I was putting on a pair of purple gemmed ear-rings, I looked nice. I was going out tonight. I wasn't even in my early twenties so looking for a man to settle down this early was strange on top of being sort of asexual. I knew I was younger than most, but I wanted to know the guy for a while before I married him. I squealed as Slender appeared in the mirror behind me. I jumped hard and sat on the ground to regain my breath.
"DUDE!" I yelled at him. He laughed softly, helping me up as I started to stand; he then leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest casually as I pulled out my hair curler. I plugged it in.
"So to what do I owe the oh so pleasant surprise, Slen?" I asked. He laughed softly again, his height was a little bit taller than the other day. I knew his hunger affected his height. The hungrier he got the taller he got, becoming more and more predatory as his hunger grew. The prison had been about a month ago by now. Slen doesn't visit me every day. He popped into my apartment every three days or so, sometimes scaring the ever loving day lights out of me and others pleasantly surprising me with a gently spoken 'hello'. He almost seemed like he wanted to embrace me.
"Just the usual visit, but it seems you have plans tonight." He told me. I smiled at him softly, grabbing the now hot hair curler and started to put extremely loose curls in my hair.
"Yeah, I guess you can call them plans, going to a bar isn't exactly plans I guess. I can't drink legally, but I can get in. To be honest I'm not really even sure why I am going. I can't stay home every night." I told him, pulling the curler from my hair. The dark chocolate curl was soft and shiny. I loved my hair. I liked everything about me though. From my teeth, which were straight and white my hair always had a glossy shine. The thing I loved most about me though was my eyes. They were an intense aquamarine that allowed me to make people I didn't like feel really uncomfortable.
"Then why are you going to a bar. Why not come to the woods?" He asked, I tried to ignore the fact he leaned in a little closer. I smiled at his reflection in the mirror.
"And you don't have to paint yourself either." He told me, pushing my make-up bag aside. I looked at him, truly him, not just his reflection.
"You don't like make-up?" I asked him. He shook his head.
"I don't believe you need it. You're naturally beautiful. And I mean stunning. Other human women wear make-up to enhance their features, you truly have no reason for it." Slender told me preemptively. I smiled.
"What phase is the moon in tonight?" I asked him.
"Waxing crescent. Why?" He replied.
"Just wanting to know, I like moonlit walks, Slender." I told him. He laughed softly again, crossing his arms over his chest.
'I'm well aware of your walks." He told me. I knit my brows.
"How? I was too afraid to go out at night whether you were there or not when I was a child." I told him. Slender laughed again.
"People like you tend to enjoy moonlit walks, particularly in the forest. It's part of the effect I have on people." He replied. I nodded.
"Yeah. You know I searched that, it's called Slender sickness. Apparently it should be a lot worse than what I have." Slender shook his head as I unplugged the hair curler.
"It varies. Half the people who claim they have 'slender sickness' have never even really seen me. They just want to, so they take some of the worst accounts they can find and claim they have it on the internet. A sort of cry for attention." He told me. I shrugged, putting it away and taking out my ear rings. I pulled out a hair band and pulled my hair back. I looked to him.
"Alright, can we go?" I asked. He nodded and gave me his hand. I smiled and took his hand. In a second I was in the cool crisp summer air of the woods, a few scattered silvery blue rays of moonlight filtered in through the tree canopy. It was nice and quiet. I could hear a few footsteps in the forest around us, which I assumed there was wildlife of the forest. I realized Slender towered over me. I took a step back and looked at him in the face.
"Slen?" I asked. He looked to me, tilting his head.
"What is it, Echo?" Slen asked. I blinked at him a few times.
"Um, you've just gotten taller." I told him. His mouth appeared, I saw his smile now, it was a little terrifying with his sharp, sharp teeth. He just looked sinister. I realized he was kind of bent over too.
"I am taller because I can be, Echo. I would prefer to be as close to my natural height as possible , but I simply just can't in your apartment. I don't wish to threaten you." He told me. I smiled a little nervously.
