¡¯ve done something. I could¡¯ve turned back and shoved him off of her¡­ but I didn¡¯t. Another officer enters the room with a box of tissues and places them in front of me.


    Ending #2


    As soon as we started running, I could hear an extra set of footsteps following close behind us. From the look on Chloe¡¯s face, she could hear them too. It wasn¡¯t long before I got tackled to the ground. I yelled for Chloe to keep running as I struggled to free myself.


    It was no use. Looking up all I can see is Ein smirking above me, holding a knife high in the air. I watch as time seems to slow down. The knife inching closer as Ein plunges it downward. I shut my eyes, not wanting to watch any longer. I don¡¯t feel any pain, however. Opening my eyes, I find myself surrounded by white. A tall figure dressed in a black cloak stands before me. This is it..the after life.


    Ending #3


    As soon as we started running, I could hear an extra set of footsteps following close behind us. From the look on Chloe¡¯s face, she could hear them too. They didn¡¯t last long though. I hear a grunt from behind us and turn to see EIn pinned to the ground by a police officer. There¡¯s a shiny kitchen knife kicked off to the side. Ein must¡¯ve taken it from Chloe¡¯s house..


    After Ein is shoved into a police car, a couple of officers approach us. We were interviewed separately, probably for the best.. We would¡¯ve made each other cry had we told the story together.


    ¡°...And that¡¯s what happened officer.¡± I had managed to keep myself composed while telling the story. I doubt the Chloe had managed to do the same¡­


    The case didn¡¯t take long for the officers to finnish up. Ein was put behind bars, Chloe has to go to therapy, and I blame myself for it happening. If I had voiced my mind, maybe none of it would¡¯ve happened... but I can¡¯t change the past. I¡¯ll just have to make up for it in the future.


    The End

 Short Story #5 - The Prodigium

    It follows closely behind me, no matter where I go, it¡¯s always lurking. I¡¯m rarely able to catch a glimpse, but from what I¡¯ve been able to see, it¡¯s tall and covered in a drippy black substance. No one else seems to be able to see it, which only increases my fear. It¡¯s skinny and has long arms that reach its knees. It¡¯s eyes glow a dark blood red color. These are the eyes that haunt me at night. I¡¯ve been researching anything remotely close to what this thing could be. So far, only one thing makes sense.. The Prodigium. It¡¯s name means monster in latin.. Seems fitting. I found a post on Reddit that matches my experience almost exactly. I can¡¯t remember the user¡¯s name, but what I read is something I can never forget.


    ¡°The creature known as The Prodigium is dangerous. It¡¯s very tall and skinny. It looks as if it¡¯s covered in a thick black substance, but trust me, that¡¯s just its skin. It¡¯s eyes glow a deep, blood red color, try to avoid eye contact as it only angers the creature.


    If you see this creature, do NOT panic! It feeds off of fear and if you panic, it WILL target you. You might see glimpses of this creature hiding behind corners or just barely out of sight, stay calm this doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s latched onto you yet. You¡¯ll know that it¡¯s latched if you can hear it whispering. Again, do NOT panic, you aren¡¯t in danger yet. I¡¯ll explain the rest of the stages first, then I¡¯ll get into how to save yourself, if you still can anyway.


    After the whispering, it¡¯ll gradually get closer and closer to you. You won''t be in danger until it hovers two to three feet from you, any closer than that and there¡¯s no saving you. Once it reaches two to three feet away, it¡¯ll start to invade your dreams. At first, it¡¯ll seem pleasant. It¡¯ll make you want to stay with it, as if it¡¯ll protect you from harm.. But after a few nights, those dreams will become nightmares.


    It¡¯ll show you how it eats its victims. You see, I left one important thing out of the description¡­ it doesn¡¯t appear to have a mouth. So, when the nightmares begin, you get to watch as one stretches and forms onto its face and begins to devour its previous prey.


    After three to four nights of nightmares, it will test to see how afraid you are of it. It¡¯ll only attack once it feels satisfied with your terror.


    Now, for how to escape it. NEVER tell ANYONE anything that¡¯s going on. It¡¯ll only make things worse for you. By now, you¡¯ve probably seen it lurking around. If you¡¯ve yet to hear the whisperings, you should start to carry salt with you. This will make you seem less appealing. If you hear the whispers AFTER you started carrying salt, then it¡¯s targeting someone close to you like a close friend or a family member. You should be safe, just don¡¯t interfere directly. Send them this post and they can save themselves.


