A pizza was all I wanted
You now that feeling, the one that comes to you while you are sprawled in front of your TV in your underwear, covered in all kinds of crumbs from snacks with dubious nutritional value, the one feeling that tells you that everything is gonna change soon?
Well, I think I had that exact feeling on that fateful day. There I was, content that the boring overdrawn week at work is finally winding down to three days of me catching up with my shows and trying not to die from being too lazy to breathe. And in that moment of bliss, I get the wild idea of ordering a pizza.
Right now surely you are thinking: “Wow, this guy thinks ordering a pizza as an adventure, this story is surely going to be riveting!”. But before you drop this book, or whatever you are holding right now, and go do something better, I’m asking you to hear my story, for it gets better.
So, pizza time! I grab my phone, lying there conveniently at arms reach, and order up a Capricciosa from my favourite place. “Gosh, even his pizza preference is boring!”. Yeah, I like keeping things simple, thank you very much.
But as I hang up, there goes that feeling, that something has shifted. Neo sees the same black cat again, the remote has mysteriously gone to the bathroom…. I look at the TV, the same actors are there on the screen, still kneeling over a body of a young woman just as I paused them before picking up the phone. The sofa has the same smooth feeling under my fingertips, yet… is the light reflected something differently?. Come to think of it, is the TV having sort of blueish tint? No, the TV is ok, I’ve just sat on the remote and screwed up the contrast.
But still something was not right, I felt it then, I knew it. Oh well, I just unpaused, thinking, come what may, I’ll probably get to watch the whole episode before the pizza comes anyway.
But only fifteen minutes passed before my doorbell rang. ‘Damn, that was fast’, I thought, while trying to get up and locate my clothes at the same time. I always hate that part of ordering food, Having to go through the whole ordeal of getting dressed just so not to shock the poor delivery person. And then off with the clothes again. It’s a nuisance.
So I finally get dressed, while the doorbell rings twice more. I yell “Coming!”, although I know it to be pointless because I’m separated from the deliverer outside by a wall and a very soundproof door. I finally reach the handle, and notice that I have my t-shirt on the wrong side. Well, what of it, really?
I open the door and I’m greeted by a rather pleasant looking brunette, probably in her early 20s, with a look so bored that that I almost lost interest in food altogether. “That would be eight euros sir.” she says, and I start feeling my pants for the wallet. Of course it’s not there. “Sorry, just a second, I need to grab my wallet.” I say, and she just let out this really long sigh. A very rude and unpleasant person, I thought, reducing in my mind the size of her tip accordingly.
My wallet, of course, was in my other jeans, that I threw earlier all the way over in my bedroom. I finally locate a ten and I hurried back to give it to her.
But she was gone. The door was ajar, and she was not there. At this point, I’m getting a little angry at her. I want my pizza, damn it! Maybe I’ll ask for full change. “Lady?” I call in the hallway, but my voice just gets reverberated and I quickly refrain myself from calling again, lest I bring the wrath of my neighbours upon me. “Ah, I have to put on my shoes on and chase after her”, I thought. And so I begrudgingly slipped my shoes on, not bothering to tie them even, and closing the door behind me, started running down the stairs, and outside the building.
Right now you must be thinking, “Hold on, why did he have to go out? Why not just call the place again, and complain that his delivery run off? Why go through all this effort?”
Well, first of all, I really wanted my pizza. Second, I only knew that girl for 30 seconds and I already hated her, so I had some things I wanted to say to her directly. And most importantly, If I hadn’t went out, nothing would have happened, I would have ascribed my strange feeling to my anxiety, and you wouldn’t have been reading this, instead would just go about your life without even knowing I exist.
But I did get out of my apartment, chasing after the pizza that was doomed to not be mine. The lift was on the highest floor, which meant she didn’t take it, and it also meant that it would take me longer to wait for it to come to my floor than go down the stairs on my own. So, stairs it is, and I start descending quickly and in short steps.
