I sat in the chair, staring at the young boy I was asked to watch.
"He's been a mess since our father died, and honestly, no one else is as calm as you, he doesn't really get excited so everyone else I have asked to watch him is nervous around him, and it's best that whoever watches him is serious, so it seemed best if I asked you..."

She wasn't kidding, the kid hadn't said a word since I had arrived, several hours had passed since I had sat there, watching a quiet child. It didn't bother me much, but the hour was growing late, he should sleep soon...
I walked up to the young boy and knelt down by him.
"Hey, it's late, you should get some rest..." I said to him.
The young boy looked up at me.
"Can you... Tell me... A story...?"
"A story? Well, I know quite many. Is there anything in particular you would like to hear?" I asked him.
"I don't... Want... Another one that ends with happily ever after... I want a story that's... Different..."
"Different...? Do you want a sad story?"
"Yeah..."
I looked at him, then I stood up and grabbed a chair and brought it over, sitting down next to his bed.
"Then... I may know of one."
I thought back, as I thought of how this story should be told.
"The story begins with a boy, about the same age as yourself..."
"He, like you, had lost his parents, a sad young boy he was. He didn't have many friends, and everyone considered him weak. The one who cared for him was his uncle, whom acted as though the boy was nothing more than a burden. One night, however, as the boy sat in the field, staring into the sky, he heard a sound."
"A sound? What was it?"
"A rustling, a crunch of a leaf, the simplest of sounds that wouldn't mean a thing, if another soul had been there."
"He didn't know what it was, maybe a new friend, he had hoped. So he turned to face the noise, and a strange silhouette stood there. The silhouette then began to speak to him."
The field was quiet, a gentle breeze blew by as I rested against the tree, staring up at the sky. I was alone, I had gotten used to this. I would often wander away from home when I couldn't sleep, but with my uncle... He's nice to others, but he doesn't like me. He still takes care of me, but... He wouldn't notice I'm gone.
I stare at the clouds and stars, then...
I hear a rustling in the leaves...
I turned to the sound, looking around to see who was walking to me...
Before me stood a shadow, but I could see it... Smile at me.
"What are you?" I asked.
"Now now, my child... Don't you recognize your mother?"
I stared at her, confused...
"So, she says she's his mom?"
The young boy looked at me, tilting his head a little.
"Yeah, she did."
"She looked at the young boy, although he didn't understand, her warm voice lured him closer."
I stood up, I could feel her staring at me. But the warmth of her voice brought me closer.
"That's my boy, come now, allow me to take you home, where you belong..."
I wasn't thinking clearly, just her outstretched arms were enough to bring me closer. She backed away, and stopped to speak again.
"I shall lead you home, my child... Come with me..."
And I went to her side, and she rested a warm hand on my shoulder. She started to lead me, and I blindly followed, I didn't ask her where we were going, I just wanted to be with my mom again. She sounded like her, her silhouette was similar, but even then, I knew something was wrong. My instincts screamed to run, to run and hide, but I didn't care...
The forest was vast, I hadn't paid any mind to our path, my mind was occupied with thoughts, happy and yet, fear was starting to seep in as I realized I didn't know where we were... I just clung to her side.
"Mom... When will we be home?" I asked.
"He was scared... But didn't care? He kept following her?"
"Yeah... He was so desperate to be in the arms of his mother, it didn't matter if deep down, he knew it wasn't her..."
"She continued leading him, further and further away, into the forest."
I was almost shaking, I was scared now, I was scared we were lost... But we weren't...
I was merely prey for a monster...
The silhouette melted away, and I screamed and started backing away, but when I tried to escape everything started going dark. I cried out again, then that gentle voice rose up.
"Relax now... My child..."
I whimpered, but I felt so weak. I was tired from the late hour and the long walk, I could see it, a form of nothingness before me, no shape or figure, just... Darkness. It started to wrap around me as I felt tears dripping from my eyes, but then...
I collapsed...
I didn't think I'd wake up...
"He... Died? He ended up dying?" The young boy asked.
I shook my head.
"I shouldn't spoil what happens next, so let's continue..."
The young boy nodded softly, and I continued to speak.
"The boy woke, to the sounds of calls and screams coming from all over the forest..."