"Oh, okay." I told him, hugging myself. It was summer but it was still a little chilly. I looked at him in wonder. How could he be so kind to me but still seems so terrifying? Because I never said Slender didn't creep me out just a little. He was very kind and very gentlemanly, but his entire demeanor…it was creepy. I didn't want him to leave me alone, but sometimes he was scary. Especially his teeth.
"Now, would you like to walk?" He asked. I nodded. We started down the barely visible path. I felt safe, because I knew Slender was the most dangerous thing in the forest Slen was so tall, it literally took at least two of me to make his one height.
"Slen?" I asked.
"Yes, Echo?" He replied.
"Is that like your legit entire height, or is that just a more comfortable height that you like in the forest?" I asked him.
"It is my, I suppose, natural height. But unlike humans, my height is not a fixed point about my physical being." He told me.
"Oh, okay. What exactly are you, Slen? If you aren't human, or at least used to be human, that means you're not, well, human." I laughed at my redundant question. Slen laughed softly as well.
"Slenderfolk. I'm not alone in my species. There are hundreds of us. Slenderfolk are everywhere in the world. All seven continents, even Antarctica, some of us are punishers of humans so we are near humans, others are just mere bystanders, or studiers, some of the Slenderfolk are researchers of the human race. I have brothers, each one of them is a studier of the human race. I am the only one of my family that was a punisher." He told me. I tilted my head.
"Really? That's very interesting. But, why? What do the Slenderfolk want with us?" I asked "What are Slenderfolk?" I asked.
"Observers. We are advanced humans, very advanced. A few steps ahead of Homo sapiens. Why shouldn't we? If we were to make contact with just any human, they would try to wipe my kind out. You humans do not like to co-exist. So we keep to ourselves, selecting only a few humans to make contact with" He told me. I looked at him.
"What kind of humans, what sets them apart from the rest?" I asked.
"Ones like you. With open minds, ones not afraid of things they don't understand. If you were just like those other humans, you would have long since attempted to get rid of me, would you have not? As soon as you got old enough to realize, if you stayed with me then what would you have done?" He asked. I looked to the ground.
"I-I don't know." I replied.
"Good." He told me I looked at him with a strange look.
"How is that good?" I asked. Slender chuckled again, holding his arms in a casual fashion
"You have doubt. Would you have tried to kill me? Or would you have just preferred me leave?" Slen asked. I frowned thoughtfully; I hummed as well, looking up at the canopy.
"So, there are different types of Slenderfolk. Is there a sort of caste system? Like certain types are more respected than others?" I asked. Slender was quiet.
"Not exactly a caste system. Slenderfolk are separated into two types; the High Council that gives us our jobs, and the followers." He told me.
"Oh. How long do you live? Or are you like immortal?" I asked him.
'What is with all the question about my kind, Echo?" He asked, with a strange almost happy tone of voice.
"Well you know a lot about humans, don't you? Why can't one human know a thing or two about Slenderfolk?" I replied. He nodded.
"Fair enough. Slenderfolk are not immortal, but from a human point of view we could be. I have seen throughout history. Have you ever done research on me?" He asked. I nodded.
"Ever seen the pictures, the old pictures, black and white?" Slen continued. I nodded.
"Like World War eras. And earlier. You're seen with a lot of soldiers." I told him. Slen nodded.
"Exactly. Some stories from wars have not been told. The soldiers I have been seen with, they did some very terrible things. I was appointed to punish them because the High Council appointed them unworthy of continuing with life. I've been around for quite a long time. I am older than 450 years old." He told me. I stared at him.
"450?" I asked in shock. Slender laughed gently.
"Echo that is actually young for Slenderfolk. We live for a very long time, Echo." He told me. I stuttered a little.
"Wow." I said. "Young?" I asked Slen nodded.
"Holy Cow." I muttered. I barely wrapped my head around it.
"So, since the fifteen hundreds?" I asked.
"Yes, Echo. I was born in Germany." He told me. I nodded.
"Thank you for telling me these things, I never really thought that you would be so open with someone like this." I told him. Slen nodded.
"You're special Echo." He told me.