The Sleeping Darkness

6. The Letter

He could feel her icy arms around him, her cold, gloved fingers were clawing into his chest. It was dark, and he couldn't move.

Samekichi knew what it was, it was the same as last time he had a nightmare. The room was dark, voices were whispering in the distance, and the Red Witch was there again.

Only that this time, she didn't sit on his chest.

She lay behind him, her arms around his upper body, her legs around his tail and her face pressed between his shoulder blades. She was as cold as a corpse, it felt like he was freezing. Her touch was cold enough to hurt, and she relentlessly buried her fingertips in chest.

Again, he wasn't able to move, he couldn't even speak or twitch. He was completely numb.

"Samekichi," The Red Witch started to whisper, "I'm so thankful, without you, I wouldn't know what makes me really happy! I'm so happy, Samekichi!"

Her cold breath made his skin feel like it was cracking, even through his shirt. She began repeating the hollow words.

"I'm so happy, so happy, so happy..." The Red Witch kept chanting, her voice wavering between yelling, weeping and whispering. Samekichi forcefully shut his eyes, hoping for it to stop, her voice hurt him. It brought forth memories he tried to repress, things he didn't want to think about when he was looking at Wadanohara all day.

And suddenly, she stopped, and the whole room was silent.

"Aaahh..." She croaked into his back, "It...hurts."

Her tone was different now.

"It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts ithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurts it hurts !"

What was happening? A strange smell filled the air again, like it did when he dreamt about his memories of the cave in the Old Sea. This time it was stronger, fresher.

Reluctantly he opened his eyes, and at first, it was dark again.

But it was strange, like he was holding something cold in his hands. It was relatively soft, and it quivered as soon as he tightened his grip on it.

He also noticed that he was sitting in something wet, and judging from the strong smell, it was probably blood. Was he sitting in his own blood?

Slowly, his vision became clearer, the darkness was fading, but as soon as it did, he wanted it back.

He was indeed back in the cave - the grimey ground, and the strong smell of blood, it was all the same. His ears were ringing, and he noticed, he was covered in blood, and it was not his own.

The thing in his hand was a leg, held at the knee. He had traded places with Sal, and looking down, he could see directly into Wadanohara's eyes as she lay in front of him in the tattered and ripped remains of her blue dress. Her hands were twitching as her tears were leaving trails on her bloody face.

Samekichi didn't want to look further to see what was happening - he wanted to wake up. Was he dreaming still? He did hope so, even if he wasn't sure anymore.

Then Wadanohara made some croakey sobbing sounds, possible begging for someone, anyone to help her, and he wondered who she tried to appeal to anymore. He felt sick, thought himself sick for being able to see such things, for mistreating and betraying her in this nightmarish vision.

"Are you lying to yourself again?" It was the voice of the person whose place he had taken, and it filled him with rage, fear and disgust.

"Look at yourself, don't you feel great? It's really not bad, isn't it?" The fact that looking at him was like looking into a colorless mirror image of himself made his stomach churn, it sent a literal chill through his bowels.