Fathers have an enigmatic tendency to disappear during what should be routine errands, leaving their families in a perpetual state of dread and despair. It’s an unsettling tradition, a rite of passage for dads everywhere. And so, one fateful evening, my dad decided it was his turn to embark on a journey for a mere carton of milk.
I was just a curious 10-year-old at the time, armed with a vivid imagination and a penchant for unraveling mysteries. Little did I know that my dad’s errand would transform into a cryptic and otherworldly tale.
Minutes turned into hours, hours into days, and days into years. My dad, it seemed, had wandered into the depths of the inexplicable, a realm that defied logic and explanation. We began to wonder if he had stumbled upon a hidden path that led him to a dimension unknown to us, or if he had encountered forces beyond human comprehension.
Then, one eerie day, after exactly two decades, there was a knock at the door. My mom and I exchanged quizzical glances, fearing the enigmatic figure that might stand on our doorstep. But when we opened the door, there he stood, my dad, yet somehow different, as if he were a mere echo of his former self.
He was disheveled, with eyes that held secrets beyond imagining and a voice that sent shivers down our spines. We embraced him hesitantly, tears mingling with our unease. And then my mom asked the most perplexing question of all: “Where have you been all these years?”
He looked at us with an inscrutable gaze and replied, “I lost my way.”
We couldn’t believe our ears. Twenty years, and he claimed to have simply lost his way? He proceeded to recount a story that was as enigmatic as the universe itself. He had ventured into a fog-shrouded forest, a place where time and space converged in bewildering ways. He had encountered the Wanderers.
According to my dad, these enigmatic beings were no mere wanderers of the woods. They possessed knowledge of forgotten realms and spoke in riddles that defied comprehension. They offered him a cryptic choice, and he became one with the Wanderers, forever adrift in the labyrinthine woods.
My mom and I exchanged baffled glances, struggling to grasp the surreal narrative. My dad’s presence held an eerie aura, one that seemed to blur the line between reality and the arcane.
But as the days passed, we began to notice something deeply unsettling. My dad’s transformation was not merely a result of his journey with the Wanderers; it was something far more malevolent. He began to exhibit strange behaviors, unnatural cravings for raw meat, and an aversion to sunlight.
One fateful night, as a full moon cast an eerie glow upon our home, we witnessed the horrifying transformation firsthand. My dad, seemingly in a trance, retreated to his room, where he began to shred his own skin, revealing a grotesque creature beneath. We watched in horror as he discarded layer after layer, the room filling with the dreadful scent of decay.
As the final layer fell away, the creature that had once been my father emerged—an otherworldly entity with limbs elongated, its eyes glowing with an insatiable hunger. Its voice reduced to an unearthly growl, it turned towards us, its malevolence unmistakable.
In that horrifying moment, my mom and I fled from our home, leaving behind the nightmarish transformation that had torn our family apart. The entity, once my father, pursued us through the darkness, a relentless force of horror and malevolence.
Months passed as we sought refuge in a new place, far from the malevolent presence of the entity. We knew not whether we were truly safe, but one thing became clear—we had escaped the clutches of the creature that had once been my father.
Yet, even now, in the dead of night, I sometimes glimpse a figure in the shadows—a shadowy, elusive silhouette that haunts the periphery of my vision. It is not the entity that pursues us, but a lingering specter of the past, a reminder of the unfathomable horrors we had witnessed.
And so, our lives moved forward, forever marked by the enigmatic disappearance, the sinister transformation, and the nightmarish journey that had shattered our world. Some questions remained unanswered, but we had found safety, solace, and the strength to face an uncertain future.