Once down, I notice through the glass doors of the building entrance that the delivery bike is still parked in front. She even parked it inappropriately! But it means she is still close, and I really wanted to talk her ear off now.
And as I exited the building, I immediately yelled “Miss, I got the...” but then I stopped short when I heard the door click behind me.
An image flashed before my eyes, of keys on the coffee table. I felt in my pockets, and sure enough, the vision was true. Great, now I’m not only pizzaless, but locked out of my building as well. Lucky thing is that I never installed that self-locking mechanism for my apartment. And no phone too. I’ll buzz some of my neighbours, it’s still early enough, but right now, after investing so much, I really had to get that pizza.
I looked around the street. There was the delivery bike improperly parked before me, and the neighbours’ cars properly parked all along the street. But not a soul in sight. Kinda strange, considering the street can get busy even after midnight.
I started looking around, first on the side of my building, upon the path that lead to the little residential park. No sign of the pizza girl, the little park was quiet except for the murmurs of the small fountain and the birds. Next was the curb towards the intersection of my street and the one perpendicular. Some cars passed in the distance, but otherwise no one in sight. But that was not entirely true, I found out when turning back towards my apartment, half-deciding to call off the search and just call the pizza company and let them handle their employee. There was an older man, all suited up and with fedora and all, smoking a cigarette leaned on the building across the street. He would have looked as a character straight from a western movie, had it not been for the anachronistic black suit more rooted to our current age.
I decided, of course, to ask him if he had seen her.
“What is not a door, but can also be a jar?” He asked in response to my question.
I must say I was taken aback by the strange question to even acknowledge my confusion, so instead, I just answered “Umm….a window?”
“Good. I saw a pizza delivery girl go inside that building over there.”
“Well, have you seen her exit?”
“Three people are on a boat. The boat sinks but only two people get their hair wet. Why?” He responded.
I gave him my best look of confusion. I scanned him, but he didn’t look like he was high or something. That cigarette really smelled awful as any cigarette can, and now that I noticed, he himself gave off a strong smell of cigarettes. But that was all, otherwise he was a perfectly decent looking human being, maybe slightly too stylish for my taste, but no sign of him being a junkie or an alcoholic. So I decided to play along, before he noticed that I was judging him
“The third person is bald.”
“Very good!” He looked genuinely pleased, as he puffed the smoke of his cigarette respectfully away from my face. “No, she hasn’t left, I would have noticed that.”
“But that doesn’t make any sense, she is not in the building.” I said maybe a little too forcibly. He exhaled again, and looked me straight into the eyes.
“Have you checked everywhere?” His ‘everywhere’ was a really quiet and polite version of Gary Oldman’s ‘everyone’. I was officially off-put, and took a step back.
“No, you are right sir, sorry to bother you, she must still be inside, you are right..” Goddamnit, I was telegraphing I was getting scared like hell. I turned just in time to step on the street and cross it once again. I was lucky there were no cars passing by, as i didn’t bother to look in any direction. I just heard the strange man behind me. “No bother really, glad to be of help.”
Back at the entrance, I was thinking of who to call from my neighbours. Of course, probably the best would be to call my new next door neighbour, since I was thinking about starting up a conversation with her for a quite a while, but for the past month or so since she moved in I was barely able to muster a “Hello” while in the elevator. Pathetic.
This might be a perfect chance to change that, though. I have a perfect excuse, and a slightly funny story. Yes, I’ll call her.
And my finger moved to the sweet old lady below me. Of course.
There was a moment wait before she finally buzzed me in. Strange, she didn’t even say a word. There is a camera in the intercom, she would have seen me, but still… I hope she isn’t mad for ringing so late.
Finally inside, I called up the elevator, which, in all its glory, now didn’t work. ‘I guess I’ll climb’ I said to myself.
Finally at my door, I reached for the doorknob, and the door opened. I stepped inside, sighing in relief, and then raising my head, my blood froze.
