《Short horror stories》 White hell It''s all white... The room I''m in and the rest of this building is probably also all white. I don''t know where I am. This cold blinding white, everything is this pale color, every object, all the furniture, every.... Everything. I''m all alone, in this unending place with only one color. At first, I didn''t see it as much of a problem, I am quite introverted after all. Put other people in this room and I would find it all the more terrifying. But now, I''ve been here for hours, there are no windows or exits. Or at least I haven''t found any. I have no idea how late it is or what part of the day it could be. It might be in the middle of the night or perhaps in the middle of a warm sunny day. Of course I wouldn''t know, I''m stuck in this building. This building that''s completely white on the inside. There is barely even any shadow. There is constant white light. I wonder what would happen if I stay here for too long. Will I go crazy? Some time later... It has been long... or at least I think so. How long? I don''t know. I think probably a couple of weeks, maybe a month, but I could be very wrong, so maybe just a couple of hours? I''ve no clue. The white light makes me feel cold, not that I''m-in-danger kind of cold. But just an inside kind of cold. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Like my heart froze or it''s just pumping cold fluid throughout my body. I wonder if I''m still alive. My hands are still warm though, so I might be. I noticed that sometimes when I close a door and quickly open it again, that it wasn''t the same room as before. On a couple occasions, the furniture will be on a wall or even the ceiling. I''ve tried breaking through walls, but it doesn''t matter, I''m not strong enough. An unidentified amount of time later... I found something! Not an exit unfortunately, but something with color. It''s a pool, a swimming pool in this boring white building. The water is a calm, light blue. So I jumped in... And got out disappointed, it had all turned white under water. Just as white as the rest. The blue was just an illusion, a dream. Just a small wish for normality in this one color hell. The white hell, huh... sounds pretty funny, also quite fitting. Later... I''ve made a friend! My first friend in forever! The most beautiful friend one could ask for. It''s a small blue butterfly and this time, the color is no illusion. The one thing that totally made my day. My friend is stuck here too, so we work together to find a way out. It is a very good listener and goes with me wherever I go. I still don''t know what name I would give my friend, but is it really necessary? Who am I to decide the name of a creature so beautiful. I''m terrible at naming things. Its wings are a warm kind of blue, like an ocean during summer looked at by the bright sun. We eat together and I talk to it, I need someone to talk to anyway. I will definitely go insane if I don''t. More time passed I don''t know what to do. I hate myself. I killed my friend. My one and only true friend in this white hell. Poor little butterfly. He didn''t want to come with me anymore, so we got into an argument. He said some really nasty things to me and... and I ended up hitting him. Oh God, what have I done... With one small thump of my hand, he was no longer... I cried. I cried for, I don''t know how long. I mourned him. And as I wanted to give him a proper burial in the white sand, I noticed something. My friend had given me one last gift. Did he forgive me? A new color. Red. It came out of him, just a little bit. Just a small drop. A beautiful crimson red. I am so lucky to have had a friend like that. Date unknown: I have found more red. More than before, now when I enter a room there is red splashed on the walls. Maybe even on the ceiling and floor. I don''t know what up or down is anymore. I just move from box to box. Everything is the same. Same old. Same old. The red gives me warmth, it''s the same crimson color like my dear friend gave to me. And when I stay too long it starts turning brown. That''s pretty cool! I didn''t know it could do that! It''s pretty. I open my eyes, I still haven''t escaped the white room. I''m still here, trapped by cloth so I can''t move. Still alone. There is nothing else then this white hell. Brother My brother has always been very kind. Not just to me, but also everyone and everything around us. We live together with our uncle in a nice house with a big garden. Honestly, the house might be a bit to the bigger side. I''m pretty sure we could fit another small family here, but I''m happy with just the three of us. My uncle is a pretty good cook too! And my brother and I do quite good at school and both have some friends. Even so, something is wrong. It has to do with my brother. He is special. Unfortunately not always in a good way. The first time it happened was during the accident that robbed us of our parents. The car got crashed horribly, after it had been upside down a couple of times. It all happened somewhere in the middle of nowhere. I don''t know exactly what happened, but at some point in time I had flow out of the car. I don''t really remember, but I was surrounded by white. Someone was holding me and protecting me. This was the first time that I saw my brother''s angel. They look alike. Both have the same face and body, but their eyes, hair and clothes are very different. The angel mostly looks calm unlike my brother, who shows a lot of his emotions. I''m not saying that showing emotions is bad. I honestly prefer my brother''s emotional side, to the angel''s cold side. When the ambulance arrived, it took them a while before they were able to save my brother from the wreckage, he had been unconscious and didn''t remember anything about the accident. Our parents unfortunately didn''t make it. I don''t remember crying so much as I did back then, it all still feels like a haze. That maybe in a few minutes the doorbell will ring and that I can see their faces again, that it was all just a horrible nightmare. When the paramedics asked me about what had happened, I told them that my brother saved me. Or