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It looked like a massive nest or a basket. Clearly woven, held together with branches not twigs. Something horrendous lived there. Something that could think, could weave, could create a threat in the vision of tangled trees.
She tried to dispelling her fears, to get freedom back. But as she looked on, two huge spikes shot up into the air and the massive bulk of a head loomed into the sky. She knew she had lost when the gold green eyes sparkled as they opened. The beast was awake!
There’s definitely something odd about this watch, she said to her friend. I ordered it over the Internet and it arrived today. I needed a new one and this was cheap and cheerful……. She couldn’t explain what was making her uneasy. Is it keeping time? Her friend said, and she replied, yes, it seems to be fine.
She went home after her shift and changed into her pajamas. Put the watch on the bedside cabinet… Tick tock… Tick tock.. Tick tock … She woke in the middle of the night and realised what she had subconsciously been hearing all day…
Tick-tock, the watch was saying the words, not actually ticking or tocking !
Go to sleep Sarah it said, Gooo tooo sleeeep!
What the merry hell?
She was searching for the keys for the back door…
She had let herself in the front door with a key she had found in the street. It had just been there, in the gutter. Perhaps fallen from a pocket? The address was stuck to it with a bit of sellotape. She wondered why and pondered if the person it belonged to was forgetful….
She decided to try and find the house or flat it was from, so she looked it up on her phone. Success, only two streets away. She would go round and drop it off.
A few minutes later she was outside a large, smart house. Set back in a large corner plot. Bushes and trees and a neatly trimmed lawn. She walked up the gravel drive, her feet crunching so loudly she was certain any occupent would hear her coming.
She knocked on the big blue door. And gazed through the frosted glass to see if she could see movement. But nothing but silence greeted her.
She knocked again, should she post the key through the brass letterbox, or wrap it in some paper from her bag and leave a message?
There was no reply so she pulled the key out of her bag. But she looked at the door lock. Why not? She knew she was being nosey but…. She lifted the key and unlocked the door. ‘Hello’ she called loudly. ‘Anyone home?’ No reply again…. She walked further in, looking around. A marble floor, beautiful paintings on the wall. Swag curtains on the windows, made of blue and green velvet. That was just the hall! Gradually she explored the downstairs area, reception rooms, beautifully decorated and furnished. A dining table set in a plush dining room. Each more luxurious than the last. She passed admiring glances over the fully fitted kitchen. An island! How did people afford such luxury?
Suddenly she heard the front door slam… She hadn’t locked it, whoever was there would have noticed that. ‘Who’s here?’ came a loud male voice. She stood still and silent, the shout came again, louder now, exploring. Heavy footsteps running upstairs. Now was her chance. She ran into the utility room where she had seen the back door. Keys hung on a board together with a Swiss army knife. Scrambling she tried to find the key to the back door. Keys fell, crashing loudly to the floor. ‘Who is there? ‘ Louder, closer, feet rushing. I’ve got to get out, anywhere, maybe I can hide in the back garden or find a side gate? She thought in a panic…..
Outside, running. Towards the gate. Feet running after her, he grabbed her wrist. Thrust the knife blade towards her throat. ‘Who the hell are you?’ he screamed in her face…..
Hallucination, dream, ghost?
At 3am on Halloween morning he awoke to see a figure by the bed. Still, silent, watching him. He blinked and it was gone. But it’s memory stuck in his mind. A grey haired tall woman. Middle aged, quite slender. He sat up and looked all round the room, but the only noise was the tick of the clock and the hum of the central heating. There was no place to hide in the small single bedroom. Not even any curtains to hide behind, with a telltale shoe sticking out. He doubted anyone could squeeze behind venetian blinds…..
Eventually sleep dragged him down into its arms again. Then when he was settled, the figure pushed through the wall and back next to him again. Eyes staring, never blinking, a look of sadness on her face. Never knowing her grandson till now. Knowing it was his last night on earth. One minute here… Tick… The next.. Gone.
Eyes open, staring at the ceiling, or eyes closed and flashes and patterns inside my eyelids. Curling tight in a ball, shivering with cold. Why did I turn the heating off? Pulling the duvet over my head, hoping the warmth of my breath will bring feeling back to my hands. Its only October but the temperature has dropped. So many nights without proper sleep. Pain and worries mingle, darkness does not enfold me in its arms, but instead picks on my mind. It hurts me, darkness extends into the future. Dawn arrives later every morning. Enveloping me in misery. Stay up, keep the lights on. Speed the night through watching TV.
