nitchwitch

[nitchwitch]

Whispers of Insanity

“I don’t know whether it was my delusion or if it was real, but instinctively, I believed it to be real. Maybe this is really where I belong.”

It was just an ordinary Saturday night. My parents and I had just finished watching a movie and were getting ready for bed. However, feeling a bit restless, I decided to stay up a little longer. December nights are typically chilly, and I’ve always had a fondness for staying awake late; there’s a certain tranquillity to it. As I sat on the living room couch, idly scrolling through my Instagram feed, I noticed the kitchen lights were on. Assuming my mom was in there, I glanced toward the kitchen and saw what appeared to be her hand, gesturing as if calling me over. The living room and kitchen were separated by a wall, so I couldn’t see directly into the kitchen. Thinking my mom needed assistance, I got up and headed toward her. However, upon reaching the kitchen, I found her with her back turned to me, motionless. Confused, I asked if she needed help, but she remained silent. As I moved closer, intending to tap her on her shoulder, I heard my mom’s voice coming from the living room. Startled, I turned back and looked towards the entrance, only to see my mom standing there, puzzled by my presence.

She asked me why I was up at such a late hour. Bewildered and somewhat frightened, I attempted to explain what I had seen in the kitchen. However, as I turned back to the kitchen, the figure resembling my mom vanished into thin air.

Feeling unnerved, I asked my mom, in a trembling voice, “Mom, where were you, and how did you come from the bedroom ?”

She looked at me laughed and replied “ Don’t fool around Kate, it’s half past midnight. Stop with your childish pranks and go to bed.”

With that, she went back to her bedroom and closed the door. My body was still sensing someone else’s presence in the kitchen. Feeling terrified, I just decided to make a run to my bedroom and sleep. Once I reached my room, I locked the door and hid myself under my blanket.

Who was that lady and why did she look so much like my mom? I couldn’t sleep even a blink that night.

The next morning, I decided to ask my mom about this. Initially, she thought I was pulling a prank on her yet again. But she eventually recognized the genuine fear in my voice, she recounted that she had been in her bedroom reading when she heard what sounded like footsteps… When she came out, she saw me walking inside the kitchen so she called out to me. Seeing me all terrified, she decided to talk about it to my dad. He called one of his friends Mr. Williams, who was a priest by profession, and asked him to bless this house. We have been living here for the past 12 years. Nothing like this ever happened before.

The same evening, Mr. Williams came and blessed this house, and told us that he didn’t feel the presence of any sort of negative spirit or entity and assumed that this might have happened because we unintentionally bought some unholy thing at home. However, he asked us to be careful. He said that even though he had blessed this house, we still hadn’t found the thing we might have bought home. He suggested that all of us have a crucifix with us all the time just in case the unknown entity or the negative energy tries to harm us.

Things were good up until the next few weeks. But soon I started to see the same figure again and this time it was very frequent and I could see her almost everywhere.

It was a week before the new year. I was looking for college since I will be completing high school next year. I wanted to get done with my college hunt as soon as possible, because Charlie, my cousin was going to visit us this new year. Both my parents were busy decorating the home. I went to the storage room to get the décor stuff for the table, but when I entered the room, I could feel her presence there. I felt my body give up and I fell but I could still sense my surroundings. Within a blink of my eye, I saw her sitting right beside me and staring at me with her bloodshot eyes. I was terrified to death, but I was unable to move, and nor was I able to call out for help, it seemed like I was experiencing some kind of sleep paralyze. She came closer to my ears and whispered something that I will never forget.

She whispered, “Kill them and you can return to the real world, to your real parents.”

With that said, I fainted.

I don’t remember how much time has passed since I lost consciousness but when I opened my eyes, everything was a blur and my head was hurting as if someone is poking holes in my head. Slowly I looked around and I saw my parents looking at me and, smiling, more like grinning at me.

“Mom, Dad”, I called but they didn’t respond.

“Mom, Dad, are you okay..?”, I said louder this time yet they didn’t react, just continued grinning.

This behavior of theirs started to creep me out for real this time. Was she telling the truth? Is this not the real world? But it can’t be right, there is no such thing as an alternate world. But then why are my parents acting weird? I was immersed in my thoughts when I heard a loud thud that startled me pulling me out of my thoughts. It turned out that the source of the noise was my mum’s heels. She stomped her heel while pulling herself up from the bed.