I was not at home. It was the little old lady place. Somehow I managed to completely miss my apartment. By a floor, nonetheless.
But mind you, my blood didn’t freeze because I mistakenly entered my neighbours home. Oh no, not even I am so anxious as to be petrified by the social discomfort from such a small mistake. If everything was perfectly normal, I would just apologise, make a small joke about my scattered brain, and then just move out.
But no, this was far from normal. You see, the hallway I was in was the same that I’ve seen dozen times when I would come here to chat with the sweet old lady. But the end of it, was dark. Very dark. But not a normal, still dark. It was dancing, slithering darkness. Vibrating darkness. The more I focused on it, the more I could make out even darker tendrils doing what tendrils usually do.
My body tensed, my hand still gripping the door handle, now getting extremely sweaty. My brain screamed ‘GET OUT!’, and yet, I was just standing there, rooted, watching at the show the dark tendrils put out for me.
And then, there came the face. The devil himself, horns and all.
“Foolish mortal, what brings you to my realm”.
I was amazed I didn’t die right then. Or shit myself. Did I shit myself though? I hope not.
“I just wanted some pizza, sir.” What the fuck am I blabbering?
The cold, black eyes stared right into my soul. There was a tangy steam coming out from his nostrils now.
“Pizza?” He said, in a voice so terrifying that made the walls tremble with fear. “Are you making fun of the dark lord?”
No! Never! Why would I do that? But I just stumbled behind, and out into the hallway. There I was, on my ass, staring into the eyes of evil itself. I was sure I was about to die.
But then she came. In yoga pants, training bra. She was interrupted during her practice for sure. Now I know something about her. But this is no time to make flirty conversation. I was about to yell at her to not see inside, but she just pulled me away from the door, shut it, said something on a language I was sure it should have been forgotten, and then turned to me again.
“What are you doing here?”
It was a sweet voice, non-accusatory. Calming.
“I ordered a pizza and the pizza delivery went missing and then there was the riddle guy outside and he told me to check again inside and then I called the old lady instead of calling you because I am kinda scared to talk to you because I kinda like you and then I mistakenly entered this apartment and there was dark inside and then that thing….” I suddenly stopped my tirade. Fuck, did I just tell her I like her?
But she was looking at me, in thought. She wasn’t mad, that’s cool. Nor annoyed, which - also cool. She looked as if she was figuring out something.
And then: “They used a pizza guy again?” she said, smirking. “For someone who calls himself ‘The Cunning One’, he surely lacks imagination.”
“It was a pizza girl.” I said, standing up. “What do you mean again? Who...”
“No time. You must listen to me very carefully now. The Puzzler did good to bring you back inside. It was a good trick. But you must listen to me now, and do as I say. Go to your apartment, grab some salt…. You have salt, don’t you?”
I nodded, confused.
“Good, grab as much as you can, the whole container. And hurry, please.”
The please was so sweet, yet so foreboding, that I quickly put aside my confusion for later, and I ran upstairs to my apartment. I was proud of myself for getting the right door now, even prouder that I didn’t stumble even once on my way to the kitchen. I grabbed the salt jar, and went back down, thinking all the time ‘I am doing it, I’m helping the girl.’ But help with what, I didn’t know. It didn’t matter, for it was nice to feel important for once.
I found her chanting at the door, while doing some strange things with her arms, kinda like those things yoga people do. I wasn’t sure if i should break her concentration, she really seemed into it, but mercifully she turned her face towards me when I was about a meter away and said: “Good job. That should be enough. I want you now to place a line of salt in front of the door.”
I obeyed. “Careful not to use it all, if you can. It could help if there is a bit left.”
The container was almost full, and there was about a kilo worth of salt inside. The line didn’t even take a quarter. “There is still much left”, I said, as I finished the line.
“Good. I want you to spread the rest of it all over me.”
I stood still, unsure. Was I to use my hands to cover her body in salt?
