My prey is right within my reach. I could grasp her fat little hand, pull her in, and have dinner for the night. However, there is some sort of strange force keeping me from her. I silently signal my husband to come over to evaluate the situation. He mouths to me that she has been blessed and that we should move away from the area. I agree but I dont understand what that means to be blessed. Slender takes my hand as we disappear into the shadowy depths of our kingdom.
I am asking the question almost instantly after we arrive. He holds his finger up to his gray lips and leads me to our home. The children are at hunting school with the other slender-children so we have the house to ourselves. We sit down across from each other with our oak dining table in between us. Slender opens to the page of his book that he was reading before we left and started reading. My curiosity has filled my mind to the brim and I cant take it any longer. So I ask again.
Slender looks up from his book and sighs. He explains to me that a child being means that we can not touch them. I stare wide-eyed at him. He explains that there is a power stronger than us. He says this power is very rare and few people know about it (thankfully or wed starve). Only a certain religious leader can bestow this power on a child. Then, a gray shadow casts itself over Slenders face. He tells me that the people who use this mysterious power can defeat us. I stare at him blankly, taking in what he just said.
He takes my hand in his and explains to me how many years ago, before we got married, a group of slender-people tried to go after a child who had been blessed. They were never heard from again. This story makes me uncomfortable and I shift around on my chair. Slender squeezes my hand and tells me not to worry. He tells me that we will always be safe in our shadow kingdom because in order to enter it, you have to be a slender-person or with one. I nod my head, unconvinced. He gets up from the table and kisses me on the head before leaving the room.
I am bothered by this because a few months ago I went to check on my family. I made them all sick because I was getting so close. While I was there, I listened in on a seemingly serious conversation. My parents were talking about blessing the whole family and my house so that no one would get snatched up by another slender-person. I wonder if they ended up doing it...If so, they could potentially harm my new family. I dont know how to feel.