Scratched Glass
Sora groaned, but the sound was muffled.
He found it very hard to breathe and his face was hot. Something was smothering him. He clawed his way awake and his eyes shot open to see nothing. He drew his head back and breathed in deeply.
It was just his pillow. He had been sleeping face down. He twisted his body and found himself tangled with the bed covers. He swam in bed, struggling to get free, until he freed himself from the bedsheet. He craned his neck to look at the clock: 3:43 AM.
His head fell against pillow. "Ugh."
Normally he slept like a rock, but on some nights, it was on-and-off.
tap tap tap
His body turned rigid like a corpse. He did not hear that. It was just in his head… He hoped.
He closed his eyes and felt sleep tug on his consciousness.
tap tap tap
He was rudely pulled back into reality by that strange sound again. His opened his eyes slowly, waiting until the darkness receded and his eyes adjusted. He could make out the faint outlines of his room, with shadows in place of furnishings. His gaze worked its way around the room. He checked the ceilings, the floor, the TV, and the mess of clothes in the corner.
Nothing.
He decided to forget about it, turned around, and covered his head with the blanket.
tap tap tap
He heard it clearly this time. It was right above him, coming from the window. The blinds were closed. Good, he was going to keep it that way. He did not want to know what was behind those blinds, not one bit.
But...what could it possibly be? He was starting to think about it. No, bad Sora! Do not think about it!
tap tap tap
"Shut up." He meant to yell, but it came out as a whimper. "Damn it, I cannot deal with this BS right now..." He took the pillow and squeezed it between his head to block out the sound. "I am not hearing anything. I am not hearing anything. I am not hearing anything," he chanted.
Eventually, the mantra led him to sleep.
tap tap tap
"Goddammit!" He shot up from his bed and looked at the window. "Huh?" He squinted in confusion. It was morning now.
tap tap tap
Okay, what was making that noise? With light on his side, he now had the courage to open the blinds . He reached for the string and pulled it.
A tree branch.
It was just a tree branch.
"Frick'n tree," he muttered.
The tree between his house and Kairi's had grown out, its branches reaching as far as his window. It barely grazed the glass. When the wind blew, the branch would bounce and scratch the window.
He never liked that tree. It was planted recently to give more shade to the backyard, but it looked freaky at night, like a giant monster with hundreds of tiny limbs and tendrils. It was almost as if...it was alive or something. It was ugly too. The bark was wrinkled, twisted, and hideous. Weird patterns splayed across the bark. They almost looked like faces.
He put it out of his mind and got ready for school.
It was a long day, but he got through it somehow.
When he got home, he went into the garage and pulled out a ladder and garden shears. He tested the giant scissors, opening and closing them with a satisfying "shhnkt!" It felt dangerous.
He carried the ladder and propped it near his bedroom. He carefully climbed up until he was able to see through his window. If the tree was watching him, this was its view. He shook off the morbid thoughts and readied his shears. Before he cut the branch, he examined it more closely. It really did look like a gnarled hand with curled fingers stretching out. Why did this tree have to be so creepy? Begone, foul abomination!
SHHHNNKTTT!
A sharp shriek startled him and he almost toppled over. He held onto the ladder tightly and noticed Kairi below him.
"You almost killed me!" he yelled at her.
She giggled. "You should be more careful! What are you doing up there anyway?"
"What do you think? I'm doing some trimming." He refocused on his task, and with several chomps of the shears, he made sure that no branches were within ten feet of his window.
Kairi watched and made small talk as he worked. "Finally done?"
He stepped down from the ladder and rested the shears on his shoulder. "Yup, now let's get out of here."
Later that night, Sora was in his room, getting ready to sleep. He looked at the dark looming tree outside, its threatening silhouette spreading out against the night sky. Tingles danced on his back. It really did feel like the tree was watching him. Not anymore; he shut the blinds.
He nestled himself in bed and fell asleep easily.
Sora woke up with a start and looked around in confusion for a moment. The glowing green digits of the clock glared at him: 2:17 AM.
He sighed. It was another one of those nights again. He rolled over and closed his eyes, feeling the sweet embrace of sleep close in on him.
...
His eyes shot open. Did he just...? He strained his ears for any sound.
...
...
...
He let out a sigh of relief and chuckled. It was just his imagination.
...
...
...
tap tap tap