She seemed to read my mind. “No, not like that, just pour it all over me, it’s enough.” I was a bit embarrassed for my thoughts had been so transparent. “It’s ok” she said smilingly, again in answer to my thoughts. “But do hurry, time is running out.”
And I did, I poured the rest of the salt over her head, and now her hair was full of it, and some clinged to her clothes and skin. “Perfect.” she said, still smiling. “Now, one more thing, open the door, and stand back. Don’t be afraid, look at him. Taunt him. I want you to taunt him.”
My god, I was terrified, but that sweet voice… If she told me to cover my hand in oil and stick it in fire I would do that without hesitation. So I took my most resolute stance, opened the door, and faced the darkness.
And the darkness stared back. And it came for me, but I stood still, with courage that took me by surprise.
“Foolish mortal...” My innards trembled, threatening to turn into mush. I was sure I would die, but I had courage coming from somewhere… besides myself, if that made any sense?”
And then I felt the fumes from his nostrils burning my skin. And then a terrible scream that nearly shattered my brain. And then silence. I realised I had close my eyes, and when I opened them, there was nothing. Just an open door looking at a normal apartment, and a smiling girl-next-door next to me.
“That was great!” she exclaimed, a little too excited. “That should keep him out for long.” Then, turning to me. “You were exceptional, you have my eternal thanks.” Then, her smile dropped a little. “But, I’m sorry, I have to do this.”
Before I could say anything, she kissed me. ‘Why would she apologize for this?’ I thought. I was about to seize the moment and kiss her back more passionately, maybe try my luck with some tongue, but my mind went foggy.
And I woke up on my couch, empty pizza box in my lap, and the TV asking me am I asleep. I sat there confused, still feeling her lips on mine. Was it all a dream? I suddenly felt the whole experience fleeting, and I rushed towards my desk to write this down, before It’s gone forever.
And here you are, reading it. It’s now too late, I would go tomorrow and ask the girl next door if anything happened to her. It’s silly, but still kinda good conversation starter. Maybe she will tell me what actually happened, or maybe we will laugh at my silly dream. Who knows. So, dear reader, more answers tomorrow, I hope. Now, I must answer the door.
Well, I think I had that exact feeling on that fateful day. There I was, content that the boring overdrawn week at work is finally winding down to three days of me catching up with my shows and trying not to die from being too lazy to breathe. And in that moment of bliss, I get the wild idea of ordering a pizza.
Right now surely you are thinking: “Wow, this guy thinks ordering a pizza as an adventure, this story is surely going to be riveting!”. But before you drop this book, or whatever you are holding right now, and go do something better, I’m asking you to hear my story, for it gets better.
So, pizza time! I grab my phone, lying there conveniently at arms reach, and order up a Capricciosa from my favourite place. “Gosh, even his pizza preference is boring!”. Yeah, I like keeping things simple, thank you very much.
But as I hang up, there goes that feeling, that something has shifted. Neo sees the same black cat again, the remote has mysteriously gone to the bathroom…. I look at the TV, the same actors are there on the screen, still kneeling over a body of a young woman just as I paused them before picking up the phone. The sofa has the same smooth feeling under my fingertips, yet… is the light reflected something differently?. Come to think of it, is the TV having sort of blueish tint? No, the TV is ok, I’ve just sat on the remote and screwed up the contrast.
But still something was not right, I felt it then, I knew it. Oh well, I just unpaused, thinking, come what may, I’ll probably get to watch the whole episode before the pizza comes anyway.
But only fifteen minutes passed before my doorbell rang. ‘Damn, that was fast’, I thought, while trying to get up and locate my clothes at the same time. I always hate that part of ordering food, Having to go through the whole ordeal of getting dressed just so not to shock the poor delivery person. And then off with the clothes again. It’s a nuisance.
So I finally get dressed, while the doorbell rings twice more. I yell “Coming!”, although I know it to be pointless because I’m separated from the deliverer outside by a wall and a very soundproof door. I finally reach the handle, and notice that I have my t-shirt on the wrong side. Well, what of it, really?