Only days till Halloween, what is waiting for me? Noise outside again. Is there anyone there? If I could sleep I would be oblivious to it. Oh what can I do?
She gave me the metal cat as a present, it was sweet of her, but I could not get over the staring eyes. Googly eyes. Glass eyes. It was like the cat had no eyelids.
I put my ‘present’ on the windowledge in the kitchen. As the nights drew in the cat was more noticeable. The eyes, staring. I would try and look the other way as I walked past it to the back door or the bathroom, and on my return I would look at the cooker or the fridge just to avoid its eyes. Her eyes, definitely female, feline eyes.
It was a few months later, September or October, when the nights began to last longer than the days. I looked over at her, but she was facing the other way? Looking out of the window? I asked my husband, no he hadn’t moved her. I asked him to put her back facing inwards. She’s heavy so he did it for me. But, the next night, the same thing. We moved her back… This was the same every night for a week. It kept happening.
The next night I looked and she wasn’t there. I looked around, she was by the cat flap! This was mad. Either my husband was doing it, or the cat had some sort of magical power? I was getting scared it was very strange. I wanted to tell someone, but my husband said if I told the police, or friends, they would think I was going daft.
Every time I put the cat back it moved overnight. So what else could I do? I stayed up after my husband had gone to bed. I looked in the kitchen, and as I did, the cat stretched, front legs, then back legs, arched it’s back, tail straight up…. And jumped… Jumped off the ledge, onto the kitchen counter and onto the floor! It looked back with those eyes…. I was mesmerised. It walked to the back door and I followed. It pawed at the door. What could I do? I opened it. As I did, ghostly black cat shapes poured in! All of them with staring eyes. I knew then I wasn’t safe….
When I bought the house I noticed a small rose bush. I thought nothing more of it. Then I moved in and everything was lovely. At least at first.
As time passed the garden grew, I tried to look after it, but it just kept growing. The roses were beautiful, white, perfumed. But it kept growing, entwined in the fence, creeping over the path.
But inside the house I felt safe. It was warm and comfortable, the colours were muted, pastels, old soft furnishings, blankets, a happy place.
Then one morning, I tried opening the double front door, the handle would not move, something was wrapped around it? I looked out of the window, sideways, I saw it. The rose had grown round the door handle, as I watched leaves sprouted and perfect white flowers appeared. The house was happy, the rose was happy. But me? Not so much.
Look up on the sky. Can you see it? The rain arch. I don’t understand it. That’s not normal? Who knows what it means?
Is it a stunt, is it possible? How can you believe that is real?
These were the questions being asked by people who saw it. The picture went viral. Then stories of other arches appeared in the news. There was more rain and more arches. No one had an explanation. But strange things continued to happen. The rain arches started appearing at night. There was only the arches. A new phenomena.
Something is watching me… Not cctv, not a plane or helicopter, not a satellite. Just… Something.
People say I’m mad, I’ve lost my mind. I believe in portents, I’ve seen the films, read the books. I looked at the Internet. The news isn’t fake. It’s real. Aliens aren’t coming, they are here. My friends call it gibberish, flim flammery, but I Know I’m being watched.
The eyes are there, I can feel their power. Watching, waiting, ready to take over. All it will take is one tweak to their gene pool. One extra piece of the puzzle. One grim fact and then……. Man will be subservient.
When cats develop opposable thumbs!
Just saw something flying over the house in the night sky. Four really strange star shaped objects, glowing, shedding sparkling light as they drifted across the sky. Glittering and shimmering. Beautiful and obtuse. No signals from them, neither radio nor radiation. They are still visible on the Eastern horizon. I decided to follow them in my car. I realised how hard it is to drive and watch the sky though! Several near misses later and I was driving along a dark road into the countryside. The star shards were lower in the sky, loosing altitude..
How much further? Holographic shimmers, suddenly stopping abruptly in a dark field?
I climbed over the style, up the hill towards a high hedge, eyes accustomed to the dark, I saw….
Not UFOs but four holographic star shaped balloons, tied with ribbon, stuck in a tree!
Now to try and find my way home……
Mallaband-Brown