Flash Fiction: "Don’t Look!" by Devin J. Meaney

Don’t Look!

Flash fiction by Devin J. Meaney

(Based on sleep paralysis)

I was laying in bed and my limbs and neck were as frozen as the icicles hanging from the gutter by my front porch. I wanted to close my eyes, but they too were entirely stuck; fixed upon the shadows, so distant, yet so close.

I was surrounded by darkness and blackened smoke, Cheshire cat grins Lurking; dancing across my walls. Their glinting eyes like hellfire gems—pure chaos. At one point I did manage to close my eyes, but that only brought the evil grins closer still. Then came the crying from under my bed, like wailing pushing forth a dance of the damned. My eyes were open yet again. I sighed to myself amidst the blackness.

“Don’t look!”

The crying continued, like a baby in pain. I knew it was not a baby though—it just wanted me to look. I sighed to myself amidst the blackness yet again.

“Don’t look!”

Then, in a rush, I was dragged from my bed by mighty invisible hands. I may as well have been a corpse, and as I was dragged to my floor I murmured and stuttered in agony. The sorrow filled cries did not cease, but I could not bring myself to look beneath the bed.

As I thought my end was near I burst forward to alertness. I was awake now—and I made haste to turn on my reading lamp. The crying had stopped, but the message in my mind was all the same.

“Don’t look!”