"Letters"

I have spent all my life in Burningham, here even the people are haunted. Sometimes I’m wondering what I’m doing with my life whether I should leave and get a new change of scenery or, stay and try to get my life back together. My parents died recently. They were on a plane to Italy on Vacation, their plane crashed and everyone on board died. It wasn’t pilot error like everyone in the media would like you to believe. Black box audio is usually public, but the audio for Burningham Airlines Flight 1357 was never released and kept from the public.

Of course, the theories came flooding in like water through a broken damn. Despite the best efforts of the government to sweep this under the rug, I and the other loved ones demanded answers. We got none, until the audio was leaked, and that only brought up more scary unanswered questions. I didn’t listen to the audio myself, I couldn’t go through that. I read about it on a forum, from what I read it sounded like someone was making up a story about what they heard. The post said that the pilots were just having an ordinary conversation, then they both noticed these glowing balls of white, green, and blue light. It didn’t look like any aircraft they were aware of.

The audio went dead silent. Then the two pilots started confessing all their wrong doings, everything they’ve ever done spewed out of their mouths. The rest of the recording was just everyone screaming. I thought it was ridiculous, but others who had listened to the audio had come to the same conciseness.

Giving up on finding the truth I had a mock funeral (I was the only one that went.) Seeing that we had no other family it was up to me to get their house cleaned up and ready to sell. I was not looking forward to the probate process.

One day I drove over there, the house was a poor facsimile of what it used to be. What once was a lush well kept lawn, was now overgrown with yellowed grass. Thankfully the house and second garage across from it was made of brick. I fear to imagine what shape they’d be in if they hadn’t been built with brick. As I walked up the pathway to the front door memories flashed through my mind like lightning. Me and Dad tossing the ball when I was ten, me walking the dog around the house with Mom when I was twelve.

The memories faded and reality sunk in. I’d never be able to make memories with them again, I was through everything up until this point. My knees buckled and I dropped to the ground, tears streamed down my face and I couldn’t control it anymore. They were gone forever, nothing could change that.

I picked myself up off the floor and entered the house, it was eerie being in the house for the first time in years. The inside of the house didn’t looked abandoned a part of me felt like Mom and Dad were still in their bedroom or living-room. It was like being inside of one of the houses in Chernobyl. Everything in the house looking the same day it did when it was abandoned. Canned food and boxed food was still in the cabinets, mouse droppings laid on the floor, the whole house smelled like shit.

I held my breath and trudge forward to the bedrooms to look for my parents’ financial information. After a few minutes of rummaging through their bedroom I found the paperwork also, I found something else. A box of letters that I have never seen before written by people I’ve never met.

Letter 1

Dear, Uncle Tony  Nov. 14th, 1989

Happy Birthday Uncle Tony! Love is not something you can see. Love is something you feel deep in your heart, and I love you!

Love Lorraine.

Really strange. The letter is addressing my father, but he told me he didn’t have any siblings. Why lie? Did he have a falling out and as a result he didn’t want anything else to do with his family? Anger flooded my body I have been lied to my whole life and have been kept away from family that could have been part of my life due to some possible petty grunge. I calmed down reminding myself that I knew nothing and was working myself up by jumping to conclusions. The only way I’d find out more is if I read further.

Letter 2

Dear, Uncle Tony   Nov. 28th, 1989

I really like staying over and spending time with you and Aunt Pam, but it really scares me that, that monster comes down from the sky and watches me through my window. When it taps on the glass I cover myself with my blanket and turn over, but it just keeps tapping.

Lorraine,

Chills ran up and down my spine with that one, I could barely hold the paper because my hand was shaking so bad. When I was a boy I remember seeing something drop from the sky and watch me from the window. Several  glowing green white, and blue orbs pressed against the glass. It was so surreal I thought it was just a really vivid dream. Years later I was diagnosed with schizophrenia. I’d get so many horrible memories while that thing stared at me. I’d lay there and cry for hours too scared to call out for help. I still remember that awful tapping…

Letter 3

Dear, Uncle Tony  Dec 1st, 1989

The monster keeps coming and this time he was really mean. He made me bump my head, I guess I deserve it though. When I saw him I remembered when I broke Mom's vase and lied about it.

Lorraine,

Letter 4

To: Tony   Dec. 4th, 1989

I’m happy to let Lorraine spend the weekend over your house. You’re family after all and I want her to know her Uncle and Aunt. But Lorraine came home on Sunday with a bruise on her forehead. Please make sure you keep an eye on her when she’s playing. Are you letting her watch horror movies? Lorraine keeps saying that there’s a monster that watches her through her window at night. Please, make sure she isn’t watching horror movies.

