False Awakening

I woke up this morning full of sweat and gasping for air. I can still feel the tightness in my throat that’s now slowly relaxing. The pain in my head started to arise and I cupped my forehead thinking it would help ease the pain. I’m trying to remember my dream but couldn’t. It usually happens, failing to recall my dreams after a long sleep.

The ringing of my phone and its vibration slowly intensified throughout my ears, and then I realized that this noise might be the reason why I woke up. I hovered my hand through the bed sheets to reach my phone and see who was calling me.

Elle Clarke

Missed calls (14)

Elle called me to babysit her daughter and I happily agreed to it. Immediately, I dashed to the bathroom and washed all the sweat that was clinging to me then cooked my breakfast before walking to Elle’s house. This weekend, I’ll be babysitting my best friend’s sweet girl Kaia. She’s like a daughter to me and I love her very much. If I could just babysit Kaia for free I’d definitely do, but life has been tough for me and Elle’s payment will suffice my one-week food expense. I couldn’t turn down the payment or I’d be starving on the street. Lately, my life has been one hell of a ride and I’m thankful that Elle was there, and my sweet Kaia too. They’re the few people who understand me and the reason why I’m still striving to live.

I strolled down the city to get my favorite coffee and bread, then walked the pavement leading to Elle’s house. The crisp smell of winter is starting to encapsulate the town, kissing goodbye to the melancholic autumn scent. A lot of houses are starting to decorate their homes with lanterns and vibrant lights. The much-awaited season is coming.

When I reached their house, Elle and Tom approached me at the door. The couple decided to have their weekend vacation outside the city and I’m the best person who could look after Kaia, that’s what they said.

Elle handed me the list that Kaia needed for the weekend and Tom waved goodbye before placing all of their stuff in the car.

I immediately went upstairs to Kaia’s room and my sweet little girl greeted me with a soft embrace. I kissed her on the cheeks and she giggled.

“Do you miss me my Kaia?”

“I miss you so much Aunt Liz!” she said while her mouth still covered with chocolates.

“Ha! Good thing I got my hanky” I rubbed my handkerchief in her mouth to clean the chocolate smudges then we both giggled.

I love spending time with Kaia, she’s a smart and sweet little girl. At the age of 8, she’s very creative, assertive, articulate, and very emphatic. It’s like I’m having a normal adult conversation with a nugget-size person every time I’m with her.

As per usual, I followed my best babysitting to-do list that day which is just a list of me and Kaia doing the things she loves. I cooked her favorite food and helped her bathe. Then I attended her little tea party, acting as a customer in her little store while she’s doing her cashiering, playing her favorite cartoon on the TV, and doing a lot of her favorite stuff.

Unaware of time, I peeked through the window and the absence of light that consumed the city confirmed it was already night. I prepared Kaia for her night routine and then led the way to her bedroom where she followed.

I usually read her stories at night so she could sleep fast. But tonight, I found myself having a hard time making her sleep. I already read two fairy tales but she’s still awake, probably she’s not in the mood for fairy tales so I fished out some fable storybooks.

The Hare and the Tortoise

“Huh, is this new?” I mumbled

This book caught my attention the most, the velvety texture of its cover and the vibrant colors that were flashing in my eyes will definitely attract kids and will make them ask their parents to buy this in the store.

As I lifted the book, I felt something that I couldn’t describe while grazing my fingers through the cover, something familiar yet foreign. Like a cryptic memory struggling to infect my senses.

“Have I read this one Kaia? I felt like I read this one.” she didn’t respond, I expected it since I only uttered these words just to release my inexpressible feeling.

De ja vu perhaps?

“Aunt Liz?” Kaia whispered

Her small voice broke my dissociation, I lifted my head and gazed at her. My body suddenly felt a splurge of cold sensation when I saw her face. Kaia was staring blankly into nothing, emotionless, eyes wide open, and only her mouth was moving like she was whispering something to me.

“Kaia? Kaia?” I tapped her shoulder thinking it would bring her consciousness back but nothing happened. She just stared into nothingness.