at least someone who looked like him. They looked at me with pity in their eyes, they carefully told me that it wasn''t possible, but I insisted until they shrugged and gave up. Are you familiar with the story that everyone has an angel and a demon on their shoulders? The ones you sometimes see in old cartoons or read about in old books? My mother always loved to tell me those stories. When they were still alive we would go to church quite often, but uncle thinks it''s useless to go. Now we only go with our grandmother from time to time and with Christmas of course. Our mother believed in angels, I hope she is in heaven now. I''m telling you this, because my brother doesn''t only have an angel... He has a demon too. One that almost looks exactly like him, but like the angel is just slightly different. The demon is scary and seems to always be angry and full of hate. He hasn''t hurt me, but he hasn''t been nice either. They''re both just as tall as my brother and when they appear they are always standing close to him. I wanted to tell our uncle, but my brother didn''t want me to tell him. So I promised to keep it a secret. Pretty cool secret, huh? That is what I thought at first too, but I was wrong to think that. The first time that I saw the demon, was when an older man tried to kidnap me. It happened close to the empty playground that we actually aren''t allowed to go to. The man grabbed me by my wrist, it hurt, so I screamed for my brother who fortunately was just inside the hut we had built before. My brother ran towards me, also screaming. Then it happened. His demon appeared, right before the man could take me inside a building. My brother''s demon grabbed the man''s arm. He squeezed it. He kept squeezing and didn''t let go. The old man started screaming, burns started to form everywhere on his body and he let me go. I ran to my brother, who then took me back home as quickly as possible. We never played anywhere near there again. We didn''t tell uncle either. We just couldn''t. My brother was scared, and because he didn''t know yet, I told him about his angel, who saved me. This was when we made the promise to keep it a secret. From this experience I learned that my brother has none or almost no control over his angel and demon. They usually just do some of the things that he was planning for even a second and come out when they ''feel'' needed. Unfortunately this has cost the life of the neighbor''s dog, the demon killed it. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Another thing that seems to be bad about my brother being able to somehow summon these two, is that it takes a lot of energy out of him. He gets easily tired and when they are both out, my brother will most likely pass out soon after. Even though this has made my brother''s life significantly difficult, he is always there for me and always ready to protect me. His kindness and strength makes me feel useless sometimes. So I always try to take extra good care of him too. I talk to him when I think he needs it or bake him cookies. Last week something bad happened, something really, really bad. A friend of our uncle came by, or at least he claimed he was and us being the stupid kids we were back then let him in. Our uncle is a cop and this guy claiming to be his friend was actually a criminal, that wanted to emotionally destroy him. After my uncle arrested his friends. He wanted to kill us. That was supposed to be our last day. The day we might have joined our parents. But of course, the man had it wrong all along. He didn''t know anything, he didn''t know my brother and what would happen if he would hurt me. One of the first things the man did when he closed the door, was stab me with a knife. It all happened too quickly, even though I screamed my lungs out, I didn''t feel anything. I couldn''t even hear my own screaming. My brother rushed to my aid. Both his angel and demon appeared. His angel came to me, took the knife out and healed me. The demon on the other hand, went rampant. He ripped the scared intruder into a thousand pieces and when he was done he burned his screaming face beyond recognition. It was terrifying, I have never seen something as brutal as that and hopefully never again. I have never seen so much blood, it was everywhere. My brother who had tried to stop his demon, had collapsed and lied passed out on the floor. There was blood on the windows, guts even on the ceiling and some wall''s had just turned completely black. For a few minutes I didn''t even know where we were. When slowly some of the blood dripped down from the window, I could see the room. A couple of small beams of red light shone into the room. Hell. The only thing I could call that room. Did a human really die in here? There is almost nothing left. When my uncle came back, he of course, was very shocked to see his traumatized cousins covered in blood, in his ruined house, with bits-and-pieces everywhere from some unidentifiable person. The room, dark from blood. So much blood... The police were quickly alerted and we were questioned, when my brother was back on his feet again of course. I was surprised when my brother told them the truth, he was crying and said he was afraid of what he might do to the people he cares about when the demon goes out of control again. Our uncle''s colleagues had a difficult time keeping in their laughs at first, but soon after one snickered, the demon came out again. Attacking them. They were shocked and some of them froze up. Just in time my brother jumped in front, which caused him to get some really nasty burns. My uncle didn''t know what to say or do. He just stood there and stared with a horrified expression. I ran to my brother first, I saw his wounds and tried to calm him down. While the officers looked terrified, I begged them to please not take him away. This fell on deaf man''s ears unfortunately. Another kind of police group was sent soon after what happened. A group that deals with the more ''special'' kind of incidents. They weren''t as nice as our uncle''s friends. They took my brother away, the entire time he didn''t want to look us in the face. Even when