A few years ago I decided to go to my aunt’s house to see her. You see, she was getting old, very old, and we had received news from her that she was diagnosed with stage three cancer and had a little less than a year to live. So I quickly called her and she invited me to come and stay for a night. Of course, I accepted.
A few days later I packed my bags and drove the hour and a half to her house. I unloaded my bags and sat on her sofa. We talked for hours about anything and everything from life and school, to boyfriends. I always forgot she called me her “Blue-Eyed Baby Boy”, and my heart sank a little each time she called me that, because she wouldn’t live to call me that again.
Just as I was caught up in that thought she cleared her throat and said,
“Oh baby, please remember to read the note I left on your bedside table, it’s important if you’re going to stay the night,”. I said I would and we resumed our conversation.
A few hours passed before we both headed to bed, she reminded me to read the list on my bedside table. I brushed my teeth, changed into my pyjamas and went to sleep, forgetting to read the note.
I woke up in the middle of the night, I could hear a faint tapping noise coming from the window opposite me. I froze. Shit. I forgot to read my aunt’s note. I reached out for it, keeping my eyes on the window. The note read:
Dear my Blue-Eyed Baby Boy,
By the time you are reading this, we have said goodnight.
It is too late to help me. I am dead.
To ensure your safety whilst staying here I have compiled this list of rules for you to follow
My blood froze. I did as the letter said, I shut my eyes tightly, and stayed silent. The knocking grew louder, and louder and LOUDER! Until it stopped. My heart was racing.
“Baby, get up! It’s time for breakfast,” I heard my aunt call from downstairs. Fuck. Was the note a joke? If so it was fucking cruel.
My aunt called a few more times, each time she seemed to be closer. That’s when I heard my bedroom door open. It was a slow open, like the type in a horror movie. Footsteps moved through the room. Something sat on my bed. I didn’t dare move even the tip of my pinky finger. I felt it get up from my bed and shuffle out of my room. I didn’t move.
What felt like hours passed. I saw the sun beam through the curtains. Was it 7:00 am yet? I carefully peered at my watch: 6:59. I breathed a sigh of relief. I watched it waiting for 7:00 am to tick around. It felt like an eternity. It didn’t tick. Shit. Was my watch broken? Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK! I couldn’t risk it. I just lay there.
Even as I slowly and carefully write this, trying not to move too obviously, it is still 6:59. Still fucking 6:59. I can hear it calling me now. I’m not sure how long I can stay like this. I just want to move.
My legs are like fucking rods that rusted in the icy night.
Whatever is downstairs is not my aunt.
Save me.