[story] shadows
author: celestine trinidad (luckychan)
e-mail: cmgtrinidad [ at ] gmail dot com
Somebody once said that God gives you your relatives, but thank God you can choose your friends, and I never realized how true that was until Aunt Mariel came to live with us. Believe me, you think you've seen weird before, but Aunt Mariel's a whole new kind of weird. She deserves a dictionary entry of her own, so you can say something like, 'she's so Mariel'. For instance, the first thing she did when she stepped into the house was to sprinkle salt all over the doorway. To keep evil out, she said. Then she went to the kitchen and counted how much garlic we had, and she shook her head and said that this was no good, Mama had to buy some more. She wears this necklace around her neck, with this big, black pendant that I thought was some creature’s tooth, but when she saw me staring she said it was a stingray's tail, so she could have a weapon on hand in case an aswang attacked her. What the heck, right?
She keeps saying that she has "the sight", whatever that is, and that I have it, too, but just don’t know it. When I told her that I could see just fine, she looked at me with her eyes all big, and she said no, I couldn't see with my other eye, because I refused to open it. Uh-huh. I didn't get any of that, did you?
At least she's just here for a vacation, but it's going to be a long, long month. I think I'll be hanging out more with you, just so I can have an excuse not to stay in the house with her. I hope that's fine with you.
I'm so glad you can choose your friends, so I can choose to be with you instead.
***
Oh my God. You're not going to believe what my parents just did. They agreed to a séance with Aunt Mariel. Well okay, so it's not really a séance, but that's basically what it is. She said it was a sort of ritual to "open my third eye". I can't believe any of this.
Okay, fine, I shouldn't blame Mama and Papa. I don't think they had any choice, because Aunt Mariel was a wreck last night. She refused to eat, she didn't want to get out of bed, she only lay there, crying her eyes out. When Mama asked her what was wrong, she said she "couldn't bear to see a gift like mine go to waste". When I came to see her, she even took my hand and begged me to do the ritual. She said that she thought she was the only one in our entire family who was like her, and now that she knows I have the gift too, she can't bear to be alone again. I could do so much good, she says. I don't know why she's so taken with me. Do I look crazy to you? Be honest. Did I ever strike you as a weirdo before?
Anyway, I hope it won't turn out so bad. We're doing the ritual tomorrow. Don't you dare breathe a word to this to anyone. I absolutely will kill you if you do.
***
Well, that was actually interesting. It was weird, yeah, but not as bad as I thought it would be.
We did the ritual last night, right when the clock struck twelve. I sat cross-legged in the middle of the living room, and Aunt Mariel turned off all the lights. She lit a candle and placed it on the floor. She told me to close my eyes.
She took my head into her hands, and placed a wooden cross on my forehead. She told me to concentrate on my breathing, while she chanted something under her breath. I couldn't understand what she was saying, and I couldn't figure out what language it was, either. Maybe Latin. Isn't that what they always use in the movies? Or some other dead language.
But I couldn't focus on figuring out what she was saying either, because right at that moment I felt...I don't know how to describe it. I felt so...at peace, I guess. Like I wasn't there anymore. But I could still feel everything. I could feel a soft wind blowing from outside the house, creeping in through the cracks in the wall. I could feel the flame of the candle, flickering to and fro. I could feel the blood coursing through Aunt Mariel's veins, from her fingers, down to her arms, then her heart, then back again.
Aunt Mariel broke the stillness. She shouted one word, or maybe she wasn't really shouting, but right at that moment everything was just so quiet that she might as well have.
"OPEN!"
And then I saw everything.
I know I didn't open my eyes. I know I didn't. But I could still see everything. The candle in the middle of the room, its flame burning brighter than any light I've ever seen before. Aunt Mariel, wide eyes fixed on my face, a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead.
It didn't last long. Five seconds, tops.
But it was still incredible.
When I opened my eyes, Aunt Mariel was smiling. She took the cross from my forehead, and pressed it in my palm.
"I knew it," she said. "I wasn't wrong about you."