our uncle found his composure and tried to comfort him. He was taken, cuffed in a special van. I watched helplessly as they drove off. I know it has only been a week, but I''ve not had a good night sleep yet, nightmares plague me day and night. I am getting counseling so it should get less with time. My uncle and I are staying somewhere else, because everything still needs to be further inspected and of course deep cleaned. I honestly don''t want to return there, I don''t believe that, that place can ever be called ''home'' again. Just thinking about it gives me chills and makes me want to puke. Since nobody I know well enough died, I still have to go to school. My uncle did call me in sick for the first few days, but since the day before yesterday I go to school again. I don''t like it, but we don''t have a choice, the school is very strict. Uncle also said that it might be good for me, that it might take my mind off those terrible things that happened just a week ago. My first day of school went as normal as if nothing ever happened, I lunched with friends who still believe I just got a cold and did the work that was given to me by my teachers. I''m not ready to tell them what happened just yet, how would I even start? My uncle has brought me to school every day. The car has never felt this empty as I looked at the place my brother would sit. We don''t talk much anymore and when I asked him about my brother, he didn''t answer and just shook his head. He didn''t want to believe what happened yet. I know it was hard on him too, no matter how much he tried to hide it. I wish I could see my brother again, but I haven''t even gotten any message from him or the officers who took him. I don''t know if he''s even alive. It makes me really worried. Something strange did happen to me yesterday, I could feel someone watching me the entire day I was at school. I looked around everywhere, but there was no one. Today was different though, well I could still feel someone watching me and following me around. But this time, when I looked carefully enough, I could see him. It''s my brother''s demon. Watching me without a break. Every time he notices me looking he starts smiling with this creepy, distorted smile. It''s still following me. The old street musician The room is filled with the welcoming aroma of hot freshly made coffee. I''m sitting on one of the caf¨¦ tables, the one in the corner with the best view out of a big window. The room is filled with the sounds of the coffee machines boiling, the soft sound of people whispering and my quick tapping on my laptop''s keyboard. I work as a translator and prefer to do my work in cozy places like this one, as do many others. After a couple of hours a group of teenagers enter. They seem to change the atmosphere that was previously here, now instead of calm, working people, some of them get irritated. The teens are quite loud and don''t really seem to care about others, but I well, I honestly don''t care. I''m more annoyed at the people hissing like cats and sighing like they are nearing their last day. The group takes a table close to me and start talking in excited voices, mostly about school and friends. Then suddenly the girl with pigtails points out of the window. She is pointing across the street to an old street musician. I have seen him quite often here, I think he might always be sitting there. Whenever I give him some coins or just listen to him plays he always gives me this sad smile. It always makes me wonder how he got there. I have never even heard him uttering a single word, he is always silent, but plays wonderfully. It makes the city all the more livelier. "Isn''t that guy a bit creepy?" He just sits there all day and probably all night only making music." A girl with a blue dress answers: "Yeah, I think so too. Why do you think that is?" A boy with a green shirt cut''s in: "Isn''t it obvious, he is probably sitting there to ensure his alibi." The boy in red laughs: "What? Do you mean to say that, this old man is secretly something like a serial killer?" "That''s so creepy..." Pigtails shares. "Why else would he be there? Aren''t most homeless criminals?" Green asks. "What if he is waiting for his long lost family to finally return?" Blue says, seemingly unsure of her own answer. "Nah, that''s too good to be true, he has to have been at least a criminal at some point. Probably just a drunkard or a drug dealer." Red shares with confidence. Then their conversation starts getting to a lot of other topics, I don''t care about and try to continue my work. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Unfortunately, they only seem to get louder and I decide it''s time to take a break and leave the caf¨¦ to wander off somewhere in the city. Somewhere I buy a new agenda, the year is almost over anyway and I still don''t have a new one. After wandering around and browsing countless shops for hours, I notice it getting darker outside. It is of course almost winter, so I decide to walk to the bus stop to go home. On my way back there I walk past the old musician, still playing beautifully on his old and beaten up accordion. His cold hands moving skillfully over the right keys. I stop, search my pockets for some spare change. Yep, I still got some on me. I turn around and gently put some coins in the basket. They make a small clinging sound as they all reach the bottom. As I want to walk away, the man suddenly stops playing. Then he speaks. "Young lass, please listen. There is something important you need to hear." I turn to face him: "Sure, I still have some time to kill, anyway." His face seems slightly more panicked than normal. "I know it''s gonna sound like an old man''s ramblings, but please. Spare me a bit of ye''r time." I nod and take a step closer. "I need ye to get away from here and never return. Ye''ve always been a very kind lass, when ye pass by you always pay attention and ye always seem to look out for others too." He seems to be having a difficult time telling me. He''s fidgeting and sweat appears on his forehead. "Young lass, du''n listen to the faeries." I''m kind of shocked, but I don''t want to judge