Comfort

I often have trouble falling asleep. Once I turn the lights out and my eyes close, my imagination goes wild and it was as if the floodgates have opened, letting my ideas run amok. It’s a curse, really. Sometimes, I just want to sleep. I uttered forth a fussy grumble, wishing I could let my mind rest for just a minute so I could succumb to a peaceful slumber and wake in the morning to a new day.

After that little noise came forth, I was responded to with fingers dragging lightly over my forehead and through my hair, running through my messy mane to calm me down. A small sigh escaped. That brought me comfort every time. While that continued I began to drift off, only to be jolted awake.

My family was gone. They had left me here to watch the house. Alone.

My wide-open eyes shifted to peer to the left, where my spouse usually slept. I could see nothing. My eyes were only met with darkness that encompassed the entirety of the house that night. The dim glow of the street lamp through the window brought little light to the room, so it didn’t aid my sight at all. I just had that feeling that something in that darkness was staring back at me. I sat up and shifted for a moment. I was truly scared. I reached towards that direction thoughtlessly, unsure of what I would be met with.

I felt foolish. It seemed as though nothing was there. Was I going mad? I began to cry. I was instantly silenced by one small sound. “Shh…”

I couldn’t speak. Stunned, I jumped out of bed and flipped the light on, my heart thumping so hard it felt as though it would leap out of my chest. I stared to the left side of the bed, expecting to see some creep that might’ve broken into the house that I was unaware of. I saw nothing. That is, nothing until I glanced towards the pillow.

Folded neatly atop the pillowcase was a small note. The writing was scrawled in an unfamiliar hand, looking rather archaic and old fashioned.

“You are never truly alone. I will watch you, always.”

Afterwards, though my paranoia was taking a rather long time to subside, I stumbled down the stairs and checked the locks. Everything was locked and closed, and pausing to listen to the serene silence that had filled the house, I was fairly sure that everything would be fine. I glanced over the words on the note again and tucked it away in the tea cupboard. I sauntered lazily back up the stairs and curled up in my bed, not so sure if I was alone anymore.

As I fell asleep, I’m pretty sure I felt fingers combing through my hair. A complaint would be wasted effort. After all, how many times had this happened? How many times, whenever I seek comfort, is the source of comfort truly human?

You never know in the dark.



Written by Shinigami.Eyes.