Susan,

Letter 5

Dear, Pam   Dec. 18th, 1989

For whatever reason Tony hasn’t bothered to listen to me. I’m looking forward to having X-mas with you, but Lorraine has been getting bruises in stranger and stranger places. How is she getting hurt so much?

Susan,

Letter 6

Dear, Pam  Jan. 1st, 1990

I had a lot of at your house during the holidays. I loved the sweater you got me and Lorraine loved all the toys she got. When I stayed the night I kept hearing this tapping when I was trying to sleep. At first, I tried to ignore it, but couldn’t. Annoyed, I turned to my window to see what was causing the tapping. Orbs pressed against the glass. Multi-colored glowing orbs I’ve never seen anything like this before. I was paralyzed, eyes glued to this thing at the window. This overwhelming feeling of dread consumed my whole body, all of a sudden all the horrible things that I’ve done through my life flashed through my head like lightning. Cheating on my high school boyfriend at prom, setting up a nemesis in college to be preyed upon by a group of drunk horny frat boys, luring my boss into having an affair, then blackmailing him after. So many more…

Tears streamed down my face this thing knew me inside and out. It was inside my head and was using my memories to punish me for what I’ve done. Also, it dug up traumatic events I worked so hard to forget. Feelings of self loathing washed over me I got the urge to hurt myself. Images of me slitting my wrists or killing myself in other ways filled my mind. I wanted to die. Eventually, I was released from it’s trance and found I was bleeding from my right wrist, I had clawed at myself very severely with my left hand.

Susan,

Letter 7

Dear, Tony and Pam    Jan 15th, 1990

I will no longer allow Lorraine at your house. What happened the last time she stayed over your house was unacceptable. I trusted you two to take care of her. You will never again see her or me again. We’re moving and leaving this piece of shit town behind for good!

Susan,

That was the last of the letters. I just sat there for awhile feeling confused and numb, why wasn’t I told about these relatives? And what happened that made them want to cut Mom and Dad off forever? I needed answers so I went through the box again hoping to find something that would give me closure. I did, but this one wasn’t sent and half of it was missing due to it being ripped in half.

Dear, Susan    Feb 1st, 1990

I’m sorry you feel that way and wish you would reconsider. Lorraine is a joy to have at the house and Pam and I will miss her greatly. I have no memory of doing anything to Lorraine and would never lay a finger on her. I’m concerned with one of the letters you sent me it was dated of Jan. 1st of this year. You mentioned that you saw some monster at your window. Susan I need to know if you’ve been taking your meds. You know what happens when you stop taking your medication. You need to reconsider this, I am very afraid for the child’s well-being. If I discover that you have been off your meds I wi…

That’s the end the letter. The rest of the paper was ripped. By the way the letter was written it looked like Dad was threatening this Susan person. I set the box of letters aside and looked all over the house. I found nothing. There was no closure for me with no knowledge of other family members I had no lead to any answers.

I gave up.

On the way home I kept getting this feeling that I was being watched. I took my eyes off the road for a minute and looked up. Horrible glowing balls of light filled the sky. I couldn’t see any stars or night sky. The terrible blue, green, and white colors were sky. This horrible feeling of melancholy, regret, and self loathing washed over me. Tears waterfalled down my cheeks. I began punching the steering wheel frustrated with my own very existence. Forcing the car to honk over and over again.

The lights began to morph into the faces of everyone I’ve wrong in my life. My first girlfriend who I cheated on, my ex-best friend who I left for dead after we got into a car accident when we were seventeen. My parents, I stole thousands of dollars to help support a nasty drug and gambling addiction I had when I was younger.

All of their voices filled my ears I could hear them inside my skull screaming and cursing my name. Promising to get back at me. I couldn’t take it anymore and began clawing at my face. I clawed until I bled and clawed and scratched more as I did so screaming as I did. Blood and chunks of flesh were packed underneath my fingernails. I felt lightheaded and soon everything faded to black.

I woke up in a hospital room with my head wrapped up in gauges. Doctors said that I clawed off half my face, they said I had crashed my car into a tree. Of course, I knew that wasn’t the truth. My bed was close to the window, with being bored with what was on the TV I turned my head to look outside and take in some scenery. Pine trees as far as the eye could see. Also, the dark night sky looked so beautiful; I was so happy to see it. It felt like seventy years since I’ve seen the sweet night sky.

I stared out the window for maybe five or ten minutes. Then I saw something on the horizon it moved in slowly like a shallow wave. It was those hateful glowing orbs coming to suck me in again.