“I will get you some soup pumpkin pie, you should rest, it was a very tiring journey after all”, my smiling mum said with a bone-chilling eery noise that barely felt like her own voice.

I didn’t understand what journey she was talking about. Before I could ask her anything further, she and my dad left my room. I just didn’t know what to do and what to believe. My mind was blank and I was numb. I could feel myself shiver, my eyes were teary already. Suddenly I felt a breeze pass by my ears and that got me to jump off my bed, sacred, a crying mess. I hurriedly looked around for my crucifix but couldn’t find it anywhere. I curled up near the side table and prayed for all this to be a dream. I couldn’t stop crying. Every little moment in my room frightened me to death.

After what felt like an hour or so, my mom returned with a bowl in her hand and Dad followed her. She kept the bowl on the side table, caressed my hair, helped me to stand, and placed me on the bed, covering me with the blanket. I almost thought that everything was a dream until I saw my parents’ faces. They were still grinning like maniacs.

“Finish up the soup, Kate darling”, commanded my mum.

I didn’t have much of a choice because it wasn’t a request. When I lifted the bowl, it was surprisingly light. I glanced at the insides of the bowl, and to my extreme horror, the bowl was empty. When I looked at my parents, they were staring at me, before I could speak, my mom spoke and told me to drink up all the soup, and then both of them left again. I didn’t know what to do. I just kept the bowl aside and decided to sleep wishing this was all a dream.

I don’t know for how long I slept but suddenly I felt some weird amount of weight kept at my chest. When I opened my eyes, I knew I was yet again paralyzed, the woman who looked just like my mother was sitting on my chest and looking right at me.

She then spoke in a hoarse voice “ I told you they aren’t your real parents, you aren’t in the real world Kate. You need to kill them to get out of this world. Now sweetie, call me MOM.”

I was shivering from inside. I tried to shout but couldn’t utter a single word.

After struggling with my voice, I begged her, “Please don’t hurt me.”

Tears were gushing down my eyes and I kept pleading to her again and again helplessly.

She screamed at the loudest of her voice, “Call me MOM Kate, just like you used to call me when you were young.”

She caressed my face with her long and nearly decayed fingers. I was crying continuously, I couldn’t help but oblige to her command.

“M-Mo-Mom”, I said with a quavering voice.

She seemed pleased after hearing that. She caressed my face and yet again told me the same thing, “ Kill them, Kate. Kill them. They aren’t real. Kill them and come to your MOM.”

Then she just disappeared. I could feel myself get dizzy and eventually, I passed out.

The next morning I woke up and nothing seemed normal. The eerie atmosphere lingered, casting a shadow over the familiar surroundings. Caught in a surreal nightmare, I struggled to discern truth from illusion. I would often find my parents deadpan staring at me for minutes and then acting normal.

I don’t know what to do.

Should I kill them?

Is this the real world?

Am I real?

I walked to the kitchen and picked up a butcher knife. Maybe, just maybe, if I killed them, I would be able to leave this world and return to my real parents. With the knife in my hand and murder on my mind, I began to walk to the garden to find my mom. She was there, watering the plants. When she saw me with the knife, she didn’t seem surprised. She simply continued her work. I stepped towards her and stood right behind her. When she turned, she grinned at me before I stabbed her neck, blood splashing all over my face. But her grin remained intact. Just beside us, I saw the figure, seemingly pleased to witness me killing my supposed mother. Mom fell to the ground, still grinning like a maniac. I straddled her abdomen and stabbed her face repeatedly until her grin vanished. The figure also appeared pleased with my actions.

After killing her, I saw my dad at the main entrance of our house. He saw the blood, the knife, his dead wife, and his murderous daughter, yet he walked inside the home as if nothing had happened. The figure signaled for me to continue, so I entered the house. He was sitting in the living area, watching TV. He noticed me approaching and offered me popcorn. I stood behind the couch, grabbed his head, and began to slice his throat. Blood spurted all over the rug and the popcorn. He didn’t scream at all, just stared at me with a deadpan expression. After slicing his throat for a few minutes, I held his severed head in my hands. I showed it to the figure, who seemed very pleased.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in the back of my leg and something struck my head hard, causing me to lose consciousness. When I regained consciousness, I found myself in a glass room, with men in white observing me from outside, as if I were some animal in a zoo. The figure was still with me in the bed.

It’s been three years now. I wake up to the same bed every day alongside the same sharp headache, with the same men in white staring at me. The figure is still with me, urging me to end my own life. Maybe I will do it soon.