I open the door and I’m greeted by a rather pleasant looking brunette, probably in her early 20s, with a look so bored that that I almost lost interest in food altogether. “That would be eight euros sir.” she says, and I start feeling my pants for the wallet. Of course it’s not there. “Sorry, just a second, I need to grab my wallet.” I say, and she just let out this really long sigh. A very rude and unpleasant person, I thought, reducing in my mind the size of her tip accordingly.
My wallet, of course, was in my other jeans, that I threw earlier all the way over in my bedroom. I finally locate a ten and I hurried back to give it to her.
But she was gone. The door was ajar, and she was not there. At this point, I’m getting a little angry at her. I want my pizza, damn it! Maybe I’ll ask for full change. “Lady?” I call in the hallway, but my voice just gets reverberated and I quickly refrain myself from calling again, lest I bring the wrath of my neighbours upon me. “Ah, I have to put on my shoes on and chase after her”, I thought. And so I begrudgingly slipped my shoes on, not bothering to tie them even, and closing the door behind me, started running down the stairs, and outside the building.
Right now you must be thinking, “Hold on, why did he have to go out? Why not just call the place again, and complain that his delivery run off? Why go through all this effort?”
Well, first of all, I really wanted my pizza. Second, I only knew that girl for 30 seconds and I already hated her, so I had some things I wanted to say to her directly. And most importantly, If I hadn’t went out, nothing would have happened, I would have ascribed my strange feeling to my anxiety, and you wouldn’t have been reading this, instead would just go about your life without even knowing I exist.
But I did get out of my apartment, chasing after the pizza that was doomed to not be mine. The lift was on the highest floor, which meant she didn’t take it, and it also meant that it would take me longer to wait for it to come to my floor than go down the stairs on my own. So, stairs it is, and I start descending quickly and in short steps.
Once down, I notice through the glass doors of the building entrance that the delivery bike is still parked in front. She even parked it inappropriately! But it means she is still close, and I really wanted to talk her ear off now.
And as I exited the building, I immediately yelled “Miss, I got the...” but then I stopped short when I heard the door click behind me.
An image flashed before my eyes, of keys on the coffee table. I felt in my pockets, and sure enough, the vision was true. Great, now I’m not only pizzaless, but locked out of my building as well. Lucky thing is that I never installed that self-locking mechanism for my apartment. And no phone too. I’ll buzz some of my neighbours, it’s still early enough, but right now, after investing so much, I really had to get that pizza.
I looked around the street. There was the delivery bike improperly parked before me, and the neighbours’ cars properly parked all along the street. But not a soul in sight. Kinda strange, considering the street can get busy even after midnight.
I started looking around, first on the side of my building, upon the path that lead to the little residential park. No sign of the pizza girl, the little park was quiet except for the murmurs of the small fountain and the birds. Next was the curb towards the intersection of my street and the one perpendicular. Some cars passed in the distance, but otherwise no one in sight. But that was not entirely true, I found out when turning back towards my apartment, half-deciding to call off the search and just call the pizza company and let them handle their employee. There was an older man, all suited up and with fedora and all, smoking a cigarette leaned on the building across the street. He would have looked as a character straight from a western movie, had it not been for the anachronistic black suit more rooted to our current age.
I decided, of course, to ask him if he had seen her.
“What is not a door, but can also be a jar?” He asked in response to my question.
I must say I was taken aback by the strange question to even acknowledge my confusion, so instead, I just answered “Umm….a window?”
“Good. I saw a pizza delivery girl go inside that building over there.”
“Well, have you seen her exit?”
“Three people are on a boat. The boat sinks but only two people get their hair wet. Why?” He responded.
I gave him my best look of confusion. I scanned him, but he didn’t look like he was high or something. That cigarette really smelled awful as any cigarette can, and now that I noticed, he himself gave off a strong smell of cigarettes. But that was all, otherwise he was a perfectly decent looking human being, maybe slightly too stylish for my taste, but no sign of him being a junkie or an alcoholic. So I decided to play along, before he noticed that I was judging him
“The third person is bald.”