Then she said we were going to do the ritual again tomorrow. And you know what? I'm actually looking forward to it. I know, maybe it's all an elaborate hoax, but I still want to see the whole thing through. I know I said that it'll be a long month, but now I kind of don't want it to end.
***
This is so cool. I can see things for much longer now. I think I can keep the "third eye" open for at least an hour or so. And I can go places too! When I do, it's not like I'm walking or flying, I just think about the place I want to go, and then, bam, I'm there.
I was at your house yesterday. I saw what you were doing. And you were wearing-
I'm kidding, I'm kidding! I didn't even go inside your house. I was able to go up to your front gate, but of course I didn't go in. I'm not some creepy stalker.
Looking forward to the next sessions. Aunt Mariel's really turning out to be the coolest weirdo Aunt ever.
***
I take it all back. I don't think I can keep doing these rituals. I mean yeah, at first it was all cool, but now it's getting really creepy.
Aunt Mariel did warn me that I'm going to "start seeing beyond everything I've ever seen before". I didn't get what she meant then, but after our session last night, I finally understand.
Three nights ago, she changed the ritual. She said she wasn't going to command my third eye to open anymore. I had to do it myself. We spent two nights accomplishing nothing, because I couldn't get the stupid thing to open by myself. I kept screaming in my head at it, but nothing happened. Exasperated with everything, I stopped trying last night, and I just sat there, thinking nothing, doing nothing, just breathing. And that's when it happened.
It didn't feel like opening my eyes. It just...happened. One moment I was seeing nothing, and the next I was seeing everything again. Aunt Mariel's expectant face, the candle in the middle of the room, and my hands spread out on my lap, palms toward the ceiling.
Then I started seeing them.
I don't know what they are. They just looked like shadows, blurs around my vision. They were floating around Aunt Mariel's head, around the candle, and above my hand. And then they started moving, coming towards me-
I screamed as I tried to bat them away. My real eyes flew open, and Aunt Mariel caught my hands.
"Don’t be afraid," she said. "They're not going to hurt you. They're really looking forward to you finally seeing them."
I asked her what the hell they were, but she only shook her head with a smile. "You'll see soon enough," was all she said.
I think I know what those shadows are, and thinking about them makes me shiver. I don't think I'm cut out for this. I really am scared of those shadows, even when Aunt tells me not to be. I asked to be excused from the ritual tonight, which is why I called you out of the blue. So thanks for agreeing to hang out tonight, and really sorry for the short notice.
But I don't think I can keep giving her excuses forever. Sooner or later she's going to ask me to finish the rituals.
Hey, wait, you think you can go with me to the ritual tomorrow? You don't have to do anything. No, you don't even have to hold my hand! Just be there, please? At least when I open my eyes, even when I see those shadows around, if you're there I won't be so scared. I'll ask Aunt Mariel if it's okay if I bring you.
***
It's a go! You're staying over tomorrow night. You're still up for that, right?
Thanks. Thanks so much.
***
I'm so sorry. I don't know what got into Aunt Mariel. I mean, I know I told you she's always been weird, but I've never seen her like that before.
What the heck was that about, telling you to go home and burn all your clothes? She seemed fine over dinner. But when we got to the living room… She looked really scared. What'd you do to scare her like that?
I think it's best you do what she says. I know, that was your favorite shirt. I'll buy you a new one, okay?
I gotta go back there and finish the ritual. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. See you.
***
I don't want to talk about it now. I just want to go home now. I'm sorry. Maybe tomorrow.
***
You did burn those clothes, right? Good. I have to go. Sorry.
***
I don't know what I got myself into. This is all my parents’ fault, for agreeing to this. This is Aunt Mariel's fault, for wanting to turn me into her.
That night she chased you out of the house, when I got back, Aunt Mariel said she didn't feel like doing the ritual anymore that night. I asked her what she saw in you to spook her like that, but she said nothing. I think she really couldn't say anything, because she just kept sitting there, hugging herself like it was really, really cold. She left me in the living room, and locked herself in her room. I sat staring at the candle, and did the ritual by myself.
