Benevolent Nightmare
The house was silent. A small, lithe figure slowly descended the creaky stairs of the family's modest 3-bedroom home. The sound of soft snoring floated down the stairs after her.
"Ariea? Is that you, babe?"
The girl froze.
"Yeah, Dad, I'm just getting a drink of water, I'm really thirsty," came Ariea's voice from the bottom of the stairs.
Her father looked about confusedly for a second before he replied, "But there's a bathroom up here…" But his daughter had already disappeared into the kitchen.
This was not unusual in the Nestle home. At least most of it wasn't. With a family of nine, things got pretty chaotic at times. But at 4:21 in the morning things usually settled down. Usually.
"Daddy? You there?" Ariea's voice peeked out from behind the girls' bedroom door. The eight-year-old stepped out onto the landing, and her petite figure was illuminated by the crack of light coming from the bathroom.
"Hon?" Her dad twirled around. "How'd you move so fast?"
"What?"
Ariea rubbed her eyes sleepily and pulled on her fuzzy pink nightgown.
"I thought you were downstairs, Arie…"
"Huh? I just woke up, Dad."
Her dad reached out an arm and pulled her into his side.
"I heard one of your sisters downstairs, then. Let me go check. Why don't you go back to bed?"
"Sure, Dad, but it's a mess in there- you know how Arelai and Arawyn throw their stuff everywhere… I hope I don't trip!"
Her father watched her fondly until she reached the door. Then he went down the stairs, mumbling, "I could swear it was Arie's voice- she's the youngest, it wouldn't be hard to mistake for another's…"
He walked into the small kitchen and fumbled with the lightswitch. It flicked on with a mechanical buzz, dully lighting the wooden countertops. There was a thud from behind him, and Mr. Nestle twirled around for the second time that night.
The door was ajar, and a dark and depressing wind was creeping its way into the kitchen. The curtains swayed in the irregular rhythm of the wind. Mr. Nestle's skin prickled with goosebumps.
"Hello?"
He closed the door, but not before seeing a flash as something dove into the woods.
'I must be imagining things' he thought to himself. 'It wouldn't be the first time, with all these kids'.
He locked the door and turned off the light. He uneasily stepped up the creaky stairs. They moaned under his weight. Would all his daughters be there?
"Dad?" came Arelai's voice, the third oldest.
"What are you doing out there?" came Aidan's voice from the boy's room. He was the youngest and Ariea's twin brother.
Mr. Nestle peeked in the boys' room and counted. Two. Good.
He then walked across the landing to the girls' room. He opened the door a crack into their slightly cluttered room. Aerhiel was sound asleep- she could sleep through anything. Arelai was sitting upright in her bed, and Arawyn and Ariea were waiting by the door.
"What's wrong?" piped Ariea's voice.
"Someone's missing. Who?"
Arawyn raised a shaky hand towards Aleusia's bunk.
"It's Leu. She's gone. I heard her go out a couple of minutes ago, but by the sound of her voice, I thought it was Ariea.
Mr. Nestle sighed in both relief and terror. So she'd heard Ariea's voice, too. But Aleusia! What in god's name had happened to her?
The third oldest girl and the fourth oldest in general, Aleusia had always been the middle child of sorts. But was that the reason she'd left? Was it even her? He hoped it wasn't his fault and went to wake his wife. His daughters and two sons followed him into the master bedroom. Maybe it was sleepwalking.
The house was silent. A small, lithe figure slowly descended the creaky stairs of the family's modest 3-bedroom home. The sound of soft snoring floated down the stairs after her.
"Ariea? Is that you, babe?"
The girl froze.
"Yeah, Dad, I'm just getting a drink of water, I'm really thirsty," came Ariea's voice from the bottom of the stairs.
Her father looked about confusedly for a second before he replied, "But there's a bathroom up here…" But his daughter had already disappeared into the kitchen.
This was not unusual in the Nestle home. At least most of it wasn't. With a family of nine, things got pretty chaotic at times. But at 4:21 in the morning things usually settled down. Usually.
"Daddy? You there?" Ariea's voice peeked out from behind the girls' bedroom door. The eight-year-old stepped out onto the landing, and her petite figure was illuminated by the crack of light coming from the bathroom.
"Hon?" Her dad twirled around. "How'd you move so fast?"
"What?"
Ariea rubbed her eyes sleepily and pulled on her fuzzy pink nightgown.
"I thought you were downstairs, Arie…"
"Huh? I just woke up, Dad."
Her dad reached out an arm and pulled her into his side.
"I heard one of your sisters downstairs, then. Let me go check. Why don't you go back to bed?"
"Sure, Dad, but it's a mess in there- you know how Arelai and Arawyn throw their stuff everywhere… I hope I don't trip!"
Her father watched her fondly until she reached the door. Then he went down the stairs, mumbling, "I could swear it was Arie's voice- she's the youngest, it wouldn't be hard to mistake for another's…"
He walked into the small kitchen and fumbled with the lightswitch. It flicked on with a mechanical buzz, dully lighting the wooden countertops. There was a thud from behind him, and Mr. Nestle twirled around for the second time that night.
The door was ajar, and a dark and depressing wind was creeping its way into the kitchen. The curtains swayed in the irregular rhythm of the wind. Mr. Nestle's skin prickled with goosebumps.
"Hello?"
He closed the door, but not before seeing a flash as something dove into the woods.
'I must be imagining things' he thought to himself. 'It wouldn't be the first time, with all these kids'.
He locked the door and turned off the light. He uneasily stepped up the creaky stairs. They moaned under his weight. Would all his daughters be there?
"Dad?" came Arelai's voice, the third oldest.
"What are you doing out there?" came Aidan's voice from the boy's room. He was the youngest and Ariea's twin brother.
Mr. Nestle peeked in the boys' room and counted. Two. Good.
He then walked across the landing to the girls' room. He opened the door a crack into their slightly cluttered room. Aerhiel was sound asleep- she could sleep through anything. Arelai was sitting upright in her bed, and Arawyn and Ariea were waiting by the door.
"What's wrong?" piped Ariea's voice.
"Someone's missing. Who?"
Arawyn raised a shaky hand towards Aleusia's bunk.
"It's Leu. She's gone. I heard her go out a couple of minutes ago, but by the sound of her voice, I thought it was Ariea.
Mr. Nestle sighed in both relief and terror. So she'd heard Ariea's voice, too. But Aleusia! What in god's name had happened to her?
The third oldest girl and the fourth oldest in general, Aleusia had always been the middle child of sorts. But was that the reason she'd left? Was it even her? He hoped it wasn't his fault and went to wake his wife. His daughters and two sons followed him into the master bedroom. Maybe it was sleepwalking.