Anthology of the Dark

Leave Me Alone

[NOTE: ENGLISH, Please see next post for TAGALOG TRANSLATION]

     When we were kids, we see a lot of monsters, ghosts, just things that are really scary and whenever we tell them to our parents or generally with all the other adults, they don't believe us and would naturally just brush it off as "Just your imagination".

     I'm like you. When I was a kid, one night, I saw the scariest thing crawling towards me on all fours as I lay in bed. It scared the living heck out of me so I yelled. I kept yelling for my parents, just as any kid would do. So I kept yelling and yelling, finally when my parents came in and asked me what was going on, I sat there crying and pointing to where I saw the thing. My dad, well.. My dad and I weren't as thick as thieves... He yelled at me to stop and grow up, he told me there's no monsters or ghosts or demons inside my closet or under my bed out to get me and then they went back to bed.

     It never stopped.

     Every night, the same thing would crawl towards my bed and I would scream. I know I'm not dreaming because I sat there wide awake. I'm not having sleep paralysis because I could move my body, I didn't make a run for it because, well, I figured if I leave my bed, it would be able to get me even faster. It was just a child's theory. I dunno... But it never stopped.It never really stopped.

     One day, my mother told me that when I grow up I'd stop seeing them. She explained to me that the reason why I could see it they they couldn't it because kids are receptive to things such as that and that we are still too innocent of the world so we see everything. I asked her if she used to see it too when she was younger, and she said yes. But she told me that all I had to do was grow up and be stronger so those things won't be able to come anywhere near me. I thought, that's a good plan, and so, that's what I did. I told myself to grow up. I stopped playing with my toys, stopped believing in hosh posh things and even as much as moving on to another room, then moved to another house, and then moved out of state for college.

     I'm 27 years old now and for so many years, I slept beautifully, never minding and believing about the things that happened to me before when I was a kid.

     Until one night, when I traveled back home to see my grandparents who are now living in our old house, I decided to sleep in my old room. I'm a big boy now. I'm a man. Nothing's going to bother me. Or so I thought...Before I fully drift off, I felt something. Felt. Not saw, I felt something. I felt something bad. Y'know how you can't see anything but you can feel your heart pounding because you're scared of something? Something you know, is just around the corner. I couldn't see it, but I know, I'm not imagining it. I know... It's back. I didn't fall asleep. It won't let me.

     By the time I left my old house, I know something latched itself to me. I can't see it, but I can feel something. Every time I try to look at it, I just can't find it but I know it's very close. Why can't I see it? Why won't it go away? I just want to sleep... Tsk... Dammit.

     It's been weeks now... I couldn't sleep. I'm getting very tired. I'm missing classes, I'm missing lectures...I don't want to go to work because I'm still trying to sleep. Wherever I go, whatever I do... I can't see it but I know it's there. And it won't let me sleep. I wanna kill it. But how?

     I went back to our old house and went inside my room... I laid on my bed and I thought to myself Why can't I see it? Get off of me! Get off! I just want to sleep, leave me alone! And then... And then it hit me. The reason, the ultimate reason why I can't see it...I can't see it because I'm all grown up now. I can't see it because of simply that. I don't know why it's followed me, but I think it's mostly because it wants me as a kid but it didn't get me. What am I suppose to do? I need to find a way to end this mess once and for all. I want to get back to how things were before all of... Hmmm... Hmmm... Our neighbors have kids, they're pretty big now... But not so much, they're still... kids.

     I found a way. I thought, Now, I understood what it wants. I'm in jail now. They thought I was crazy. But I did it! It finally left me! Or at least until I fed it little Jimmy. All it wanted were my eyes. It wanted to eat my eyes because they don't want to be seen, but I guess, since it hadn't eaten me it got very hungry and waited for me so when I came back, that's when it latched itself to me. I gave it little Jimmy's eyes but I knew that still wasn't enough... So, I gave them all of Jimmy. I felt it crawled away from me as it dragged little Jimmy's body into the dark. The police came in and found me with Jimmy's bloodied clothes scattered all over my bedroom. I couldn't tell them where it lives or where it took Jimmy's body because of my grown up eyes. So I told them, they should put on little Angela's eyes instead, they were horrified at the sight of me clutching Little Angela's eyes with my bloody hands. They took me away and placed me in this cell. It's done... They got news eyes... They will leave me alone now... Finally, I can sleep...Wh-What's that? There's scratching noises... What? Wh... What is... No! There are no children here, there's nothing for me to harvest! Leave me alone! Leave me alone! I want to sleep!

     They found me... I need to get out of here, they need more eyes. They need another child's set of eyes to eat... Do you know any kids around? I need their eyes, you see? Please help me... I need eyes. I need eyes to sleep. I need eyes for them to leave me alone.