I steeled myself when my other eye opened, knowing that I was going to see the shadows again. They were larger this time, but they didn't move towards me. They simply hovered in midair. As if they were watching.
I then went into your room.
I know. I'm sorry. I didn't really want to invade your privacy. But I had to know. I wasn't sure I was going to see anything, but it seemed like the right thing to do.
You were in your bed, and you had turned off your light, but you were awake. You were looking out the window. Were you thinking of me and Aunt Mariel? That thing with Aunt Mariel surely weirded you out, too, so of course you couldn't sleep. I stood looking around your room, looking for shadows. At first I couldn't see any. That would have been such a relief, you know? But just as I was leaving, I found the shadows. They were all gathered together in one corner of the room. I don't know why. What I thought, strangely, was that those shadows wanted to be as far away from you as possible, but I don't know why I thought that.
I then turned to look at you, and I screamed and screamed and the next thing I knew my eyes were open and I was back at the house.
I held off talking to you about it for so long because I wished I could forget it, but you have to know. I now see why Aunt Mariel was so scared.
When I turned to look at you, you didn't have a head.
***
Aunt Mariel left today. She didn't tell Mama and Papa why she left before the month was up. The only thing she told me was that there was something she had to look into. She told me to stop doing the rituals for now, and just wait for her to come back.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this. I acted out of impulse, because I had been lonely for so long. But I didn't think it would get you and your friend into trouble." When I asked her what kind of trouble it was, she told us not to worry, because she didn't think anything would happen if we let it alone. She would explain when she knew more about what we were dealing with.
I'm actually kind of relieved. The whole thing had gone from weird to cool to downright terrifying, and I'm glad we no longer have to think about it, for now.
***
But I can't stop myself. I wanted to, I really did. But she started this, and I have to finish it.
It's been two weeks since Aunt Mariel left, and we still haven't heard from her. I keep thinking about all these shadows, if they're still there, and what they really were. So I did the ritual again, about a week ago, just to see if they were still there.
Since then, I haven’t been able to stop. I want to, but on the nights I try I can't sleep and I keep tossing and turning in bed and I keep wondering if the shadows are hovering near my bed and I - I have to, I have to see them. I need to see them again. Sorry if I seem a bit out of it lately, but that's why. Don't worry, though, I'm slowly getting the hang of it.
Each night I do the ritual, the shadows get larger and larger. Two nights ago, they began to take shape.
They were shaped like people.
***
My third eye is opening for good, I can feel it. I can see the shadows now even when I'm not doing the ritual. They're a bit more blurry than when I see them within the ritual, but that's a start, right? And I can see the shadows everywhere, in school, on the streets, outside your house.
And I can also talk to some of them.
I can't see their faces clearly yet, but they’re beginning to get more distinct for me. Outside your house there were five shadows all in all, and these shadows were the ghosts of the family that lived in the house a long time ago: a father and a mother, and three daughters. The one I talked to was the smallest of them. She had once been a twelve year old little girl named Mary. She said that one day she got a really bad cold, and never got better. She's a really nice girl. Aunt Mariel was right, shouldn't ever have been scared of them.
But I still think there are some shadows I should be scared of. I keep going to your house on those nights I do the ritual, but so far I’ve only dared to go up to your front door. I want to know why I saw you without a head that night, and now that my sight is better, I think I can find out why. I'm still too scared to, but for your sake I'm going to do it, so we can both know.
***
Finally, a message from Aunt Mariel:
This is nothing like any of us have ever encountered before. I thought burning what your friend was wearing that night would solve the problem, but the people I've talked to says it’s useless. There's nothing we can do. We're dealing with a force here older than mankind itself. Just leave it alone. Don't try to find out what's happening. You don't want to know. Don't worry, no harm will come to you. I can't say the same thing for your friend, but you have to stay away, for your own good.
I'm really sorry I ever even got you into this."
What is she talking about? I can't leave this alone just like that! She just said that something's going to happen to you, and she's willing to let it go like that? I can't do that! I'll be there for you. We're going to get through this together.
So can you stay with me while I do the ritual tomorrow? And this time I think you need to hold my hand. Don't worry, I will do it, I will find out whatever's going on with you, and we're going to stop it together. Trust me.