“Shh, I…think…someone’s…listening” she stuttered and in an almost inaudible whisper.

My breathing became heavy as if I was drowning in air. I stopped for a minute to slowly process what was happening and what Kaia was trying to say. I couldn’t move my head and look around since the feeling of dread started to consume me. There was something in her eyes that was sinister and haunting.

I realized that Kaia was staring at something behind me. My body froze, unable to speak, unable to move.

“She’s listening….She likes your stories” she whispered

“Kaia” finally, my voice found its courage

“She’s pretty Aunt Liz”

I clutched tightly on the book that I was holding.

“W-who is she-e?” I stuttered while my gaze fixed on the book.

“The girl that was standing at the door,” she answered with her impassive expression “mm..pretty like Aunt Liz”

My mind was shouting to protect Kaia, so I gathered all my courage to respond and it took me a minute to speak.

“Kaia, d-don’t look at h-her” I can feel my breathing becoming shallow, I’m now gasping for air.

“She looks sad….like crying”

“Kaia” I pleaded and on the verge of crying.

I moved my eyes slightly in the direction of her glass closet, it was tinted and images were reflected faintly. I was in total paralysis with wide-open eyes like my world would shatter into pieces. I’m just there frozen in my seat without thinking about what would happen next.

In my periphery, I could see the image of a woman slowly getting near to our spot.

“She has braided hair, like yours Aunt Liz”

I gasped and stayed silent, I just stared at Kaia in pure horror.

“But her braids are like this” She lifted her hand and grabbed my braid, I wanted to stop her but couldn’t. Kaia hovered the end of my braid from my right to left.

“Like this” she said innocently

It immediately clicked in me, the braid that she projected was like a rope knot tightly in my neck.

I wanted to scream, a deep guttural scream but no voice escaped from my mouth. Fear crawled through my body as I succumbed to my own agony. I closed my eyes thinking everything would be gone. My senses started to fail me when I could no longer feel anything, not a single tingle or cold splurge.

Nothing.

Then, after a few minutes of struggling to bring my senses back while my eyes closed, I felt the light air brushing through my skin. I’m too afraid to open my eyes and too afraid to see what will happen next.

Like a shot, the braid that Kaia placed on my neck started to tighten. I immediately opened my eyes in panic. Everything was blurred and I could only hear a sharp static noise. My hands are struggling to remove the braid in my neck which felt more like a rope now than a hair.

My vision slowly became clearer and the sounds became more audible.

I can hear Kaia talking while looking at me. A gasp of horror escaped my mouth when I saw her in the bed talking to me, like what were doing earlier.

I saw my earlier self and Kaia from where I was, my feet were struggling to touch the ground while trying to shout her name. I am screaming to my earlier self, to warn her about what will happen next.

“Kaia!”

“No! Pleasee..Stop!”

I screamed but there was no voice breaking out from my throat, I was muted.

“Shh, I…think…someone’s…listening” I heard Kaia said faintly

“She’s listening….She likes your stories” she said it once more

I tried to hover myself in mid-air while agitatedly removing the knot in my neck. At a pace, I can feel my body crawling reaching their location. I can almost feel my earlier self, her warmth slightly swaying on my fingertips as I’m trying to reach them out.

A shriek of fright and agony screamed in my ears, I could almost feel my ears bleed while I was struggling in my position. Sweats, tears, and blood were running through my skin.

I surrendered.

I opened my eyes full of sweat and gasping for air. I’m in my bed, just woke up from a nightmare. I can still feel the tightness in my throat that’s now slowly relaxing. The pain in my head started to arise and I cupped my forehead thinking it would help ease the pain. I’m trying to remember my dream but couldn’t. It usually happens, failing to recall my dreams after a long sleep.

The ringing of my phone and its vibration slowly intensified throughout my ears, and then I realized that this noise might be the reason why I woke up. I hovered my hand through the bed sheets to reach my phone and see who was calling me.

Elle Clarke

Missed calls (14)