Your Eyes
The sixth installment of my flash novella.
Your Eyes
Sam realized something was wrong just as he reached the edge of the woods. The town wasn't exceptionally large; it only took a few hours to walk from one side to the other. He had never ventured into the woods closest to his house, they had always seemed foreboding. He was sure the shadow had disappeared between the low-hanging branches that marked the end of the town's limits. He slowed his run to a jog, and his jog to a walk upon drawing closer to the woods. It was as he stood contemplating his next move that Sam finally noticed his own footsteps weren't the only ones out that night.
The other footsteps drew closer, in the same pattern Sam's had - from a run to a jog, and then to a walk. He tensed his shoulders as whomever, or whatever, stopped just feet behind him. Slowly Sam turned around ready to face what he was sure was the beginning of some sort of end. Surprise wiped his face of the fear that had been there seconds before when his eyes settled on not a ghost or a monster, but instead a girl.
The girl looked to Sam to be about his own age, perhaps a bit younger. She had short brown hair that flipped up at the ends and big dark eyes. In the dimming twilight he could tell she was wearing a ratted pair of jeans and a tight purple t-shirt.
The girl crossed her arms across her chest and shifted her weight to one side. She raised an eyebrow at Sam quizzically, which he found odd, because she was the one who had been following him. They both stood in silence for what seemed like hours, before the girl finally spoke up.
“I saw the police,” she said flatly.
“I - The what? Oh, that,” Sam stuttered.
“I saw you run out of your house,” she said, not losing her tone.
“Oh, yeah, that, well I,” Sam began, “My dog got out and I was just chasing him.” It wasn't a complete lie.
“Liar,” the girl called his bluff, locking eyes with him, “I saw your dog get out earlier. Not this time.”
Sam clenched his fists and shifted uncomfortably. He tried to break away from her gaze but somehow he couldn't. They stared in silence.
“I know something is going on,” the girl's sudden comment almost made Sam jump. He attempted to maintain his composure, but he knew there was something different about this girl. Not wrong, just different.
“Such as?” Sam's attempts at sounding firm instead sounded weak as they echoed in his own ears.
“People, their au -,” the girl started, but stopped suddenly. Sam felt a bit of his confidence revive as the girl stumbled over her words this time. “I saw something.” Her brow furrowed in anger.
“I'm sure whatever it was, it was just your imagination,” Sam said, trying more to console himself than the girl.
“It was NOT my imagination,” the girl shot back. She let her arms drop to her side and took a threatening step toward Sam, who, startled, tripped backwards.
“I'm sorry,” Sam winced, struggling to get back on his feet.
“No, I'm -,” the girl began, but stopped herself again. “What I mean is I saw something strange. It wasn't my imagination, and I think it happened to your neighbor.”
Sam eyed the girl suspiciously. He didn't remember seeing her around, but he had also avoided social interaction with the kids in town after his mother's disappearance. There were probably a dozen kids he went to school with that he couldn't put names to faces.
“What do you know about my neighbor?” Sam asked. He pushed himself to his feet and tried t dust the dirt from his jeans.
“Nothing. But someone in my neighborhood disappeared today. And last night, I saw something with her.”
“You keep saying you saw something,” Sam's irritation was beginning to outweigh his fear. “What did you see?”
“A person,” the girl said, staring past Sam as if remembering the situation. “But it wasn't. It was light. And it was in my neighbor's house.”
“What makes you think that has anything to do with, well, anything?” Sam questioned, “There are lights in every house.”
“That's not what I meant,” The girl said. Sam knew what she meant. He had seen it, too.
“You said your neighbor disappeared,” Sam tried to change the topic. He wanted to put the pieces together without letting the girl in on it.
“Yeah,” she said. “I saw something in the house with her, and when we woke up the next day her daughter called the police. Said it was like she'd just vanished.”
The girl's words rattled Sam. The situation was eerily similar to what had happened at Mrs. White's house today, not to mention that incident.
“I saw the shadow, too,” the girl was determined to wedge her way into Sam's mystery. She had pulled her arms back up to her chest, but her stance was less threatening.
“I don't know what you're talking about,” Sam feigned innocence.
“Do keep lying to me,” the girl wrinkled her nose. “As you're not very good at it.”
Sam sighed. “Alright, fine. I did see something. And I saw it earlier at Mrs. White's - that is, the woman who lives across the street from me - house, too. I wondered if it had something to do with why she disappeared.” He didn't mention anything about his mother.
“Well, apparently it headed into the woods,” the girl pointed past Sam. He saw fear flash briefly in her eyes before they regained their cold expression.