“Very good!” He looked genuinely pleased, as he puffed the smoke of his cigarette respectfully away from my face. “No, she hasn’t left, I would have noticed that.”
“But that doesn’t make any sense, she is not in the building.” I said maybe a little too forcibly. He exhaled again, and looked me straight into the eyes.
“Have you checked everywhere?” His ‘everywhere’ was a really quiet and polite version of Gary Oldman’s ‘everyone’. I was officially off-put, and took a step back.
“No, you are right sir, sorry to bother you, she must still be inside, you are right..” Goddamnit, I was telegraphing I was getting scared like hell. I turned just in time to step on the street and cross it once again. I was lucky there were no cars passing by, as i didn’t bother to look in any direction. I just heard the strange man behind me. “No bother really, glad to be of help.”
Back at the entrance, I was thinking of who to call from my neighbours. Of course, probably the best would be to call my new next door neighbour, since I was thinking about starting up a conversation with her for a quite a while, but for the past month or so since she moved in I was barely able to muster a “Hello” while in the elevator. Pathetic.
This might be a perfect chance to change that, though. I have a perfect excuse, and a slightly funny story. Yes, I’ll call her.
And my finger moved to the sweet old lady below me. Of course.
There was a moment wait before she finally buzzed me in. Strange, she didn’t even say a word. There is a camera in the intercom, she would have seen me, but still… I hope she isn’t mad for ringing so late.
Finally inside, I called up the elevator, which, in all its glory, now didn’t work. ‘I guess I’ll climb’ I said to myself.
Finally at my door, I reached for the doorknob, and the door opened. I stepped inside, sighing in relief, and then raising my head, my blood froze.
I was not at home. It was the little old lady place. Somehow I managed to completely miss my apartment. By a floor, nonetheless.
But mind you, my blood didn’t freeze because I mistakenly entered my neighbours home. Oh no, not even I am so anxious as to be petrified by the social discomfort from such a small mistake. If everything was perfectly normal, I would just apologise, make a small joke about my scattered brain, and then just move out.
But no, this was far from normal. You see, the hallway I was in was the same that I’ve seen dozen times when I would come here to chat with the sweet old lady. But the end of it, was dark. Very dark. But not a normal, still dark. It was dancing, slithering darkness. Vibrating darkness. The more I focused on it, the more I could make out even darker tendrils doing what tendrils usually do.
My body tensed, my hand still gripping the door handle, now getting extremely sweaty. My brain screamed ‘GET OUT!’, and yet, I was just standing there, rooted, watching at the show the dark tendrils put out for me.
And then, there came the face. The devil himself, horns and all.
“Foolish mortal, what brings you to my realm”.
I was amazed I didn’t die right then. Or shit myself. Did I shit myself though? I hope not.
“I just wanted some pizza, sir.” What the fuck am I blabbering?
The cold, black eyes stared right into my soul. There was a tangy steam coming out from his nostrils now.
“Pizza?” He said, in a voice so terrifying that made the walls tremble with fear. “Are you making fun of the dark lord?”
No! Never! Why would I do that? But I just stumbled behind, and out into the hallway. There I was, on my ass, staring into the eyes of evil itself. I was sure I was about to die.
But then she came. In yoga pants, training bra. She was interrupted during her practice for sure. Now I know something about her. But this is no time to make flirty conversation. I was about to yell at her to not see inside, but she just pulled me away from the door, shut it, said something on a language I was sure it should have been forgotten, and then turned to me again.
“What are you doing here?”
It was a sweet voice, non-accusatory. Calming.
“I ordered a pizza and the pizza delivery went missing and then there was the riddle guy outside and he told me to check again inside and then I called the old lady instead of calling you because I am kinda scared to talk to you because I kinda like you and then I mistakenly entered this apartment and there was dark inside and then that thing….” I suddenly stopped my tirade. Fuck, did I just tell her I like her?
