Chapter 9
A Mother's Growing Fear
Sally starts seeing Selly's shadowy form at the edge of her vision. Her initial dismissal crumbles into genuine fear. She knows this is more than just a game.
Sally’s heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird. It had started subtly, a flicker at the edge of her vision, a fleeting shadow that seemed to detach itself from the deeper gloom of the hallway. At first, she’d blamed it on tiredness, on the flickering streetlights outside casting dancing shapes on the walls, on her own overactive imagination working overtime. But the shadows began to linger, to take on a form that was disturbingly familiar. Tall. Dark. The shape of Selly.
Emily, bless her innocent heart, was oblivious. Or perhaps, Sally dared to think with a fresh wave of dread, she was becoming more attuned to Selly’s presence, her little world shrinking to accommodate this strange, dark friend. Emily’s playtime had shifted. The bright, sunlit corners of the playroom were now avoided. Instead, Emily would gravitate towards the deepest shadows, her small voice a hushed murmur as she spoke to someone only she could see. Sally would watch, a knot of unease tightening in her stomach, as Emily’s gaze would fix on the darkened windows, her little face rapt, as if waiting for a visitor who never quite arrived in the daylight.
The gifts, too, had changed. The shiny pebbles and oddly shaped leaves had given way to more peculiar offerings. A single, perfect black feather. A smooth, dark stone that felt unnervingly cold to the touch. A dried, brittle flower with petals the color of dried blood. Emily would present these to Sally with a solemnity that belied her five years, her eyes wide and expectant. "Selly gave me this, Mommy," she'd whisper, her voice laced with a strange reverence. "She said it's for when you're scared." Sally would force a smile, her hands trembling as she accepted the macabre trinkets. Scared? She was becoming more than scared; she was terrified.
Keep reading "A Mother's Growing Fear"
Open the same story in AIBookCraft. Later chapters may require an active subscription.
Free on iOS & Android · No signup to read