Lavender and Miso
Disclaimer: Not mine, all theirs.
Cold creeping hands clutched at the sash of his window. The tips of the fingers clawed at the glass and made him break out in a cold sweat. He didn't want to watch the fingers crawl along the window ledge, the long joints bending like spiders legs.
He wished he could do any thing but stare in frozen terror as it's nails made a noise that caused all the hairs on his head to stand up straight. If he could he would have pulled his blanket over his head as soon as his Mum turned off his light. She would smile at him, her teeth would look so white in the light from the hallway, and tell him.
"Just close your eyes Kimihiro and remember that me and Dad are just down the hall."
When he had been little he had thought everyone saw what he did, so he didn't understand why everyone else hadn't avoided the park bench where the creature sat. Or the water duct that ran along the back of their apartment block. Where it smelled like something had crawled into the concrete pipe and died. Where a black fog always hugged the ground.
When a 'thing', all teeth and shadows, had crawled into his walker, when he had gone to the park one day with his Mum. As it cradled him close to it's ever changing form he had screamed and fainted.
On waking he had told her, while she let him drink chocolate milk out of his favourite cup, of the creatures and beasts that haunted his days. Kimihiro could remember the smell of her as she held him tight, lavender, and clean soap, pizza, and miso, all the good things.
From then on she always made sure there was someone watching him. That there was one of the little slips of paper, that could somehow protect him from the towering shadows that followed him where ever he may be. It would be pinned above his bed and inside his fluffy winter coat. She always made sure he was safe.
The hand was inside, dragging itself across the carpet. He could hear it's nails catching on the threads and it made a slippery sliding noise as it pulled itself towards his bed.
He was closing his eye's so tightly that he could see stars. The only noise in the room was his breath as he panted in fear.
The corner of his bedspread pulled tight and he could feel weight settle on his feet. Whimpering he felt a cold force crawl up his legs, ever so slowly.
The door opened and golden light poured into his room, her smile made the ice that had covered Kimihiro's heart crack and he smiled in return, only to gag as the hand reached his neck and gripped tight. The false light of his memory vanishing.
Kimihiro could only cry tears of silence, as the cold touch of the ghastly hand crawled inside his head.