***
I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. I shouldn't have dragged you into this. This is all my fault. No, this was Aunt Mariel's fault. I never wanted to see any of these things. She was the one who fucking insisted on opening my third eye. Damn it. Damn it.
But you have to know. You have to-
Wait, what's that?
Oh, hi there. It's nothing, just the little girl. Shh, Mary, she's gone, for now. But she might come back again. Go, hide with your Mama and Papa and your sisters.
Sorry. What was I saying?
Oh, right. I know now why I saw you without a head. It was because of her.
I don't know who she is. I don't know what she is. But she's not like Mary or any of the other shadows. She seems older, older than mankind, Aunt Mariel did say. I don't know how long she's had her eyes on you. Maybe just that night, maybe longer than that. I don't know what she wants. I don't know anything. I only know that you're going to-
Okay, okay. I need to calm down so I can tell you. When I opened my eyes during the ritual, I first saw that Mary-that's the ghost of the little girl-and her family were cowering in a corner of the room. Just like the shadows in your room. They were hiding. I couldn't see their faces clearly, still, but I knew they were scared.
And then I saw her.
She was clearer than all the shadows I've ever seen. She was sitting on your shoulders, holding you close to her bosom. Her long black hair fell in waves to the floor, covering your head completely. That was why I kept seeing you without a head.
I screamed then and my eyes flew open. I can still see the shadows of Mary and the others, but at least she's gone. Look, we have to get out of here, find someone who can at least keep her away from you for some time, before she-
Oh God.
Oh my God.
She's there. Right behind you, crouched on all fours on the wall. I can see her face now, through her hair. Her eyes are red, so red. She's looking at you. She's smiling-no, she's not smiling, she's baring her teeth-and her teeth are all yellow and sharp. Oh, God. She's moving, she's moving towards you-
She's reaching out for you, her hands are just about to reach your neck, oh God, she's going to-
No! No! Go away!
Run! Oh, God, run! She's coming, she's coming, she's coming-
the end
e-mail: cmgtrinidad [ at ] gmail dot com
Somebody once said that God gives you your relatives, but thank God you can choose your friends, and I never realized how true that was until Aunt Mariel came to live with us. Believe me, you think you've seen weird before, but Aunt Mariel's a whole new kind of weird. She deserves a dictionary entry of her own, so you can say something like, 'she's so Mariel'. For instance, the first thing she did when she stepped into the house was to sprinkle salt all over the doorway. To keep evil out, she said. Then she went to the kitchen and counted how much garlic we had, and she shook her head and said that this was no good, Mama had to buy some more. She wears this necklace around her neck, with this big, black pendant that I thought was some creature’s tooth, but when she saw me staring she said it was a stingray's tail, so she could have a weapon on hand in case an aswang attacked her. What the heck, right?
She keeps saying that she has "the sight", whatever that is, and that I have it, too, but just don’t know it. When I told her that I could see just fine, she looked at me with her eyes all big, and she said no, I couldn't see with my other eye, because I refused to open it. Uh-huh. I didn't get any of that, did you?
At least she's just here for a vacation, but it's going to be a long, long month. I think I'll be hanging out more with you, just so I can have an excuse not to stay in the house with her. I hope that's fine with you.
I'm so glad you can choose your friends, so I can choose to be with you instead.
***
Oh my God. You're not going to believe what my parents just did. They agreed to a séance with Aunt Mariel. Well okay, so it's not really a séance, but that's basically what it is. She said it was a sort of ritual to "open my third eye". I can't believe any of this.
Okay, fine, I shouldn't blame Mama and Papa. I don't think they had any choice, because Aunt Mariel was a wreck last night. She refused to eat, she didn't want to get out of bed, she only lay there, crying her eyes out. When Mama asked her what was wrong, she said she "couldn't bear to see a gift like mine go to waste". When I came to see her, she even took my hand and begged me to do the ritual. She said that she thought she was the only one in our entire family who was like her, and now that she knows I have the gift too, she can't bear to be alone again. I could do so much good, she says. I don't know why she's so taken with me. Do I look crazy to you? Be honest. Did I ever strike you as a weirdo before?