him either. I will let him talk, he clearly needs it of his mind. Not that I believe everything, but I won''t let him know. "I know I sound like a crazy old gee-" "Don''t worry, I''ll be listening." "Thanks" There is that sad smile of his again. "In a few days, maybe even tonight this place will cease to exist. Hundreds of years ago the people built this city on a faery village, ruined it, burned it to the ground. Then made this city with their ashes. Of course the faeries were angry at the people, war between the two raged for years till one day a musician came forward. He was able to play so bloody good that he could make the faeries sleep. When he died his son took over and the son after and so on. I am the last musician, when my day comes, dear lass, this city will be gone. There won''t be a musician anymore to keep the faeries asleep. And my day is approaching at great speed, since ye''r the kind soul that always sticks around, I want you to be save. So please lass, leave and never come back. Because when you do, you too will be taken." I look at him, not sure what to say or do. This short moment of silence feels like an eternity. "Alright, I won''t return." "Ye promise, lass?" "I promise." "Good, that makes this old man happy to hear." I give a short nod. "Well, my bus could be here any second now, so I will be going. Goodbye sir. Take care." "Farewell to ye too, lass. Thank you for listening and understanding!" We wave, say our goodbyes and I leave for the bus stop, I''m there just in time and can hop on immediately. After paying the driver I walk to sit in the back of the vehicle. As the bus starts driving, I stare out of the window. Watching the illuminated city by the many yellow lighted lanterns. Then when we pass the old musician, just before we take a right turn. I see it. In a flash, I see what the man meant. My blood freezes. The old man is lying on the ground, arms and legs in horrifying, impossible positions. Broken most likely. There is blood, a lot of it and... Something is standing next to him. All I can say is, that''s definitely not a human being. The arms are too thin, almost branch-like. It has glowing eyes. Oh God... It has seen me... If I could travel back in time If I could travel back in time, I would have changed a lot of things. Would you? I wouldn''t just do better at everything or undo certain mistakes, I would probably become your friend. Do you remember, when we were little, that we actually lived quite close to each other? Y''know when you''re born here you just don''t seem willing to leave. All the locals have this problem. Well anyway, your house was just a couple of streets away from mine. Back then we even went to the same kindergarten, we would play in the sandbox together from time to time. You were almost always the quiet one in class, I was the only one wanting to interact with you. Even with all that I wish I had gotten to know you better. Our parents could have been such good friends, they share some of the same interests, don''t they? We could go anywhere we wanted together, maybe catch a movie or go swimming? I know you liked those things back then. I wish we still had that time. We didn''t go to the same elementary school, but if I could go back, I would have made sure we went together. You were really into board games back then, right? Did you like chess? A classic, I know. I totally suck at it, but I think that game fits you. We still could have played it together. Do you remember around that time my aunt''s dog went missing, we never found out what happened to him. And that wasn''t the only missing animal from around that time. I wish I could go back, since around that time I could still change the outcome. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. We did have junior and high school together. You got bullied around this time, you didn''t accept help from anyone and I never got close to you. I''m sorry. If I had just one chance to go back, I would show you that the world is still filled with kind people who love to help others. We would have gone to the same classes, have the same boring teachers and maybe break some rules for fun. We could do our internships together or work at the same place. But it''s too late now. After school I would take you traveling, to see the world. Like I did before, just not with you. If you wanted to go to a city, we could maybe go to London or even Paris. Not sure where we would get the money, but if I time traveled I could probably win us a lottery or something. Maybe you prefer nature, then we could visit Canada or Iceland. I sure would have loved to go there someday. And you do seem more like the type to enjoy nature. Anyway I''m sure we could have had a lot of fun. So why... even if you don''t know me... We could start working for the same company, somewhere you feel at rest... at peace. No bullying, no annoying bosses that force their employees to work themselves half to death. It might be boring to your standards, but I could make it more fun for you. When you would feel down, I would make you feel better. If you would be sick, I would come visit you and make you soup. I would do so much for you, just to make sure this wouldn''t happen. We would have been the best of friends. We would be inseparable. I try so hard to imagine you as a good person, as a good human being. Like a good friend. But it''s just stupid. I can''t think of anything good about you. I didn''t know you back then, but now I do. Imagining good things or fun situations with you, just feels awful. I know I wasn''t there for you in your darkest moments, but I never wronged you or hurt you. So why? Oh well, it doesn''t matter. It''s just too late. For you and for me. I already suspected you for a while, even when the police didn''t find enough evidence. Well you sure did what I expected you to do. I don''t know why I even went with you., but I went prepared. Now I lie here, just like the others. With a bloody red neck tattoo and dirt in my face. I don''t feel anymore. I don''t see anymore. My hands are like ice. Just like them. Just like you soon. You were stressed this time. I could feel it. You