Haunted
I couldn't stand the tantrum any longer. Almost as if I'd been programmed to do so, I lashed out, using all I had, the pair of chopsticks with which I'd been eating. With a series of quick stabs in the belly, I'd quieted the little girl.
Immediately horrified with what I'd just done, I dropped the chopsticks and went straight home. Not able to do anything else without being wracked by guilt, I finally gave up and went to sleep.
At some point during the night, I thought I heard something. It got slowly louder. "La la la la la."
I definitely heard it this time.
A voice — a little girl's voice.
"La la la la la."
Wait, could it be, is it, HER voice?
Suddenly I started awake, quickly looking around me. My apartment was entirely silent. Realizing it was only a dream brought on by the guilt, I rolled over and quickly fell back to sleep.
"La la la la la," it comes again.
Not waiting to be sure this time, I immediately opened my eyes. Almost as if my eyes controlled the sound, the room became immediately silent again.
I tried to shake the disturbing thought from my head. There was only silence, again, until just when I began to fall asleep again.
"La la la la la."
I tried to ignore it. "It's only a dream," I repeated to myself in my head, again and again.
"La la la la la." It sounded very clear and much closer. It had to be her. "No it's nothing," I thought, ignoring it.
"La la la la la."
"It's nothing. It's nothing."
With the sound of a giggle, I lazily opened my eyes.
There, inches away from my eyes was the smirking face of the little girl, the very one whose life I'd taken earlier. I started upright in a rush of panic, raw fear, and as quickly as I'd looked away, I looked back to where the girl was sitting.
Only emptiness and silence met my stare. She was gone.
I thought about the incident and hoped that it had all been a dream in the first place. I looked at the clock. 12:15am.
Hesitantly, I rolled over to go back to sleep, knowing this time I had really been awake.
Immediately horrified with what I'd just done, I dropped the chopsticks and went straight home. Not able to do anything else without being wracked by guilt, I finally gave up and went to sleep.
At some point during the night, I thought I heard something. It got slowly louder. "La la la la la."
I definitely heard it this time.
A voice — a little girl's voice.
"La la la la la."
Wait, could it be, is it, HER voice?
Suddenly I started awake, quickly looking around me. My apartment was entirely silent. Realizing it was only a dream brought on by the guilt, I rolled over and quickly fell back to sleep.
"La la la la la," it comes again.
Not waiting to be sure this time, I immediately opened my eyes. Almost as if my eyes controlled the sound, the room became immediately silent again.
I tried to shake the disturbing thought from my head. There was only silence, again, until just when I began to fall asleep again.
"La la la la la."
I tried to ignore it. "It's only a dream," I repeated to myself in my head, again and again.
"La la la la la." It sounded very clear and much closer. It had to be her. "No it's nothing," I thought, ignoring it.
"La la la la la."
"It's nothing. It's nothing."
With the sound of a giggle, I lazily opened my eyes.
There, inches away from my eyes was the smirking face of the little girl, the very one whose life I'd taken earlier. I started upright in a rush of panic, raw fear, and as quickly as I'd looked away, I looked back to where the girl was sitting.
Only emptiness and silence met my stare. She was gone.
I thought about the incident and hoped that it had all been a dream in the first place. I looked at the clock. 12:15am.
Hesitantly, I rolled over to go back to sleep, knowing this time I had really been awake.