Anyway, I hope it won't turn out so bad. We're doing the ritual tomorrow. Don't you dare breathe a word to this to anyone. I absolutely will kill you if you do.
***
Well, that was actually interesting. It was weird, yeah, but not as bad as I thought it would be.
We did the ritual last night, right when the clock struck twelve. I sat cross-legged in the middle of the living room, and Aunt Mariel turned off all the lights. She lit a candle and placed it on the floor. She told me to close my eyes.
She took my head into her hands, and placed a wooden cross on my forehead. She told me to concentrate on my breathing, while she chanted something under her breath. I couldn't understand what she was saying, and I couldn't figure out what language it was, either. Maybe Latin. Isn't that what they always use in the movies? Or some other dead language.
But I couldn't focus on figuring out what she was saying either, because right at that moment I felt...I don't know how to describe it. I felt so...at peace, I guess. Like I wasn't there anymore. But I could still feel everything. I could feel a soft wind blowing from outside the house, creeping in through the cracks in the wall. I could feel the flame of the candle, flickering to and fro. I could feel the blood coursing through Aunt Mariel's veins, from her fingers, down to her arms, then her heart, then back again.
Aunt Mariel broke the stillness. She shouted one word, or maybe she wasn't really shouting, but right at that moment everything was just so quiet that she might as well have.
"OPEN!"
And then I saw everything.
I know I didn't open my eyes. I know I didn't. But I could still see everything. The candle in the middle of the room, its flame burning brighter than any light I've ever seen before. Aunt Mariel, wide eyes fixed on my face, a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead.
It didn't last long. Five seconds, tops.
But it was still incredible.
When I opened my eyes, Aunt Mariel was smiling. She took the cross from my forehead, and pressed it in my palm.
"I knew it," she said. "I wasn't wrong about you."
Then she said we were going to do the ritual again tomorrow. And you know what? I'm actually looking forward to it. I know, maybe it's all an elaborate hoax, but I still want to see the whole thing through. I know I said that it'll be a long month, but now I kind of don't want it to end.
***
This is so cool. I can see things for much longer now. I think I can keep the "third eye" open for at least an hour or so. And I can go places too! When I do, it's not like I'm walking or flying, I just think about the place I want to go, and then, bam, I'm there.
I was at your house yesterday. I saw what you were doing. And you were wearing-
I'm kidding, I'm kidding! I didn't even go inside your house. I was able to go up to your front gate, but of course I didn't go in. I'm not some creepy stalker.
Looking forward to the next sessions. Aunt Mariel's really turning out to be the coolest weirdo Aunt ever.
***
I take it all back. I don't think I can keep doing these rituals. I mean yeah, at first it was all cool, but now it's getting really creepy.
Aunt Mariel did warn me that I'm going to "start seeing beyond everything I've ever seen before". I didn't get what she meant then, but after our session last night, I finally understand.
Three nights ago, she changed the ritual. She said she wasn't going to command my third eye to open anymore. I had to do it myself. We spent two nights accomplishing nothing, because I couldn't get the stupid thing to open by myself. I kept screaming in my head at it, but nothing happened. Exasperated with everything, I stopped trying last night, and I just sat there, thinking nothing, doing nothing, just breathing. And that's when it happened.
It didn't feel like opening my eyes. It just...happened. One moment I was seeing nothing, and the next I was seeing everything again. Aunt Mariel's expectant face, the candle in the middle of the room, and my hands spread out on my lap, palms toward the ceiling.
Then I started seeing them.
I don't know what they are. They just looked like shadows, blurs around my vision. They were floating around Aunt Mariel's head, around the candle, and above my hand. And then they started moving, coming towards me-
I screamed as I tried to bat them away. My real eyes flew open, and Aunt Mariel caught my hands.
"Don’t be afraid," she said. "They're not going to hurt you. They're really looking forward to you finally seeing them."
I asked her what the hell they were, but she only shook her head with a smile. "You'll see soon enough," was all she said.