weren''t careful enough I fought back, but even though I didn''t survive I got evidence of your crime. I also have people already looking for me as I lie here, staring empty at you shoveling more dirt to cover my ghostly pale body. This never had to have happened. Well I don''t really care about what will happen to you anymore. But I''m certain you will be found, you will be taken. You will be put in a small, dark room. Darker than your soul. You will spend your eternity there until we will come to pick you up. Oh, just you wait until we get you... The man that sells truths "I will give all of you your graded tests back now." The teacher gives everyone their finished test papers from last week back. Some students sigh, others are happy. Secretly praying I turn the page and look at my grade. I see I did good again, I know it''s been going great lately, but you can never be too sure. The bell rings and with that announcing the long awaited end of a long and boring school day. Most people rush out of the classroom, while others take more time to organize their stuff and talk with each other about the weekend. As I inspect the returned test for things that I can do better next time, Becca suddenly slams her bag on the table next to me. "Hi Ash, I know you''re, oh-so-busy with your school work. Buuuuuuuut, I would like it if our dear childhood friend would accompany us to do something fun." Peter appears next to her with a hopeful smile on his face. I shrug, these two... always like that. I smile back: "Sure I still have some time." "Yay!" Becca and Peter give each other a high five, like they just won something. I haven''t spent as much time with them lately, so this might be the perfect time to spend some time together again. I wonder where they want to take me, but knowing them it might be one of those urban legend locations. Becca specifically has been more and more into the occult lately and Peter just follows her around. We put our books in our bags and leave the classroom through the loud and crowded hallways. Walk might not be the right word, it''s more like taking a step, accidently bump into someone, apologize (or not) and repeat. When we are at a spot that''s a bit quieter I ask: "So, what''s the plan?". "Becca found a really fun urban legend. C''mon Bec, tell him." "Ever heard of the man that sells truths?" "Another urban legend investigation?" "Dude, just answer with yes or no." I shrug: "No, never heard of it." As we leave the building Becca starts telling us the story: "So there is this man, he''s a bit strange. He always carries a very old tome and is dressed like some really old magician. Like stoneage type of old." She looks proud of herself. "I''m pretty sure they didn''t have those back then." "Oh, don''t be such a killjoy Ash." "Okay, okay, sorry. Please continue." Becca continues with Peter watching her with full content. "So this man sells truths. Meaning he makes people''s wishes come true. Everyone can make one wish, it does have to be a bit realistic. So no wishing for more wishes. But of course, nothing comes for free, so he will take a small part of your lifespan. Most of the time it''s a year." "Yes and you can find him in or around places with almost no to no other people." Peter quickly explains. Becca seems excited: "Jenny told me that she saw him!" "Jenny almost always tells nothing short of bullshit, she isn''t a reliable source of information. Peter''s face becomes serious: "This time, it seemed pretty legit." "So..." I ask: "Did she make a pact with this prehistorian?" Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "No, she got scared and left." "Still sounds like bull, but sure let''s go. I don''t really want to go home yet anyway." And so we decide to go look for this man in the older part of the city. As we get behind the church into the more quiet part, almost all the shops here are closed. "Ah, I think that must be him!" Becca starts running towards an old rundown shop with Peter following suit. I walk behind them a bit slower, unsure where this age old guy must be. I still don''t see him, am I just tired? As I get closer I still can''t spot anyone, I take a good look around, but to no avail. "Here he is." Becca whispers excitedly." "Hello sir." Peter seems to greet this invisible stranger. I don''t see him. Is this some kind of joke? I look again, but the only thing I see is Becca and Peter in a deep conversation with a wall. "Hey Ash, what would you wish for?" Becca asks as she turns around. "I don''t know..." I whisper softly. "What about you Peter?" They continue their conversation. I start feeling dizzy. It feels like something is stuck in my throat. Then I start coughing uncontrollably. I remember the disappointed faces of people I know, they start asking me questions, like: Why are your grades so bad? You do awful. You will take the whole class down with you with these grades. I wished you''d become someone that doesn''t do so bad at school. But this is... but you''ve definitely let me down there. Laughing My grades are bad, but thank God not so bad as Ash. More laughing I predict another bad report card for you in the future sir! And then there is my own disappointment. This deep dark place, one no one can see, hear or feel. Empty but also full of resentment towards myself. You''re a disappointment! When am I not? You should try better! I''ve tried, but I just can''t. Study harder! I don''t sleep. Work harder! Should I even still care Until you finally get close to something even close to almost good. I will probably mess it up again. You have no talent and can only do terrible at school... Someone else should just take my place. Useless. If someone else would take my place, they would do so much better. I see the man in front of me, the man who sells truths. He looks old, but not centuries old. Dressed in some medieval clothes with a dusty tome in his right hand "So, are you sure?" He asks "Yes, I don''t have another choice." Did I say that back then? "This truth you want is going to cost you something, but the look on your face says you already know." "Yes, a year of my life span right?" "Hmmmm, yes I usually