Categories > Original > Horror
“Are you awake, my child?”
“Daddy? I had a bad dream, Father,” she said softly, almost too soft for him to hear.
He approached her and knelt beside her bed. She laid there; her skin so white and fragile under the moonlight seeping through the window.
“I brought you an apple. I’ll peel and slice it for you while you tell me all about your dream,” the man replied, bringing out the apple for her to see. They were her favorite whenever she was sick.
She smiled at his presence but didn’t open her eyes. This was a rare treat for her. She heard the sound of his knife slowly moving across the apple’s surface, as she shared her dream.
“I was flying in my dream. I saw a house with only one window illuminated by light. A woman, pregnant and glowing—oh, how lovely she looked—can be seen inside the room, rocking on her chair and singing to her bulging stomach. I felt delighted, probably imagining that was how mother must have looked when she was pregnant with me…”
“Here. Eat,” the man interrupted as he offered an apple slice to her. She ate it from his fingers and swallowed slowly.
“Suddenly, I saw a dark mist appear outside the window. It was a strange mist, unlike a simple cloud. It looked alive and malicious. I couldn’t help but continue looking on.
“The woman did not seem to notice the cloud outside, but continued her song. The cloud swirled and seemed to grow darker and darker and darker still... until it slowly formed into a shape of a woman. No, not a woman, a girl with long black hair and pale white skin. I saw the girl floating and watching the scene behind the mirror. The pregnant woman still hasn’t noticed.
She stopped to accept another apple slice from him. She ate and swallowed the apple before continuing. The apple’s juices were sweet and she smiled in delight.
“The mysterious girl floated in front of the window. Her mouth moved but I could not hear... no, I heard, but couldn’t understand her words. She spoke with a singsong voice, but I could not make out what she said. Through the window, I saw the woman had stopped her singing and stood up. She walked slowly, but sure, towards the window and opened it to face the floating girl. She stared ahead, as if not seeing anything.
“I watched the girl as she rubbed the entranced woman’s swollen belly, before plunging her hand through cloth and flesh into the woman’s stomach. The woman did not seem to be hurt; neither was there any blood spilled. But when the girl retrieved her hand, she brought out a small reddish lump of flesh—a partially formed human. The woman collapsed unconscious while outside her window, the girl fed on the baby.”
The man stopped and looked at the girl on the bed beside him. She kept her eyes closed, but she was licking her lips.
“As I watched her feed, I don’t know why, but I imagined the blood must taste like sweet apple juice, like the one you’re feeding me now.”
The man dropped the half-sliced apple to the floor, where it landed with a soft thud and rolled sliced-side down. He looked at the small knife on his hand, muttered a silent prayer, and then proceeded to plunge the knife into the girl’s chest.
The girl’s eyes opened as she trashed and writhed. The man held fast and steadfastly kept the knife on the child’s chest. She clawed desperately and choked as blood started to make its way into her mouth.
“Seven years, you’ve lived and I’m always reminded that because of you, I lost her. My one true love,” he whispered vindictively. “You are the monster.”
“Father… daddy… I didn’t… mom…” she said before finally dying.
He stopped holding the knife down only when she finally stopped moving. Blood caked his arms and the girl’s clothes. He looked down at her face and saw his wife’s face as she laid on her deathbed in his mind’s eye. He shed no tears for they had long since dried up.
"You're the monster," he repeated to lonely room.
He picked up the apple and bit into the side that hadn’t been on the floor. The apple tasted bitter on his tongue.
“Daddy? I had a bad dream, Father,” she said softly, almost too soft for him to hear.
He approached her and knelt beside her bed. She laid there; her skin so white and fragile under the moonlight seeping through the window.
“I brought you an apple. I’ll peel and slice it for you while you tell me all about your dream,” the man replied, bringing out the apple for her to see. They were her favorite whenever she was sick.
She smiled at his presence but didn’t open her eyes. This was a rare treat for her. She heard the sound of his knife slowly moving across the apple’s surface, as she shared her dream.
“I was flying in my dream. I saw a house with only one window illuminated by light. A woman, pregnant and glowing—oh, how lovely she looked—can be seen inside the room, rocking on her chair and singing to her bulging stomach. I felt delighted, probably imagining that was how mother must have looked when she was pregnant with me…”
“Here. Eat,” the man interrupted as he offered an apple slice to her. She ate it from his fingers and swallowed slowly.
“Suddenly, I saw a dark mist appear outside the window. It was a strange mist, unlike a simple cloud. It looked alive and malicious. I couldn’t help but continue looking on.
“The woman did not seem to notice the cloud outside, but continued her song. The cloud swirled and seemed to grow darker and darker and darker still... until it slowly formed into a shape of a woman. No, not a woman, a girl with long black hair and pale white skin. I saw the girl floating and watching the scene behind the mirror. The pregnant woman still hasn’t noticed.
She stopped to accept another apple slice from him. She ate and swallowed the apple before continuing. The apple’s juices were sweet and she smiled in delight.
“The mysterious girl floated in front of the window. Her mouth moved but I could not hear... no, I heard, but couldn’t understand her words. She spoke with a singsong voice, but I could not make out what she said. Through the window, I saw the woman had stopped her singing and stood up. She walked slowly, but sure, towards the window and opened it to face the floating girl. She stared ahead, as if not seeing anything.
“I watched the girl as she rubbed the entranced woman’s swollen belly, before plunging her hand through cloth and flesh into the woman’s stomach. The woman did not seem to be hurt; neither was there any blood spilled. But when the girl retrieved her hand, she brought out a small reddish lump of flesh—a partially formed human. The woman collapsed unconscious while outside her window, the girl fed on the baby.”
The man stopped and looked at the girl on the bed beside him. She kept her eyes closed, but she was licking her lips.
“As I watched her feed, I don’t know why, but I imagined the blood must taste like sweet apple juice, like the one you’re feeding me now.”
The man dropped the half-sliced apple to the floor, where it landed with a soft thud and rolled sliced-side down. He looked at the small knife on his hand, muttered a silent prayer, and then proceeded to plunge the knife into the girl’s chest.
The girl’s eyes opened as she trashed and writhed. The man held fast and steadfastly kept the knife on the child’s chest. She clawed desperately and choked as blood started to make its way into her mouth.
“Seven years, you’ve lived and I’m always reminded that because of you, I lost her. My one true love,” he whispered vindictively. “You are the monster.”
“Father… daddy… I didn’t… mom…” she said before finally dying.
He stopped holding the knife down only when she finally stopped moving. Blood caked his arms and the girl’s clothes. He looked down at her face and saw his wife’s face as she laid on her deathbed in his mind’s eye. He shed no tears for they had long since dried up.
"You're the monster," he repeated to lonely room.
He picked up the apple and bit into the side that hadn’t been on the floor. The apple tasted bitter on his tongue.
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