A birthday gift for Jade. ^^
This is Tabloidship - no like, no read. :P
I've told you before.
Once the lights go out, the hallways are a no-man's-land.
The halls connect our rooms.
You can't come visit me once the lights are dead.
Something sinister lurks in the halls after dark, curled up and waiting. It's the thing that has made me make you promise me –
Once the lights go out, you will not leave your room.
XXX
I watch the ceiling.
Patterned lights play before my eyes, so bright in the frozen dark.
My door creaks open, the barest crack, the tiniest hint.
A sliver of pale gold trickles into my room.
I've told you before.
The door opens further, your blank silhouette blocking the frail beams of light when they seek to invade my space.
I watch you come in, close the door.
Haven't you learned from the past hundred thousand nights, little one?
I get out of bed and you run to me, tangle your hands in mine and cry softly.
A nightmare, then.
Come with me.
I promised myself I'd never go out into the halls after dark. I forget that promise now, made hastily in the deceiving hours of daylight. You need me to be strong, to take you.
I gather your small body up in my arms. You're not as heavy as you should be, little one.
Your tears stain the front of my shirt. There will be salt there in the morning. For now though, I stand, holding you close, rocking you back and forth. I am tempted to let you stay, but that would be worse than taking to the halls after dark.
But it's so tempting.
Your breathing has slowed and the tears on your face have dried to nothing but salt patterns. I can feel your small hands unclenching slowly, releasing the death grip you had on my shirt.
I don't want to take you back where you belong. Wouldn't it be easier to keep you here?
It's what I tell myself, but I know it isn't true.
You can't stay here. We both know it.
I'm sorry, little one.
It's time I returned you.
Gathered up to my body, I can feel your heart beat. It matches the rhythm of my own – a slow, staccato thrumming out of keeping with the rest of the world.
It takes me a long moment to finally step out into the hallway and carry you back to your room.
Once there, I slip you into your bed and pause, wishing at once I could stay. But I know I can't, because it doesn't work that way.
Not with your angelic peace here. I can't stay – can't contaminate whatever innocence you may have left.
I venture back out into the hallway. It takes a long time to come within sight of my door.
I jump at every unexpected noise – hide in the shadows at any sign of movement.
Once I'm in sight, I stride forward –
Only to be caught by the beast that lurks in the hallways after dark.
What are you doing up? he demands.
The hard grip on my wrist feels like it is shattering the bone.
Please - I had a reason!
No reason is good enough to be out of bed after dark, as I've learned.
It hurts. It all hurts.
But I can take it, eyes open, without tears. I know in the end I'll wake up with a slowly fading memory of tonight's events. No bruises, nothing broken, no proof.
Except maybe this time there will be. It's not all in my head. The salt from your tears on my shirt – that will be enough for me when I wake up in the morning, dreaming about a nightmare I've lived.