I was seeing them

It was a few minutes before sunset when I started noticing them. They weren’t showing their faces yet, but I could hear them or see a leaf moving strangely here or there. After that, It only took a few minutes for them to come out of their hiding places and slowly coming towards us – towards me, it felt -. Roger was sitting on one of the two swings in the park, and the other two musketeers – George and Eric – were sitting on the grass, right in front of him. Of course, no one would dare to use the other swing. I decided to get closer to the gang. I moved up close from the bench and went near the second swing. I didn’t want to seem frightened, so I just casually asked Roger if he sees those little weird little creatures around us and if he wanted to go home. “No” was what I got. They didn’t seem to notice these dozens of creatures – what were they? – that were coming out from behind the bushes and towards the swings. I’m sure Roger would say these are just grasshoppers, even if he saw them. He always had the tendency to show off and say he’s above everything else; at least when mum was around. Mum. She’d told us to get home before it gets dark. We should’ve listened. “Mum said to go home before it gets dark” I said. Roger just growled “Mum, Mum… can’t you get over it for god’s sake?... you can go home if you’re so afraid of a little darkness”, and they all laughed. I couldn’t go home alone. Not now and with all these little beasts around us. They weren’t grasshoppers. I know a grasshopper when I see one. Sure, they were small. And they tended to jump. But they were pale. Pale as a ghost. And the faces. If you noticed, you would see their faces looked like humans. Tiny little human faces on grasshopper like bodies, and all very pale. No thank you, I won’t be going home alone.

The three of them were into something. They were so focused on whatever was in front of them on the ground that they didn’t really care for their surroundings. I put another step forward to look at it. they were pointing to it with a flashlight: It was a piece of paper. Eric said: “So what? We can’t solve it. Can we?”. Roger cried “oh shut up man! Let me focus. I think I can find a solution if you all shut up for just one second”.

In the next few minutes, it was only the sound of whirling wind and the almost inaudible “hiss” of the creatures, getting closer to us. Nobody said a word. It was unbearable. Roger was trying to find a solution to something that looked like some sort of complex math to me. He broke the silence himself: “damn it. Who am I kidding? I can’t solve this shit. We have to bring in someone with some brain.” And they all looked at me.

I said: “no, not again. I can’t go crawling to Stephanie every time you have some exam or class article”.

“Sure you can” said Roger, with a demanding voice. Stephanie was my friend in the 2^nd grade. Her sister, Caroline, was who they were after. She was the smartest kid at the Bobblingy high school. She knew everything. She could solve any complex math problem within a couple of minutes, that was a given. But I didn’t want to talk to Stephanie. We’ve recently announced to each other that we were no longer friends of any sorts, after she told me I was full of hallucination, and I responded by saying she was fat. Roger, seeing my hesitation, demanded again “you don’t do it, and I will have those little demons that you see attack you in your sleep tonight. You know I can do it”

I wasn’t sure if he could really do that or not, but I was sure they existed, as I could see them with my own eyes, despite him and his friends laughing at me when he said “those little demons that you see”.

I shivered. I couldn’t risk it. “Damn it. Ok, give me your phone”. Next thing I know, I was calling Stephanie, trying to make amends and inviting her and her sister to come to the park. I told them it’s like an outdoor gathering that doesn’t feel right without her being there. Jeez, such bullshit. I had no doubt that she won’t lose this opportunity to show me she’s better than me. She would come, and she needed her sister to get permission to come out of home after sunset. I had done my part.

Roger sent the two guys to buy some snacks. We had to throw a real outdoor gathering for Carolina to not feel threatened, so she would willingly cooperate. She was no one to budge if she didn’t like something. Not like me I guess… He then put me on that second swing and started pushing me, like I was a little preschooler. Jeez. I didn’t like to be seen like this by Stephanie. But girl, I didn’t like to argue with Roger or be even a foot apart from him, with all those little things around. So, I let him do what he wanted to do. To seem like he cared for his little sister. The charm of a caring man.

Stephanie and Carolina showed up while I was on the swing. I am certain that I saw her smirk at the scene of me on the swing with my brother pushing me. 1-0 for you Stephanie. But it’s not done.

Roger started greeting Stephanie and Carolina. He gently touched her arm and started saying something funny cause she started laughing right away. I wasn’t listening carefully, the humanoid grasshopper-like beasts were approaching one millimeter by one millimeter. I wanted to ask Stephanie if she saw them or not, but remembered what she’d called me the other day. No sister, I was not a hallucinator.

While I was sitting on the swing, Roger took Carolina to the side, where there was a gigantic tree that they could hind behind. It didn’t take them long to start kissing. I could still see Carolina’s face and hear her giggles. And as for Stephanie, well, she saw George and Eric coming back with bags of snacks and went running to them. It was clear that no one was missing me or cared for me. I wanted to get back home. Mum wasn’t there anymore, but the last time we saw her, she had told us “don’t stay out after dark.” If only I had listened to her that grim night of last August, maybe she wouldn’t have gone to the river. Now, I had no choice, I had to get back home.

With Roger and Carolina kissing and Stephanie not caring a bit for me and focused on the boys and snacks, I had to face my problem. There was no other way, I made the tough call to leave the park for home all by myself. Only at that moment, I realized: I was the only one who was able to see them. What if …?

I started walking towards the street slowly. Thought I would try one last time: “Guys, I am headed home.” No one turned a head. That was it. I stepped into the street, then turned around, looked at the little creatures and nodded firmly. Suddenly, they all started moving very quickly and a second later, they were attacking Roger and others from every angle.