But she was looking at me, in thought. She wasn’t mad, that’s cool. Nor annoyed, which - also cool. She looked as if she was figuring out something.
And then: “They used a pizza guy again?” she said, smirking. “For someone who calls himself ‘The Cunning One’, he surely lacks imagination.”
“It was a pizza girl.” I said, standing up. “What do you mean again? Who...”
“No time. You must listen to me very carefully now. The Puzzler did good to bring you back inside. It was a good trick. But you must listen to me now, and do as I say. Go to your apartment, grab some salt…. You have salt, don’t you?”
I nodded, confused.
“Good, grab as much as you can, the whole container. And hurry, please.”
The please was so sweet, yet so foreboding, that I quickly put aside my confusion for later, and I ran upstairs to my apartment. I was proud of myself for getting the right door now, even prouder that I didn’t stumble even once on my way to the kitchen. I grabbed the salt jar, and went back down, thinking all the time ‘I am doing it, I’m helping the girl.’ But help with what, I didn’t know. It didn’t matter, for it was nice to feel important for once.
I found her chanting at the door, while doing some strange things with her arms, kinda like those things yoga people do. I wasn’t sure if i should break her concentration, she really seemed into it, but mercifully she turned her face towards me when I was about a meter away and said: “Good job. That should be enough. I want you now to place a line of salt in front of the door.”
I obeyed. “Careful not to use it all, if you can. It could help if there is a bit left.”
The container was almost full, and there was about a kilo worth of salt inside. The line didn’t even take a quarter. “There is still much left”, I said, as I finished the line.
“Good. I want you to spread the rest of it all over me.”
I stood still, unsure. Was I to use my hands to cover her body in salt?
She seemed to read my mind. “No, not like that, just pour it all over me, it’s enough.” I was a bit embarrassed for my thoughts had been so transparent. “It’s ok” she said smilingly, again in answer to my thoughts. “But do hurry, time is running out.”
And I did, I poured the rest of the salt over her head, and now her hair was full of it, and some clinged to her clothes and skin. “Perfect.” she said, still smiling. “Now, one more thing, open the door, and stand back. Don’t be afraid, look at him. Taunt him. I want you to taunt him.”
My god, I was terrified, but that sweet voice… If she told me to cover my hand in oil and stick it in fire I would do that without hesitation. So I took my most resolute stance, opened the door, and faced the darkness.
And the darkness stared back. And it came for me, but I stood still, with courage that took me by surprise.
“Foolish mortal...” My innards trembled, threatening to turn into mush. I was sure I would die, but I had courage coming from somewhere… besides myself, if that made any sense?”
And then I felt the fumes from his nostrils burning my skin. And then a terrible scream that nearly shattered my brain. And then silence. I realised I had close my eyes, and when I opened them, there was nothing. Just an open door looking at a normal apartment, and a smiling girl-next-door next to me.
“That was great!” she exclaimed, a little too excited. “That should keep him out for long.” Then, turning to me. “You were exceptional, you have my eternal thanks.” Then, her smile dropped a little. “But, I’m sorry, I have to do this.”
Before I could say anything, she kissed me. ‘Why would she apologize for this?’ I thought. I was about to seize the moment and kiss her back more passionately, maybe try my luck with some tongue, but my mind went foggy.
And I woke up on my couch, empty pizza box in my lap, and the TV asking me am I asleep. I sat there confused, still feeling her lips on mine. Was it all a dream? I suddenly felt the whole experience fleeting, and I rushed towards my desk to write this down, before It’s gone forever.
And here you are, reading it. It’s now too late, I would go tomorrow and ask the girl next door if anything happened to her. It’s silly, but still kinda good conversation starter. Maybe she will tell me what actually happened, or maybe we will laugh at my silly dream. Who knows. So, dear reader, more answers tomorrow, I hope. Now, I must answer the door.
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