My best friend, Ted

Hope. That is what I felt as I watched the sunrise. It wasn’t a lot and sometimes it was barely enough to keep me going, but it was enough to keep the fear of the inevitable at bay. I enjoyed the sunrise and looked forward to it every day. Staying up until the crack of dawn and steadying my breath as I watched the sunlight fill the sky was routine. It promised you a new day full of trivial excitements and endless possibilities. Watching the sunset was completely different. It was like watching all the newfound hope diminish as the air turned cold and the word filled with shadows. “Mother and father are worried about me. I hear them talking about all the friends that I don’t have, and about how I barely ever leave the house. They think it’s about time that I grew up and found some new friends… a normal friend” Sat next to me, on the cold pavement, was my best friend. Some would say we were opposites. Ted was tall with grey eyes, pale skin and mid-length brown hair. I was what I hoped was average height. I had short blond hair with brown streaks, blue-green eyes and tan skin. He was usually in control of his emotions, whilst I was an emotional wreck. Our only similarity was that we both barely talked to anyone besides each other.

I felt Ted’s eyes on me, like a presence, but when I looked over at him, he was emotionlessly staring at his hands. Emotions never really affected Ted. The only time his face didn’t remain neutral was when he was angry. Still, I preferred to be cautious. His moods were unpredictable and I didn’t usually get a warning before an outburst. “They have no reason to worry, Toby. I’ve been here for you for 17 years. You don’t need anyone else but me. You can’t count on anyone but me.” I calmed down. I knew I had nothing to worry about during the day but the fear still managed to grip me no matter what time of day it was. Ted was right. He may have been possessive and scary at times, but he had never left my side since the day I was born, but sometimes I wished for more - for a dog that I could run around, roll in the grass, and enjoy the outdoors with, or for a friend that my parents could appreciate. They didn’t seem to like Ted and often acted like he didn’t exist. It hurt his feelings, but I was always there to reassure him. “You are mine and mine alone.” Ted smiled at me. It was peculiar, but I smiled too. The sunlight danced across my face, flushing my cheeks as I breathed in the fresh morning air. I wished it could stay like this forever, but my mother had arranged for me to see a therapist. I was dreading it.

My reluctance to see the therapist had been irrational. She seemed really interested to hear about Ted and I didn’t mind talking about him, so things could have been worse. We spent the whole session talking about Ted and the things we liked to do for fun. The only downside was how fast time seemed to have passed. By the time I arrived home, it was afternoon. The clear skies were now filled with clouds and the sun was partly covered. I felt uneasy, but not enough to ruin the day. I sat on the swings in the corner of the yard, cherishing the silence. “You left me.” I hadn’t noticed Ted on the swing next to mine. “You shouldn’t have gone, I don’t like when you leave me.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t have a choice.” He started to swing, ignoring me. My hands began to shake, but I sat still, hiding them between my thighs. Ted was scarily calm, and with dusk approaching, this was never a good sign. I wanted to apologize but I didn’t speak a word, not wanting to trigger him into a fit of rage. I looked at the sky, trying to calm myself down. It was beautiful. Right now was golden hour and I would normally be completely immersed by the beautiful view, but this time I was distracted by the terror creeping up my spine. Father didn't live here anymore and mother wasn’t home, she was working late today. Ted always behaved when she was around. The fact that I didn’t know what to expect brought me more fear than the slowly fading light in the sky. The sun was setting. I had been so occupied with my thoughts that I had barely noticed. My breathing quickened and my body temperature rose. I hated sunsets. I couldn’t stand to be here any longer. So I stood up. “I- I want to go inside. It’s getting late.”

“No. I want to stay.” There was no arguing with Ted. I sat back down. I watched as the day faded into evening and the beautiful gold faded into a dull emotionless grey. I shivered as the temperature changed, wishing I had my jacket, and I couldn’t help the way my eyes darted from left to right, desperately looking for any irregularities in the yard. Nature changed before me - the peaceful trees and bushes surrounding me turned to frightening humanoid shadows as the last bit of sunlight left the sky - It was sundown. “Please, I’m sorry. It- it won’t happen again.” When I didn’t get a response, I looked over to where Ted had been sitting. He was gone, but the swing was still moving. Now that I was completely alone, the fear overcame me like a wave. Like a tsunami. I jumped off the swing and dashed across the yard, to the house door, where, in vain, I used every last ounce of my strength to open it. I was locked outside, alone with all the creatures that lurked in the shadows. I slumped to the floor, hugging my knees to my chest and yearning for the sun to rise.

I don’t know how much time passed, how long I sat there for. I had escaped into a world full of fantasies and false hope. A world where night time didn’t exist. I was happy... And then I was forcefully pulled back into reality. My entire body filled with panic. There was someone standing in front of me. “Ted?” There was no use hoping, for I already knew who stood before me. It was Red. As he approached me, I was able to distinguish his features. Sundown had changed him. His hair was drained of colour and flowed like liquid silver, and his eyes scorched red. He smiled, showing off his razor sharp pointed teeth. In one hand, there were flames hovering above his fingers and in the other he held a spherical object.

“I brought you something - an apology for getting mad.” He rolled the object towards me and it stopped just in front of my feet. The sheer terror I felt was incomparable to anything I had experienced before. I felt the blood drain from my entire body and I couldn't catch my breath.

“Miss Audrey.” My therapist. On the floor before me was my therapist’s head. Sweet, kind Miss Audrey was dead, because of Red… No, because of Ted.

“Now she can never bother you, and now you will never have to leave me again.” I couldn’t control the tears that streamed down my face. Now more than ever I wished for the sun to rise, though I knew that after tonight, daytime would never be the same again.

I was worried about Toby. When I got home this morning, I found him lying on the cold floor outside the house. He kept muttering something about Ted, but refused to say anything else. I had never met Ted, but decided to drive over to his house, under the assumption that he and Toby had gotten into a fight, and in the hope that I could persuade his parents into talking to him. The house looked ancient. It had only been a 5 minute drive, but I had arrived in a completely different neighbourhood. The houses here were dull and dark. No wonder Toby never came here. I knocked on the front door and waited. Seconds later, the door slowly creaked open to reveal a woman standing in it. Her hair was short and grey, and her eyes a dulling blue. She stood still in front of me, not bothering to smile. The only indication that she had noticed me was the slight lift of her eyebrows.

“Hello Ms Ainsley, it’s nice to finally meet you.” She didn’t say anything, just continued to stand there, looking off into the distance. I began to regret my decision to come here, but leaving right now would be rude. “Uhm, I wanted to talk to you about Toby and your son Ted. Is he home?”

Then she looked at me with cold eyes and a look of rage. And then she was emotionless again. I took a step back, ready to retreat, but she didn’t seem to notice. She stared right through me, as if she were in a trance, and began to talk. “My son Ted? My son Ted is dead. He died in bed, painted the walls red, all that was found was his head.”