do. But this time I will give you and only you a discount." There is something in the man''s eyes, is it pity? Does he know something I don''t? He clears his throat: "I will take one week of your lifespan. Since you''re still so young." "Sir, why just a week?" The old magician shakes his head: "Do you want it or not?" "Ah yes I do!" "Well, don''t say I didn''t warn you. Tomorrow you won''t remember the transaction." "Yes, I know, thank you!" Did I really do that? I already changed my truth? Carefully and a bit shaky I look at my hand. Blood. So this is why he only wanted to take a week... "Becca, Peter, Don''t do it!" Ash''s body slumps forward, blood pouring out of his eyes, nose and mouth. Becca and Peter are shocked, but almost immediately called the ambulance. When the ambulance arrives about 4 minutes later, it''s already far too late. Ash is long gone. The old man just watched, he couldn''t do anything, but feel bad for the boy. Yet maybe he had given him just a bit more joy before his untimely death. He got his dearest wish after all. Ash had only sold his lifespan when there was nothing else he could do, he had almost given up. The old man had wanted to warn him, but as he is right now he is unable too. The old man is in-between of existing and not existing at all, he would be punished if he had told the truth. The other two fortunately weren''t able to buy their truth yet, they took their time thinking it over. This did make the old man feel better. Something was off... The man checked his dusty tome. Something in the flow of time had changed. It''s rather unfair. Peter and Becca would not be in the incident that would take place next week anymore. So unfair, but at the same time, lucky for them. Now that the old man had finished a job, he could rest for a while again. Maybe just a week, but to him it did not matter. One week later: It is quiet and everyone is dressed in black. It is not completely quiet, if you were to listen carefully. You could hear some people crying softly. There is a funeral. Becca and Peter are both attending for their best friend. Not knowing what to say to each other, they just stand there, in utter and total silence. There was an open coffin a little earlier. Without speaking, Becca and Peter could both agree that their friend did not look like himself anymore. His soul seemed to have been lost, in the fancy clothing and neatly done hair. Suddenly someone interrupts the silence with a phone playing the news a bit too loud. The news lady shares some horrible news: A school bus collided with a train. And 18 people have died. Becca and Peter look at each other, if Ash''s funeral had not been today. Then they would probably have been on that bus. A heroic meal (poem) People buried alive for a long time, Together in an ancient mine, People, young and old awaiting their bitter end, Though is it really meant They waited so long, You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Their skin turned pale and all hope had gone, Until one dawn, A hero arrived, Their hope revived, When he entered, They remembered, Their hunger only, The hero lonely They feasted on a hero, Their care, zero And when he was still breathing, All his flesh had been eaten, His heart still beating, They drank his blood, Gone the red flood They also ate his hair and clothes, They didn''t even leave the bones, All gone where these, In the now warm bellies, Their savior, their hero, Their care still zero Just ignore it I look up at the old school building, just for a second I see the cracks. The surrounding plants around it have started growing inside. Some of the windows are broken. The broken bell goes off and it almost sounds like a muffled scream. I quickly go inside. Inside the right classroom I take a seat at my table, it is a scratched old table with graffiti, not done by me. Slowly the classroom fills with my ''classmates'', these dolls with keys in their backs. They enter with their rattling keys and stiff movements. Opening and closing their wooden mouths, like they are talking to one another. I can''t hear them, but I''m not interested anyway. Lastly, the ''teacher'' enters leaving its books on the desk and ''starting the lesson''. I don''t care to listen to the clacking of its mouth. It doesn''t matter anyway, ignoring is for the best and pretending. At some point the ''teacher'' points at me and stops. Carefully I stand and walk towards it, followed by the empty stares of the other painted wooden faces. It is quiet. It has always been quiet. My ''teacher'' seems to have stopped working, so I stand behind it and gently turn it''s key until it starts working again. Then just as quietly as before, I return to my seat. I stare out of the window, without actually observing what is happening. Well nothing is happening really. Nothing ever is. Just nature taking over this school, this empty building. Even during break I just stare outside, while those dolls are clacking to each other. If I go anywhere the dolls will be mean to me, they will sometimes throw things at me or clack mean things about me. So it is better just to remain in one place. They are defective. I return home without looking back. I live in an old dollhouse, it''s almost completely empty and always silent. I love the silence. I enjoy the emptiness. The rest of the house is just like the city with plants growing everywhere, inside and outside the buildings. All buildings are slowly breaking apart and I just ignore it. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. It''s all fake anyway. It''s all useless anyway. Nothing matters here, just that I do what I have to do and return ''home''. The next day when I go to ''school'', something strange happens. The ''teacher'' introduces a new ''classmate'', another doll. With a key and a painted face, just like any other. It takes the empty seat next to me. The new student seems to try to get my attention, but I just start doodling in my workbooks. Pretending I don''t see or hear her. The day passes by quite quickly, and I return to my old dollhouse. I walk up the creaking stairs and past the rotting woodwork. In my room I stare out of the hole in the roof, at the dark, starless abyss, most people call the sky. And just like always, another day has passed. The next day I do the same as all the previous days. Stare out of the window, turn a key and return to my seat. Then lunch comes around. The new student is getting more annoying. It has even started jumping in front of me to get my attention, which made the other dolls clack their mouths like they were laughing. It''s becoming more and more difficult. Then suddenly it locks it''s wooden hands around my wrist. No matter how hard I struggle, It won''t let me go. Then it started walking and I am forced to follow. We go up to the rooftop. "I need you to listen." The voice coming out of the doll sounds vaguely human. While blocking the only exit, it let''s go of my wrist. What does this thing want from me? None of them ever try to contact me as long as I ignore them, why does this one do? The new student puts a hand under its chin, then a short click could be heard. She removes her face, I guess she was wearing a mask. I look at her face, her nose, her eyes, her eyebrows... Everything about her looks too familiar. She looks like... me. Why does she look like me? "I need to speak with you, please listen." She pleads with my voice. I don''t like where this is going and I take a step back. She doesn''t seem to mind though. "I need you to start looking around you and not ignore everything." I remain silent. "Remember what the doctor told us, about the ignoring of bullies and unfortunate situations? Well he was wrong." I stay quiet and stare past her at the door, so close yet so far away. I just want to ignore her and continue my day. "You can''t ignore everything, you''ve already done that too much. You need help. You need to tell others about what''s going on and learn not to just take everything." So annoying. "I don''t care... I can just ignore it." I mumble to myself. "Please don''t." the other me pleads, her eyes starting to look red and watery. I don''t answer and take a few steps closer to the door. "No you can''t leave!" She yells. I glare at her: "You''re not supposed to exist. The doctor wasn''t the only one who told me to just ignore it. Everything is better this way." Defeated, she moves aside, her head hanging down: "S-so it has already gone this far... I see, it really is too late." In silence I continue towards the door. As my hand brushes the door handle she suddenly seems to want to give it one more try: "This whole city will collapse on top of us! It will kill us!" "Then let it collapse. I can''t go back to the time, when I still observed, when I still listened and I still felt everything. That time was hell. It was worse than death." "But it is not too late. You can still get the help you need, before your world will collapse!" "I don''t want it." I shove her aside and return to class. The classroom looks more in disrepair than before we left, but I ignore it. As school continues on, more cracks start appearing and I haven''t seen the other me since I left her. She probably won''t return. She must have left. Given up entirely. Well it''s not like she could change my mind or anything. She has no power over this place, unlike me. I don''t want to leave this place. Yes, it''s empty and it''s lonely. It might all be breaking apart, but this is my only safe haven. My own place of peace and quiet. My own safe little world. When the teacher stops working while pointing it''s finger at me again, I turn the key on his back and return to my seat. See, it all works perfectly fine. I''m perfectly fine. Nothing is wrong. As long as I just ignore it all And then at last the cracked walls can''t hold the ceiling anymore. I can hear its creaking. But like always... I just ignore it. The fears of an inanimate object I have gotten so used to the smell, I don''t even notice it anymore. It''s the smell of old books, old people and old junk. I''ve sat here, day in, day out. Never able to do anything. I can''t move or speak. I can''t even blink. My head has always been fixed in one position and that is forward. I am like many in this old thrift store, an old, dusty object. I am a doll. I know I am, I''ve seen myself in a mirror before, that''s when they brought me here and it is my very first memory. It honestly is very strange, I am an inanimate object with thoughts and feelings, yet I can''t do anything or let anyone know. I was quite upset and shocked when I found out. Scared, but unable to show the emotion. Wanting to scream but unable to tell anyone. Unable to move, but wanting someone to comfort me. That was the worst part of my being. I just woke up, learning that my life held no meaning and I would never be able to do anything or be loved by anyone. I hated it. I hated my existence. I hated whomever put me here. I hated my creator, yet there is nothing I can ever do about it. So I just sat here. Always in the same place, always dressed the same, always looking the same. Always with a little extra layer of dust covering me. Always praying. Always hoping for a change. I''ve seen the sun come up and go under for a long time now, from a tiny window in the back of the store. Each time it came, it took a little bit of color from the objects in its way. Until they turned gray and were thrown out. I was lucky, the sun never shone on me, it couldn''t. So the light just lurked ever so slightly under my feet. Like a hungry predator, waiting for its prey to run. But I of course would never move, so it just left every time it had to go again. At some point, I got jealous of the sunlight, it was able to shine. It was able to move. It was always there for the people and animals and I could or would never be able to. Such a stupid thing to be jealous of. I was even more jealous of the tiny birds by the window, as short as their lives might be, they were my only source of entertainment. The birds sang to one another and could fly, they could travel. Oh how much I wished that I would have been born a bird and not an inanimate doll. I''ve seen people come and go, I''ve seen them get older and then eventually one day they just stopped coming and new people took their place. Take me home, take me home... I silently wished. But who would listen to the pleading of a voiceless doll, an object without a soul. Something that can''t do anything or even think. Well of course they are wrong at that last part. I am very lucid after all. Unfortunately... Then one day, The happiest day of my inanimate life, a little girl and her mother came to visit the store. The girl saw me. As soon as she did, her eyes started sparkling. I''ve never seen anyone''s eyes do that before. Especially when they saw me. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. The girl almost seemed to fly towards me, that''s how quick she was. She was the very first person that would speak to me. "Hello Dolly, what''s your name? Do you wanna be friends?" Her little arms stretched out to me in a hug. I''ve never had a hug before, it is so warm. I wanted to cry, but of course I couldn''t. I wanted to tell her to please take me away from here, oh please. Of course I wanted to be her friend, I''ve always wished for one and she would be my first. It was like she could read my mind. She begged her mother to get me for her. Her mother wasn''t too sold on the idea at first and called me ''that creepy old thing'', but her daughter didn''t care. She wanted me and started to throw a fit, then the shopkeeper said that they could have me for free. What a nice guy. Now the mother couldn''t refuse anymore and she gave in. "Fine, but keep that thing away from me." She told the little girl, while looking at me like I was a dirty old sock. Well I forgive her, I was too happy anyway. I had been here for god-knows-how-long and even the spiders didn''t like me. And so, I left the old thrift store and started anew with a new family and a best friend. Molly (the little girl) and I did a lot of things together, she would dress me up at least 17 times a day. With clothes her grandmother had made for me. She told us that she once had a doll like me, that also looked very similar. She was also able to repair and clean me a bit and after that I had become a lot prettier. After all that, even Molly''s mother didn''t even feel that bothered by me anymore. We had tons of tea parties and Molly had of course given me a full tour of the house and introduced me to all the other dolls and stuffed animals. I knew all their names by heart. I wonder if any of them were like me, but there wouldn''t be any way of knowing. I might not be able to do or say anything, but I really did have the time of my life there. I have a home. We would eat breakfast together, we would go on walks together. We would talk about anything, well more like I would listen, but I really don''t mind. Unlike other kids, Molly is a very gentle soul and always takes very good care of me. She has never even dropped me, not even by accident. One day school had started for her again, we met during the summer holiday after all. I felt sad to let her go, she wasn''t allowed to take her with me. Every time she came home, she looked a bit upset. She seemed to try to hide. One day she asked me: "Dolly, can I ask you something?" I could see tears welling up in her reddish eyes. "Dolly, do you hate me too?" This broke my heart. Of course I didn''t hate her. I would never. She was my dearest friend. My personal hero. I felt awful, I couldn''t do anything. I hadn''t felt like this in a while, it was like I was back in that awful dark place. Where I would never be able to do anything. I want her to be happy. She doesn''t deserve whatever she''s dealing with right now. Not with how kind and gentle she is. And yet, I just can''t do anything... I wanted to talk to her, I wanted to support her or at least to be supported. Her mother is quite busy and didn''t always seem to notice. I wish I could let her know, even if it is only her. But I am just an inanimate object, incapable of speech. Tonight something awful happened... Someone broke in. It was unplanned, he didn''t seem to know the layout of the house. The bugler was probably looking for valuables. Only Molly and her mother were at home that night. Both asleep. The man accidently entered the wrong room. Molly and my room. Molly is a very light sleeper and woke up by the gently creaking door. She noticed the bugler and started to scream. So he hit her, he didn''t want any witnesses. He was desperate. He would even kill to get his prize. He hit her again with his bat. And again. I could do nothing but watch this horrible scene in front of me. I wanted to scream. I wanted to save Molly. He hit her again and she stopped crying, bleeding heavily. Something snapped in me. My emotions, but also my shackles which had kept me stuck for so many years. I was going to kill him. This man... had to go. I don''t know how, but I got out. Out of my cell, which was my body. Out of my dusty prison. I shattered the room''s window and with the glass shards, I pinned the man against the ceiling. Anger. Anger was the only feeling. Anger and rage. Then maybe, also hate. He screamed. He cried. It made me feel something... like joy. Blood dripped down like a slow waterfall, creating a pool on the wooden floor. Blood stained the carpet. Bleed more... BLEED MORE!!! I think I killed him. Did I go too far? He stopped crying. He stopped screaming. Molly''s mother runs into the room to save her. I quickly return to my body, she probably hasn''t seen me. She screamed when she noticed the man on the ceiling. She got her daughter out of that room as soon as possible, leaving me behind. Leaving me behind in the mess I made. I can see blue and red flashing lights outside. The cops have arrived. The paramedics as well. Molly seemed to have had a slight concussion, lucky girl. I''m so glad, it didn''t get any worse. Molly doesn''t really know what happened though, probably just her child mind keeping her protected. It has been a week and Molly is ready to return to school again. And I guess I''m lucky too, it is take-your-toy-to-school day. Molly has promised to take me. I''m glad. Now I can find out who made her upset like before. And now I can do something about it. With my new power, I will surely be able to make her happy again.