    If you¡¯re already hearing the whispers, and haven¡¯t been carrying salt, then it¡¯s latched onto you. You still have time to save yourself! You need to stay calm and avoid eye contact. Try to stay in public places, make sure you¡¯re surrounded by people as often as possible. It hates crowded places, so it might detach itself from you. If you still hear whispers after three days, get a sweet smelling spray or perfume. Fear tastes and smells bitter, so it HATES sweet smells. ONLY surround yourself with sweet smells after three days of being in crowded places AND if you are ABSOLUTELY sure that you are the target. If it starts getting closer after this, then you were not it¡¯s original target and you¡¯ve only drawn it closer to you.


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    When it starts getting closer to you, go to a church. Do NOT tell anyone what¡¯s going on. DON¡¯T talk directly to ANY religious figure. Not a priest, or a nun, or ANYONE affiliated with ANY church. Sit in the last row of pews and listen. If you aren¡¯t religious, start believing. If you are religious, pray. Pray like your life depends on it, because it does.


    If it¡¯s still latched onto you, I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t get to you in time. Please, stay safe all of you. And if you start to see it, follow what I¡¯ve said. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I¡¯ve engraved these words into my mind and upon first reading it, I immediately grabbed a zip lock bag and filled it with salt. I must have done it too late, because the next day is when the whispering started. I live alone and my only friends are halfway around the world, so it couldn¡¯t be targeting anyone close to me.


    I started going out and staying out until past midnight, just to be safe. This only caused it to move closer. The post said to only surround myself in sweet smells after three days, but after one The Prodigium seems so much closer! So, I went out and bought all the sweet smelling perfumes I could find on day two. If it¡¯s still there after day three, I¡¯m spraying this stuff all over my apartment..


    On day four, it was still lurking around me, observing me from a short distance away. I grabbed the perfumes and sprayed them all around, even spilling a few onto my carpet to try and keep the smell around. When I did this, however, I noticed that The Prodigium had stopped hiding behind corners and how it¡¯s eyes started to glow brighter. I quickly turned away, remembering how the post said to avoid eye contact. This isn¡¯t good..


    The next day, I went to the closest church I could find. I¡¯ve never set foot in a church before, and I¡¯ve never been religious. I never cared enough to have any beliefs.. But now, in this moment, I prayed. I prayed to whatever could be out there for some help, because I have no clue how to save myself.


    When the service was over, I got out of there as soon as possible. I couldn¡¯t risk talking to someone. The Prodigium is still growing closer, and I¡¯m afraid my death is as well.


    The moment I knew that the post was a trap, was when it was about five feet from me. According to the post, I should be safe for a little longer.. However, that wasn¡¯t the case. As soon as it reached five feet from me, I started having nightmares. I had to watch as The Prodigium stalked me in a black, void like space. I heard it whispering to me, taunting me, laughing at me. And when I woke up, it would stand there and stare at me. I could feel it¡¯s amusement as it watched the fear on my face. I tried to speak with it, to ask why it was doing this, but I never got a response.


    That post was right that it fed off of fear, but everything else was a lie. Everything else on that post only helped it get closer. I don¡¯t have much time before it eats me, so I wanted to get the truth out there. Please, listen to my story and save yourself. Find a way to break free from its grasp. I hate that my life has to end like this, becoming food for this monster. And I¡¯m sorry that anyone else has to go through this.


    I can hear it laughing over my shoulder as I write this, so maybe there is no way to save yourself.. But please be careful¡­ I¡¯m sorry.

 Short Story #6 - The foods we used to share

    The foods we used to share.


    Ice cream, we would share you on hot summer days. We would share you durning movies and whenever I was sad.


    Steak, we¡¯d eat you on important days. Birthdays, mostly, but we loved you dearly.


    French fries, we¡¯d share you whenever you were with us. Fast food was always a favorite of ours.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Strawberries, a hopelessly romantic way to share our love. You were sweet and a perfect way to end our day.


    But now he¡¯s gone, and I can no longer enjoy any of you. I¡¯m sorry.. I¡¯m sorry that his decisions have led me to cry whenever I see you. I miss being able to enjoy each and every one of you, but now all I see is him with her. I still see them lying in my bed together, with their looks of shock while tears fell down my face. He chose to destroy my love for all of you, and now I must cope.


    So, goodbye to all of you. Goodbye to the foods we used to share, and the foods I used to love. And thank you for being there for me when you were important.. Goodbye.