The Sister

Fri, 04 Aug 2023 01:52:15 +0000

She could stand life during the day; when the sun was shining and warming her skin. She could stand when everyone around her was awake and chattering away about their lives. When it turned to night, however, fear crept into her like a bad memory, clawing at her heart in fierce slashes turning her breaths into ragged gasps.She felt that fear now as she watched the sun set in her fathers backyard. Goosebumps raised pimple like on her arms, the fear of the night familiar to her. It wasn't that she hadn't done this every night since the accident. It wasn't like she knew it wasn't coming. She knew what was coming and she knew how it felt every time. "Irene," her fathers deep voice spilled out across the dry grass to where she sat. "Time to come in now!"She did not want to come in now. She would rather sleep out here, watch the moon and the stars and the black void above. Why did it have to be her. Why did it happen every night? She stood on shaking legs and brushed herself off. She walked across the crunching grass and into the warmth of the house. All the lights were off now, the only light was coming from her bedroom in the far recesses of the house and behind her, the sliver of sunlight disappearing behind the tree line."Irene, please," her dad said. He came from her right, standing by the dining room table. "I understand why you're hesitant but please, just let's get this over with."It made her mad how callous her father had become to this situation. To this way of life they now have to answer to. Nonetheless she obeyed, and sauntered off down the dark hallway into her room. The bed glared at her, the tan sheets and fluffy bed spread giving her false hope to a good nights sleep, to a peaceful and warm sleep. She climbed in them anyhow, pulled the covers over her, and turned away, towards the wall. Then the light flicked off, her father having done so and then she heard his running feet down the hall across the house and into his room.She willed her eyes to shut, to block out the familiar feeling pulling at her to turn the other way, to swing her legs off the bed and walk. The pull was so strong it almost sounded like a voice, a familiar voice she hears every night. "Irene," it whispers. "Come, child join me."She would curl into herself, tears spilling over onto her cheeks and wetting her pillow. It was this way every night until 5:04am. When the darkness would pull away from her back and her breathing would return to normal. When the lights would flick back on and she would have to turn and see what was calling her name in the darkness. There clawed onto the side of her mattress clung the shell of her departed sister, Evelyn. Her eyes were hollow and her mouth a black void filled with dust. Her body halfway up from under the bed and stuck to the side of the mattress like she is trying to get to Irene. This would happen every night since the murder of her sister ten years ago. For ten years Irene has been having to go to sleep and hear the haunting whispers of her sister to join her, to join her in the darkness.