I was shaking, 'what happened last night...? I'm scared...' I started running, from all of the voices calling my name, from all of the footsteps, from everyone. I kept running until my legs gave out, and I just curled up into a ball and started crying. I finally called back to the voices...
"I... I give up..." I got out through the tears.
I just laid there as I eventually heard footfalls coming towards me, I kept my eyes closed tight, I didn't want to see what had come for me, I didn't want to keep running... I just wanted this to be over...
I felt a pair of gentle arms lift me up, and hold me close, and so I slowly opened my eyes to see who had found me.
My uncle looked odd, his eyes seemed worried as he looked down at me.
"Why did you try to run away from everyone?"
"I was scared..."
"Why were you scared?"
I tried to tell him what had happened, but he just stared at me as I tried to explain, I finally gave up.
"I just want to go home... Please take me home..." I whimpered.
My uncle made a soft noise as I clung to him, I felt... So... Cold...
"Your hands... You feel half frozen to death..."
I stared up at him, and he just started to carry me back, he told anyone he ran into that he had found me, and was going to take me home. I was tired, although I had just woken up, so I fell asleep in his arms.
"I think I can understand why he was still sleepy... He had such a horrible night, he couldn't sleep well, even if he felt he had slept thoroughly." The young boy said.
"That's probably why the boy couldn't keep awake, yeah..."
"What was that thing that pretended to be his mom?"
"It's never explained... So honestly, I don't really know what it is." I told the boy.
"Hmm... It sounds really scary..."
"Do you want me to continue the story?" I asked softly.
"Yeah." The young boy answered.
"The boy woke up, screaming and in tears, as nightmares slipped into his mind. He was shivering from whatever he had seen..."
My uncle rushed in, and knelt down beside me.
"What happened? Are you alright?"
I was shaking as I clung to him again, and he once again looked startled as he gently touched my hands.
"You've been covered in blankets yet you're still as cold as ice..."
"I had a nightmare..." I whimpered.
"After what happened, I can understand being scared... You don't have to worry about that..."
That's what he told me that night, and every night that followed until he also died, leaving me alone again. Sometime, I would wander out into the shadows and hear that voice again. I know I shouldn't seek it out, every time, the nightmares got worse, and my body seemed to get colder and maybe even weaker, but I hated being so alone... I wanted someone... Even if that someone was draining my life from me...
"So... He went back to the shadows after his uncle died? What happened to him? Do the shadows kill him?"
"No... He just... Keeps going back." I said.
"How long does he keep going back for?"
"I don't know..." I said.
"So... The story doesn't really end, does it?" The young boy asked me.
I shook my head.
"At least, not for now..." I said.
"How come? Why didn't the writer make an end for it?"
"I don't really know..."
The boy looked down, then looked up at me and nodded, climbing out of bed and hugging me. I flinched a little, but hugged back, the hug lasted for a minute before he let go. I helped him back into bed, then he made a soft noise.
"Your hands are cold..."
"Oh... I'm sorry..."
"It's been a hot day, how are your hands so cold...?"
I didn't answer, I just looked down. I could feel him staring at me.
"You're the boy in the story...?"
"What...? That wouldn't even make-"
"Yeah it would... That explains why it hasn't been finished, because as long as you live, the story continues." The young boy said.
I sighed.
"I have to ask you... If you ever see the shadows come to life... You won't follow my path... Right...?"
"Right... But shouldn't you leave the shadows alone? Didn't you say that they could even be killing you?"
"I want to leave them... But at the same time... It feels like I can't... Which is why its better to avoid them, before they get ahold of you."
The boy nodded, then yawned.
"Ah right... It's late... You should sleep."
The young boy looked at me, then I saw him slowly shut his eyes as he drifted to sleep.
The hours went by, and I waited until his sister returned. She thanked me for watching him, and then I left. As I walked along the dark paths, I could sense them again... I went into a dark alleyway, and I felt their warm embrace again as I lost consciousness...
I woke up as the sun rose, light falling over my eyes. I felt cold again... I stood up, leaning against one of the buildings as I tried to regain my energy as quickly as possible. I checked my phone, I should start walking to school...
When I got there, that boy's sister ran up and hugged me, saying that her little brother was starting to get back to normal. She said that he didn't tell her what I had said, but that it helped him start to realize that he could be okay...
I couldn't help but smile.