"Besieged" by Jakari T

      Black hung heavy in the atmosphere. My throat raw and salt streaming down the curves of my face, I stared at the set of eyes glaring back from the depths. They looked hungry, empty, searching for something to fill its hollow. I retreated behind my ramparts, and when I focused my eyes on the spot of the hollow one's dwelling, he had disappeared, moving through the shadows to reach my side without incident and rend the flesh from my bones. My lip began to quiver, and I looked to the cave off in the eastern lands for a more secure shelter. A being of many shapes, curves and angles stood upright at the height of giants, swaying in the murky air. Its face, lacking any definite or natural features, snapped back and forth at random intervals, searching for the next victim to add to its indecisive form. It creaked its head in a disjointed manner in my general direction, and tilted its head in acknowledgement. A slight whooshing sound enveloped the bubble I considered my safe haven, and an unnatural movement of a chilling breeze brushed against the cragged surface of my skin, elevating the peaks to absurd heights. And from underneath my bastion, ghastly wails mixed in with the sinister whispers of fiendish animations congealed into a mass of lost and vengeful souls, carrying off my own in the monsoon.

     I finally broke;”MOOOMMMY!!” After a period of silence, my desperate cry was answered with a radiant light and a pleasant and familiar countenance. “Why are you crying son?” “The monsters, there out to get me,” I whimpered. “Sweetie, this is why I tell you to close the door before bed. You know the answering machine has two flashing lights.” “That’s not all! I saw a big monster who kept changing in the cave.” “That's just your favorite Winnie the Poo doll. That thing is motion activated, so you have to turn it off before bed.” “ But what about the loud whooshing sounds and the cold air?” “That's just the cars passing by. We live on a busy street. And on these hot summer nights, we need to blast the A/C to survive,” she answered, in a drowsy but patient voice.”It's time you go back to bed, honey. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow. It's your first day of kindergarten and you're probably just really excited. Sweet dreams.”

     The dimensions were severed, and I sat in the bleak dark once again. Everything was at peace, and I let down my ramparts. I could finally rest after such a long struggle for survival...but, the voices from down under refused to cease. Why didn't they stop? What was calling for me, beckoning for me to meet them in the underground...