I think I know what those shadows are, and thinking about them makes me shiver. I don't think I'm cut out for this. I really am scared of those shadows, even when Aunt tells me not to be. I asked to be excused from the ritual tonight, which is why I called you out of the blue. So thanks for agreeing to hang out tonight, and really sorry for the short notice.
But I don't think I can keep giving her excuses forever. Sooner or later she's going to ask me to finish the rituals.
Hey, wait, you think you can go with me to the ritual tomorrow? You don't have to do anything. No, you don't even have to hold my hand! Just be there, please? At least when I open my eyes, even when I see those shadows around, if you're there I won't be so scared. I'll ask Aunt Mariel if it's okay if I bring you.
***
It's a go! You're staying over tomorrow night. You're still up for that, right?
Thanks. Thanks so much.
***
I'm so sorry. I don't know what got into Aunt Mariel. I mean, I know I told you she's always been weird, but I've never seen her like that before.
What the heck was that about, telling you to go home and burn all your clothes? She seemed fine over dinner. But when we got to the living room… She looked really scared. What'd you do to scare her like that?
I think it's best you do what she says. I know, that was your favorite shirt. I'll buy you a new one, okay?
I gotta go back there and finish the ritual. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. See you.
***
I don't want to talk about it now. I just want to go home now. I'm sorry. Maybe tomorrow.
***
You did burn those clothes, right? Good. I have to go. Sorry.
***
I don't know what I got myself into. This is all my parents’ fault, for agreeing to this. This is Aunt Mariel's fault, for wanting to turn me into her.
That night she chased you out of the house, when I got back, Aunt Mariel said she didn't feel like doing the ritual anymore that night. I asked her what she saw in you to spook her like that, but she said nothing. I think she really couldn't say anything, because she just kept sitting there, hugging herself like it was really, really cold. She left me in the living room, and locked herself in her room. I sat staring at the candle, and did the ritual by myself.
I steeled myself when my other eye opened, knowing that I was going to see the shadows again. They were larger this time, but they didn't move towards me. They simply hovered in midair. As if they were watching.
I then went into your room.
I know. I'm sorry. I didn't really want to invade your privacy. But I had to know. I wasn't sure I was going to see anything, but it seemed like the right thing to do.
You were in your bed, and you had turned off your light, but you were awake. You were looking out the window. Were you thinking of me and Aunt Mariel? That thing with Aunt Mariel surely weirded you out, too, so of course you couldn't sleep. I stood looking around your room, looking for shadows. At first I couldn't see any. That would have been such a relief, you know? But just as I was leaving, I found the shadows. They were all gathered together in one corner of the room. I don't know why. What I thought, strangely, was that those shadows wanted to be as far away from you as possible, but I don't know why I thought that.
I then turned to look at you, and I screamed and screamed and the next thing I knew my eyes were open and I was back at the house.
I held off talking to you about it for so long because I wished I could forget it, but you have to know. I now see why Aunt Mariel was so scared.
When I turned to look at you, you didn't have a head.
***
Aunt Mariel left today. She didn't tell Mama and Papa why she left before the month was up. The only thing she told me was that there was something she had to look into. She told me to stop doing the rituals for now, and just wait for her to come back.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this. I acted out of impulse, because I had been lonely for so long. But I didn't think it would get you and your friend into trouble." When I asked her what kind of trouble it was, she told us not to worry, because she didn't think anything would happen if we let it alone. She would explain when she knew more about what we were dealing with.
I'm actually kind of relieved. The whole thing had gone from weird to cool to downright terrifying, and I'm glad we no longer have to think about it, for now.
***
But I can't stop myself. I wanted to, I really did. But she started this, and I have to finish it.
It's been two weeks since Aunt Mariel left, and we still haven't heard from her. I keep thinking about all these shadows, if they're still there, and what they really were. So I did the ritual again, about a week ago, just to see if they were still there.
