tick tak, tick tak tak
A girl quietly lands her bare foot on the dark mahogany wood floor. She walks softly, only wearing a white, long-sleeved dress that flows in multiple layers with each step. Her pin-straight hair falls down to her calves, and her bangs nearly cover her eyes. Her pale skin and clear face give her an almost ethereal appearance. Full lips and long lashes frame her delicate features, and two small moles decorate her face. One on her nose and another on the left side of her face, add subtle charm. She moves silently through the empty mansion, flashlight in hand, her footsteps echoing in the hushed silence. Her gaze is steady, searching, as she makes her way past grandiose black railings and toward a white door. The door creaks open with a slow whisper, and she enters dazedly.
She approaches an elevated lattice headboard bed, the only thing in the center of the room. The bed is covered with a childish sheet decorated with butterflies and dragonflies. The windows are plain white, and dust particles dance in the faint moonlight filtering through brown curtains that sway gently as if caught by a ghostly breeze. She begins to sing softly to herself:
Twinkle, Twinkle, Twinkle
Every night mummy comes
One sheep, two sheep, three
Sweet dreams, sweet sweet dreams..
Beneath the bed, a mummified man lies in silence. His lips are painted bright red, exaggerated like clown makeup. He is covered in white bandages. His pupils are fully black, gazing unblinking. He taps his fingers along to her lullaby, his hollow voice whispering softly to himself, “Scared? Goodnight…”
The girl rubs her eyes, her legs stretched out on the bed. In her hand, she holds several tiny white pills, which she downs one after another. She places a pill on her tongue then swallows it. Her head lolls back and forth, back and forth. She pulls her knees close to her chest, resting her head on them. She is unable to sleep and pitifully cries. She murmurs to herself, “You who didn’t really love me completely changed me. So now I won’t be ever found again–by the new me..”
Her voice trembles as she pleads with her own fading consciousness.
Show me a dream that wakes me from reality,
for I was only pretending to be asleep.
She slowly rises from the bed, tiptoeing across the creaking floor. As she leaves the room, she passes by a motionless body lying in white–one arm outstretched, the other covering its eyes. Her shadow is the only thing moving as she ventures down the corridor toward a spiral staircase, its winding form disappearing into the darkness below.
In the hallway, she pauses before a golden-rimmed, oval-shaped mirror. She reaches out tentatively, fingers trembling as they near the glass, but she retracts them suddenly. At that moment, the mummified man appears behind her. Grasping her gently, he pulls her away from the mirror, guiding her down another hall and through an archway into a grand foyer. The space is majestic with high ceilings, beige curtains flowing from tall windows, and a sense of solemnity in the air. He begins wrapping her eyes with white bandages, sealing her sight.
He mumbles to himself, like a chant, “It’s time to sleep. Let’s dream of that lullaby, as frightening dreams continue. Now, Goodnight. Goodnight. Goodnight. Goodnight. Goodnight…” His voice fades into the shadows as he repeats the words, lulling her.
You, who don’t love me that much
Swallow me with a bandaged mouth
She lies on the dark mahogany floor of the mansion—her body aligned once more where she passed the body earlier. Her eyes are bandaged, her face turned to the right. One arm rests across her stomach, the other beside her face. Behind her, the once motionless figure she encountered looms, seemingly standing guard.
The wounds will be gone by morning
Her hand twitches faintly, a chilling smile curling on her lips.
Good morning.
