My dad and I like to walk our dogs every day. Occasionally, my brother will come with us, or we’ll meet up with a friend. Last night, it was us two, my brother, and a dark silhouette, which I call Silhou. It is mute, and also doesn’t make any sound otherwise. Silhou is friendly.
We were walking near the airforce base when we noticed a small trail we haven’t taken before. My dad and I always like checking out new or different trails, so my brother and Silhou waited as we went down the path. It was nice, the trees really opened up and the bugs weren’t bothering me for once.
Eventually, we ran into a fence. Behind the fence, in front of us, stood a silhouette the size of a windmill. I’d never seen one so large. That, and it didn’t look normal, either. The only way I could describe it is a cross between what I’d imagine a reaper to look like, and a mourning woman. Instead of having hands like Silhou, it had two claws, dripping black. We stared in awe as it remained still, except for what looked like the movement of breathing. I wondered if my dad was as enraptured as I was.
Subtly, it turned toward us. That startled me, but not as much as the shriek it let out a second later. The only way I could describe the sound would be ‘sad firework’. This sound scared the dogs, and also my dad. We took off the way we came, but it didn’t follow us. It didn’t move at all, but continued to wail.
We reached my brother and Silhou, and despite the tension, I felt relieved. My father is a man of few words, and I wanted to forget about what I just saw, so we didn’t tell them what we found. A few minutes pass before we make it up ‘suicide hill’, as my dad would call it. Anyone that likes to ride bikes would understand. Going up is agony, and going down without braking is suicide.
I looked over to where we came from. I’ve never noticed the fence before, and idly wondered how long it’s been there. I’ve lived in this town my entire life, but I am notoriously bad with directions. It’s possible I’ve either forgotten or just never been around here. I almost turned my head away when we heard another shriek, followed by what sounded like a stove top fire suddenly going out. A loud, dull thump. The giant silhouette was suddenly racing toward us.
Silhou took off down the hill after it. I’ve never seen Silhou move so fast, or take any drastic action. For some reason, Silhou was able to make the giant one back off. It even shrunk to a more human size. I got the feeling that Silhou wasn’t going to come back to us. We hurried away. The rest of the walk was uneventful, but I couldn’t keep my mind off the mourning reaper.
We made it home safely. My brother left to go back to his house and my mom fed the dogs. She came outside as my dad and I were closing up the house. We took out the trash and rolled it to the curb. I was helping him roll up the car windows when I noticed my mom talking to a woman I’d never seen before. I assumed she was a neighbor, but from her hair and clothes, she struck me as a little out there.
Suddenly, her and my mom rushed over to this odd plant. It had been growing since Silhou and the others began appearing. The plant was like a stack of giant lilypads connected by a wire vine. Think about what it would look like if you peeled a strand of celery. The woman claimed these plants are how the mourning reaper keeps up with everything. Whether this woman was right or not, I felt deeply unsettled from the walk. I took the plant and threw it in a neighbor’s garbage.
My dad was waiting at the garage for me. I looked at him, anxious. What would this mourning reaper have so much interest in my dad for? I looked to the sky, hearing the last plane of the night fly past. It put me at ease. I wasn’t sure why, but I felt comforted knowing the planes were fine.
I went inside and we closed the garage, along with double checking that we locked all the doors and windows. Dusk fell. Like always, my parents finished watching the evening news before heading up to bed. I always go up last. My dog likes to ‘secure the perimeter’, as my dad puts it. When my dog is satisfied, we go up to my room.
I’m only half asleep when I hear the shriek again. I sat up, mind flying to my dad. How did it find him? I jumped out of bed and ran down the hallway. He always keeps his bedroom door closed, but last night it was open. Heart racing, I looked across his room. Dad was still fast asleep, his dog only disturbed by my sudden intrusion. I took a deep breath. There was nothing in sight.
That’s when the shriek came wailing from directly behind me. It wasn’t here for my dad, it was here for me. I felt something pierce my back, and then I fainted. I thought it was trying to kill me.
When I woke up this morning, I could no longer see color. I’m completely color blind. I gasped, but no sound came out. I looked down at myself, remembering that the mourning reaper stabbed me.
My body is entirely black, like a silhouette. Walking no longer feels like walking. It feels like I’m just barely gliding across the floor. I looked in the bathroom mirror. I’m featureless, yet the silhouette looks just like me. Like I’m my own shadow.
It hits me like a ton of bricks. I used to have an older sister. How could I have forgotten about her? The second realization hit me harder. Silhou is my older sister.
Are all silhouettes like us? Someone who used to be human, but has since been forgotten? I cry, but once more, no sound comes out. I want to tell my parents that I’m me, that I’m here. I tried to text them, but they blocked my number. My mom and dad seemed creeped out, talking about how they only have one child. My older brother. My dad talks about my text just being a scam for money and inheritance.
My family has forgotten me. I tried to text my friends, but the only responses I received were from people telling me to screw off. I want to remain with my family and friends. When my dad takes the dogs out, I go with him. His dog runs around the yard, but my dog doesn’t. My dog looked at me and let out a whine.
Is he sad? Or does that mean he knows? I cry, but nobody knows. Maybe nobody will ever know. All I can do now is hope somebody listens to me.
The silhouettes are people. I’m a person. We want to be remembered. Please believe me. It’s only been a couple hours since I woke up, but I already miss my family dearly. I wish we never went down that path. All I want is my normal life back. I’ll never take anything for granted again. Just let me be me again.