Since then, I haven’t been able to stop. I want to, but on the nights I try I can't sleep and I keep tossing and turning in bed and I keep wondering if the shadows are hovering near my bed and I - I have to, I have to see them. I need to see them again. Sorry if I seem a bit out of it lately, but that's why. Don't worry, though, I'm slowly getting the hang of it.
Each night I do the ritual, the shadows get larger and larger. Two nights ago, they began to take shape.
They were shaped like people.
***
My third eye is opening for good, I can feel it. I can see the shadows now even when I'm not doing the ritual. They're a bit more blurry than when I see them within the ritual, but that's a start, right? And I can see the shadows everywhere, in school, on the streets, outside your house.
And I can also talk to some of them.
I can't see their faces clearly yet, but they’re beginning to get more distinct for me. Outside your house there were five shadows all in all, and these shadows were the ghosts of the family that lived in the house a long time ago: a father and a mother, and three daughters. The one I talked to was the smallest of them. She had once been a twelve year old little girl named Mary. She said that one day she got a really bad cold, and never got better. She's a really nice girl. Aunt Mariel was right, shouldn't ever have been scared of them.
But I still think there are some shadows I should be scared of. I keep going to your house on those nights I do the ritual, but so far I’ve only dared to go up to your front door. I want to know why I saw you without a head that night, and now that my sight is better, I think I can find out why. I'm still too scared to, but for your sake I'm going to do it, so we can both know.
***
Finally, a message from Aunt Mariel:
This is nothing like any of us have ever encountered before. I thought burning what your friend was wearing that night would solve the problem, but the people I've talked to says it’s useless. There's nothing we can do. We're dealing with a force here older than mankind itself. Just leave it alone. Don't try to find out what's happening. You don't want to know. Don't worry, no harm will come to you. I can't say the same thing for your friend, but you have to stay away, for your own good.
I'm really sorry I ever even got you into this."
What is she talking about? I can't leave this alone just like that! She just said that something's going to happen to you, and she's willing to let it go like that? I can't do that! I'll be there for you. We're going to get through this together.
So can you stay with me while I do the ritual tomorrow? And this time I think you need to hold my hand. Don't worry, I will do it, I will find out whatever's going on with you, and we're going to stop it together. Trust me.
***
I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. I shouldn't have dragged you into this. This is all my fault. No, this was Aunt Mariel's fault. I never wanted to see any of these things. She was the one who fucking insisted on opening my third eye. Damn it. Damn it.
But you have to know. You have to-
Wait, what's that?
Oh, hi there. It's nothing, just the little girl. Shh, Mary, she's gone, for now. But she might come back again. Go, hide with your Mama and Papa and your sisters.
Sorry. What was I saying?
Oh, right. I know now why I saw you without a head. It was because of her.
I don't know who she is. I don't know what she is. But she's not like Mary or any of the other shadows. She seems older, older than mankind, Aunt Mariel did say. I don't know how long she's had her eyes on you. Maybe just that night, maybe longer than that. I don't know what she wants. I don't know anything. I only know that you're going to-
Okay, okay. I need to calm down so I can tell you. When I opened my eyes during the ritual, I first saw that Mary-that's the ghost of the little girl-and her family were cowering in a corner of the room. Just like the shadows in your room. They were hiding. I couldn't see their faces clearly, still, but I knew they were scared.
And then I saw her.
She was clearer than all the shadows I've ever seen. She was sitting on your shoulders, holding you close to her bosom. Her long black hair fell in waves to the floor, covering your head completely. That was why I kept seeing you without a head.
I screamed then and my eyes flew open. I can still see the shadows of Mary and the others, but at least she's gone. Look, we have to get out of here, find someone who can at least keep her away from you for some time, before she-
Oh God.
Oh my God.
She's there. Right behind you, crouched on all fours on the wall. I can see her face now, through her hair. Her eyes are red, so red. She's looking at you. She's smiling-no, she's not smiling, she's baring her teeth-and her teeth are all yellow and sharp. Oh, God. She's moving, she's moving towards you-
She's reaching out for you, her hands are just about to reach your neck, oh God, she's going to-
No! No! Go away!
Run! Oh, God, run! She's coming, she's coming, she's coming-
the end