House of Sleep
You were limping behind your three sisters, dark circles around your piercing black eyes. While the rest giggled, huddled together, shrieked at every twig snapping under their skittish feet, you kept your eyes glued upon a point high above in the sky. Did you find the moon attractive, or perhaps blinding – painful yet mesmerizing? You were all those qualities for me, but unlike you, I could not easily look away.
“Come on, Aislyn! We’re almost there!” Evalyn unhooked her arms from around her other sisters so that she could grab Aislyn’s wrist. “You said it didn’t hurt that much anymore. Were you lying?”
“Of course she was lying!” Rosalyn gave Evalyn a quick smack to the back of her head. “You were the only idiot who believed her.”
“Oh, am I? Then why didn’t you stop her? Huh?!” Evalyn waited a few seconds, her face glaring up at Rosalyn. “Yeah, that’s what I thought, Ms. Hotshot!”
“…I bet the ghost will take you first.”
“Ha! Yeah, right! Ms. Sleeping Beauty here will be the first one to nod off. I bet you as soon as we enter that house, that sleeping curse or whatever will make you fall asleep in the doorway!”
“…That won’t be happening.”
“Oh yeah? Why?”
“Oh! I saw Rosalyn downing energy drinks while you were grabbing our sleeping bags and Aislyn was looking out for mom.”
“Hey, Faelyn. I brought duct tape with me as well. Should I use it to keep your mouth shut?” Rosalyn made a show of rummaging through her sack, but she paused her search when she saw Aislyn standing in front of the house, her hand twisting to open the door. “Hey, wait up! We have to enter together!”
The three sisters huddled together, the reality of their situation washing over them like an ice cold shower. They had trudged through a forgotten bike path without telling their mom where they were headed. Actually, if all went well, their mom didn’t even know they were gone. Rosalyn had purchased wavy black wigs from a local party store and fitted them onto four basketballs. Then she lined the bed with pillows and stuffed animals before draping her makeshift decoys with comforters. Evalyn added the additional touch of Rosalyn snoring before they all snuck out of their bedroom window.
“Y-you know, from this angle, the house looks rather cozy.” Evalyn unlocked her phone and snapped a picture. “Charming, even. How many stone houses do you see nowadays?”
“They say that the ghost within this house belongs to a boy who fell into a coma.” Faelyn noticed how her sisters’ hands twitched and their bodies quivered. “But it was no ordinary coma. While the boy slept, his father loomed over him, glaring down at his son. Then he grabbed the boy’s wooden bat and battered that child’s head. It happened to quickly, so swiftly…the boy never had the chance to wake up. Thus, he roams the world of dreams, calling out to anyone who disturbs his slumber—”
“Bullshit. How can the ghost know when someone disturbs his slumber, but the kid didn’t? I don’t buy it. You’d have to be a heavy sleeper to not wake up while your dad’s beating you senseless.”
“Yeah, that’s like if Rosalyn haunted a house.” Evalyn nudged Rosalyn and mimicked Faelyn’s soft voice. “They say that anyone who enters this house will hear a ghost snoring.” Evalyn dodged Rosalyn’s hand and continued. “The snoring is so loud, it trembles the whole house!”
“If you don’t—”
A door slamming shut made them all aware that Aislyn was no longer present. Faelyn tugged at the door handle, but to no avail. Evalyn and Rosalyn nodded to one another before charging at the door with flying kicks. The door flew open, causing the two sisters to roll their way into the house. Faelyn followed them, the door slamming shut behind her.
“Do you think Aislyn has her own reasons for coming to this house?” Faelyn’s eyes scanned her surroundings, but there was no sign of Aislyn. There was a staircase leading to the second floor, though. It was just a hunch, but Faelyn had a feeling she would find Aislyn in the boy’s bedroom. After all, bedrooms were usually located on the second floor. And, out of all the sisters, only Aislyn seemed determined to meet the ghost. “Get up, you two. We’re heading upstairs.”
Faelyn offered both her hands to help her sisters up, but neither of them responded. That’s when she heard it: Loud snoring coming from Rosalyn and nonsensical words mumbled under Evalyn’s breath. They had fallen asleep, and Faelyn felt too weak to carry them. She glanced up at the stairs, but a wave of exhaustion hit her. Unzipping her sack, Faelyn wormed her way into her sleeping bag, refusing to pass out on the dirty floor. Just as she felt darkness closing in, she heard a voice.
They look alike, but none of them are her. Where is she? Tell me! I won’t let any of you leave until I find her!
“I thought you’d be in your room, but I found you messing with my sisters instead.”
Aislyn felt the spirit staring at her in awed silence. She was aware of the way she strolled down the stairs without limping. And she no longer felt the burning sensation caused by sleep deprived eyes. In fact, she felt wide awake. Glowing a gentle gold, she approached the spirit with a smile on her face.
“You know, it’s your fault I haven’t gotten any decent sleep for days.”
It’s you! It is you, right? We met – but where? I know it’s you – it has to be you – you’re like a magnet! And yet – even now – even though I’m trying my best – always – every night – forgetting even more…
“We met at the hospital, remember? I had hurt myself in a school race. Someone didn’t want me to win, so she moved the final hurdle, causing my right leg to twist in a weird angle. That’s what connected us. The pain of betrayal. Your father betrayed you as well, right? But it’s okay. You’ve forgotten, haven’t you? He’s been begging for you to wake up. He thought your mother betrayed him as well, and that he wasn’t your father. You shouldn’t die when forgiveness is possible, right?”
I felt relieved when you returned my smile. You had been fragmented, tied to two places. I wanted to reunite you…and now that I have, it’s time for me to sleep…