Part 5: Pieces
Full Length: The Ghost In My Room
Part 7: Trust
Your Eyes
Sam realized something was wrong just as he reached the edge of the woods. The town wasn't exceptionally large; it only took a few hours to walk from one side to the other. He had never ventured into the woods closest to his house, they had always seemed foreboding. He was sure the shadow had disappeared between the low-hanging branches that marked the end of the town's limits. He slowed his run to a jog, and his jog to a walk upon drawing closer to the woods. It was as he stood contemplating his next move that Sam finally noticed his own footsteps weren't the only ones out that night.
The other footsteps drew closer, in the same pattern Sam's had - from a run to a jog, and then to a walk. He tensed his shoulders as whomever, or whatever, stopped just feet behind him. Slowly Sam turned around ready to face what he was sure was the beginning of some sort of end. Surprise wiped his face of the fear that had been there seconds before when his eyes settled on not a ghost or a monster, but instead a girl.
The girl looked to Sam to be about his own age, perhaps a bit younger. She had short brown hair that flipped up at the ends and big dark eyes. In the dimming twilight he could tell she was wearing a ratted pair of jeans and a tight purple t-shirt.
The girl crossed her arms across her chest and shifted her weight to one side. She raised an eyebrow at Sam quizzically, which he found odd, because she was the one who had been following him. They both stood in silence for what seemed like hours, before the girl finally spoke up.
“I saw the police,” she said flatly.
“I - The what? Oh, that,” Sam stuttered.
“I saw you run out of your house,” she said, not losing her tone.
“Oh, yeah, that, well I,” Sam began, “My dog got out and I was just chasing him.” It wasn't a complete lie.
“Liar,” the girl called his bluff, locking eyes with him, “I saw your dog get out earlier. Not this time.”
Sam clenched his fists and shifted uncomfortably. He tried to break away from her gaze but somehow he couldn't. They stared in silence.
“I know something is going on,” the girl's sudden comment almost made Sam jump. He attempted to maintain his composure, but he knew there was something different about this girl. Not wrong, just different.
“Such as?” Sam's attempts at sounding firm instead sounded weak as they echoed in his own ears.
“People, their au -,” the girl started, but stopped suddenly. Sam felt a bit of his confidence revive as the girl stumbled over her words this time. “I saw something.” Her brow furrowed in anger.
“I'm sure whatever it was, it was just your imagination,” Sam said, trying more to console himself than the girl.
“It was NOT my imagination,” the girl shot back. She let her arms drop to her side and took a threatening step toward Sam, who, startled, tripped backwards.
“I'm sorry,” Sam winced, struggling to get back on his feet.
“No, I'm -,” the girl began, but stopped herself again. “What I mean is I saw something strange. It wasn't my imagination, and I think it happened to your neighbor.”
Sam eyed the girl suspiciously. He didn't remember seeing her around, but he had also avoided social interaction with the kids in town after his mother's disappearance. There were probably a dozen kids he went to school with that he couldn't put names to faces.
“What do you know about my neighbor?” Sam asked. He pushed himself to his feet and tried t dust the dirt from his jeans.
“Nothing. But someone in my neighborhood disappeared today. And last night, I saw something with her.”
“You keep saying you saw something,” Sam's irritation was beginning to outweigh his fear. “What did you see?”
“A person,” the girl said, staring past Sam as if remembering the situation. “But it wasn't. It was light. And it was in my neighbor's house.”
“What makes you think that has anything to do with, well, anything?” Sam questioned, “There are lights in every house.”
“That's not what I meant,” The girl said. Sam knew what she meant. He had seen it, too.
“You said your neighbor disappeared,” Sam tried to change the topic. He wanted to put the pieces together without letting the girl in on it.
“Yeah,” she said. “I saw something in the house with her, and when we woke up the next day her daughter called the police. Said it was like she'd just vanished.”
The girl's words rattled Sam. The situation was eerily similar to what had happened at Mrs. White's house today, not to mention that incident.
“I saw the shadow, too,” the girl was determined to wedge her way into Sam's mystery. She had pulled her arms back up to her chest, but her stance was less threatening.
“I don't know what you're talking about,” Sam feigned innocence.
“Do keep lying to me,” the girl wrinkled her nose. “As you're not very good at it.”
Sam sighed. “Alright, fine. I did see something. And I saw it earlier at Mrs. White's - that is, the woman who lives across the street from me - house, too. I wondered if it had something to do with why she disappeared.” He didn't mention anything about his mother.
“Well, apparently it headed into the woods,” the girl pointed past Sam. He saw fear flash briefly in her eyes before they regained their cold expression.
Part 5: Pieces
Full Length: The Ghost In My Room
Part 7: Trust