Darkness

You open your eyes. An endless ocean of black fills your vision. You blink, trying to cast the darkness away. But the veils of blackness still loom over your body. You try to move, but a cold wall -inches away from your face- pins you to the ground. Distressed, you stare into the empty void pressing down on you. Questions start to form in your mind. Are you asleep? Have you gone blind? Are you dead?

Seconds become minutes and minutes become hours. Or so you think. You have completely lost any concept of time. You put your hands against the firm wall on top of you, trying to push yourself away from the darkness. You manage to move your body a few inches, your nails clawing at the hard wall and your legs scraping against the cold floor. But the top of your head hits another hard surface and you are forced to stop.

Suddenly, you hear a creaking noise coming from above. Something is on the other side. You can definitely hear a squeaking sound, faint but clear. But as swiftly as it started, the sound stopped. You are once again plunged into complete silence.

Then, a dreary thought sneaks into your mind. You are buried. Buried alive. It seems obvious now. The sound you just heard was your coffin groaning under the weight of the dirt above. You are trapped. A feeling of claustrophobia builds up in your heart.

A cry of utter despair and hopelessness bursts out of your lungs.

“Help!” you shout. But you know it is all in vain. Nobody can hear you. Your eyes wet. A warm tear drops on your cheek. You didn’t want it to end this way. You had dreams, family, friends. You had your life to live. But your cruel fate has stripped everything away.

You close your eyes. You pray that your torture ends quickly.

After an indefinite amount of painful minutes, you begin to drift away, your existence slowly washing off the face of earth. But then, you hear a sound. At first, you can’t determine what it is, but slowly you recognize the familiar whooshing sound of a strong breeze. You must be very close to the surface. New hope is planted in your heart. You start yelling again, hoping to catch the attention of anyone passing near you.

Suddenly, you hear a loud thump. The roof of your coffin bends inwards, the cold surface now pressing down on your face. You turn your head sideways, to allow for breathing space. Something has fallen on your coffin. Is it dirt, about to crush you? No, it can’t be. Whatever caused the bend-in is still moving.

Maybe you aren’t buried. But if that isn’t the case, then where are you? A shiver runs down your spine. A question you should have thought earlier pops into your mind. How did you end up here? You realize you have no recollection of past events. Where were you and what were you doing? Your memory is completely blank.

But you can’t give it more thought, as a creaking sound breaks the silence once more. The bend-in above you subsides, indicating that the weight on top has shifted. You can very faintly hear a whimpering sound, like someone is trying to muffle his crying. Suddenly, a flash of light blinds you. You look at your right. A little crack has appeared in the blackness that surrounds you, allowing a sliver of light to invade your world of darkness.

Your heart jumps. This is your escape. You extend your hand, your fingers touching the edge of the crack. You are surprised to find not the hard surface you imagined, but a smooth and soft cloth, that parts under your light touch. You push with your fingers the velvet-like material apart, creating a hole big enough for your hand to pass through.

With another push, your hand exits your dark prison and enters the world of light. The fresh air cools your skin, while you blindly explore your surroundings with your hand. At first your palm lands on a cold surface that seems to extend far beyond your reach. But moving your hand up, you again come in contact with the soft material.

You grab onto it, trying to determine how far up it goes. You start climbing up the cloth with your hand. But almost immediately, your fingertips reach the edge of the strange fabric.

Suddenly, a high-pitched screech pierces your ears.

“Mommy! Mommy!”

After a few seconds, you hear a door opening. “What is it sweetie?”

“A monster is under my bed!”