Your Imagination Isn't Always Your Friend

Ana was a beautiful young girl, and at age 16, was already a well known artist. Her parents couldn’t be more proud of their Ana. With perfect blonde locks, and flaming hazel eyes, she was every teenage boys dream. There were guys left and right falling at her feet. But, she stayed focused on her art. While being beautiful as well as talented, she was also trustworthy. Not many parents can say they trust their teenage child like Ana’s parents did. Ana had never drank, never smoked, never been in with the wrong crowd, if anything, she was a fly on the wall at school. Not popular, nor was she unpopular. She had her friends, and that’s all she needed. She got decent marks, but, had her mind set on an art scholarship, so she pushed her marks up as high as she could. According to what she had overheard from a teachers conversation, she would be given the scholarship she had quote “Worked her little ass off for”

Tonight was like any other night. Painting, listening to the radio, and simply wasting her time, doing what she loved to do. On this particular night, she heard her parents call to her from down the stairs. She bolted down the stairs to see what her parents needed.

“We’re going out tonight dear, you don’t mind just staying home tonight and watching the dog do you?” Her mother politely asked, knowing that her daughter wouldn’t say no.

“Not at all mom! You and dad have a great night out, I’ll see you tomorrow morning!” She happily replied. She never minded spending her nights alone with just her dog, Indiana to keep her company. The little chihuahua was probably the most well mannered chihuahua of all time. Either that, or she just really liked Ana.

“We’ll be back around 4, don’t be up when we get home!”

“I won’t dad, just go have your night out! Love you!”

At least her last words to her parents would be, “Love you”.

The night progressed and nothing exciting happened. The dog went outside and threw up, and when that’s the highlight of your night, you know you’re either fucked up, or, you’re just bored. Ana hid it well, but, she was a bit of both.The paintings her parents saw, were innocent. Of animals and fields, happy things that would bring a smile to anyones face. When she painted alone, unbeknownst to anyone who knew her, she drew what had haunted her mind since she was a small child. The nightmares from the horror films that she never should have watched with her friends at a sleepover all those years ago. Demons, ghosts, possession. The devil himself was often a topic in her art. This was something that she never understood her obsession for. It was just, there. In her beautifully dark mind, filled with the black sun and the dying roses, while it rained blood and watered the daisies that grew by the graves. She didn’t talk a lot. Especially not what was on her mind all of the time.

She had concocted this pictures of grotesque beasts and horrid victims of the beasts, that would occupy her mind and give her some inspiration to paint. All artists have something dark to hide. Poets, songwriters, everybody. She had believed in the fantasies of ghosts since she was very young. But, she had been told the innocent ghosts. The ones who protect you. Guardian angels. What she envisioned now, 13 years later, were no Guardian Angels… Let alone Angels at all. These were ghosts, blood spattered upon their torn garments, and weights on their raw ankles. She had a vivid imagination, as well as being an insomniac, this lead to some very interesting drawings and pictures to say the least. They were hidden away underneath her bed.

But, can you imagine what it would be like, if your imaginations came true? The darkest of your fears, were suddenly, there. In your face. Taunting you, and making your blood run cold. Laughing in the face of your terror and fear, scowling you for being so frightened of something that they believe to be irrational. But, you know that it is. Because, it’s there. It always has been. Your darkest fear, your torture, your paranoia, it’s not like it’s just there because. There’s been reasons for your fears. They follow you. They’re never not watching. And you dismiss it like you always have, and as soon as you think it’s gone, it’s back in your line of sight.

Ana had always dismissed these fears. They were just her imagination. She tried to talk to her parents about it, but they simply said, the old cliché that’ll make any child feel okay, “It’s just your imagination honey, go to bed.”

Ana had bought into their lies, like they were Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Comforting parenting lies aren’t going to save you anymore.

There was a rustling in the bushes outside and the dog scratched at the door. Indy had always thought she was a much bigger and stronger dog than she had thought. Ana laughed and let the dog go investigate what it was. After a few minutes though, the dog had gotten out of her direct line of site, and Ana began to get worried. She left the door wide open when she went out to go and hunt for the dog

“Silly bastard probably got caught up in a bush.” she joked to herself.

After about 5 minutes of searching she found the dog, cold, and petrified in fear, whimpering silently, she had to poke the dog and pick him up in order for the poor animal to even realize that anything was happening. When Indy finally came to his senses, he cuddled up to his master, never wanting her to release him. The two got inside, and she laid Indiana on her bed for a short rest.

Just then, a loud thud of a pot hitting the floor, followed by some glass smashing against the tile floor, startled the dog and Ana. The dog barked and whined, but she soothed him with her soft, loving touch and a kiss on his puppy head. She closed her bedroom door behind her, silently, so that whatever was in her house, if it was anything, wouldn’t hear her. She made her way down the soft carpeted stairs, and into the kitchen. But, to her surprise, there was no mess for her to clean up. Everything was just as it was.

“What the fuck? The dog and I both heard it, and I’m sure of that. It must just be my imagination playing silly tricks with me again, the dog must have just, seen a cat or something outside the window.” She sighed, quite angrily. She walked, reluctantly, back to her room of joy and solitude. But when she returned, the door was slightly ajar. The dog must have found a way to open it, either that or I didn’t close it properly, she thought. She was about to be proved very, very wrong.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure that she couldn’t quite make out. But this, was too goddamn real to be just another imagination. This was something much more. This was real. And this was in her house. She thought of a way that it could have gotten in, whatever the fuck it was, and from whatever depths of hell it spawned from, how did it get in? Teleportation? No, that’s not possible. The window? I would have heard it. What about the… the… the door… I left it open when I let Indiana back in. Oh shit. Now it’s here. It knows I’m here. I’ve gotta hide.

“Indiana!!!!!!” She called and the dog barked happily when it saw it’s master. She grabbed the dog and went and hid in a closet, that she left slightly open. She hadn’t seen the assailant within in her house. She just knew. Mothers instinct almost. After something like 10 minutes, she began questioning her instinct. Just as she was about to leave her safe hiding place, the lights flickered off and on, and the assailant, almost, floated into the room she was in.

“What the hell?” She softly whispered. The dog had it’s mouth covered, just in case it attempted to bark at whatever it was, but even the dog was a frozen statue of fluff and fear. After it had left the room, she waited. Another ten minutes. Time dragged on as it went by, minutes were hours, and hours were years. When she felt she was safe, she made a run for the outside but was stopped by the back of the beast. She hid in the nearby pantry.

“I think it saw me. Holy shit. It saw me. It’s coming. I don’t have much time. I don’t know what the hell this is, I really just hope this is some sadistic nightmare, and I can wake up soon. Please. Please God, allow me to open my eyes.” She spoke softly, swiftly, and full of terror. Tears were streaming down the face of the once delightful young teenager. Terror lept off the walls, through the windows, and possessed the girl. After speaking softly to herself for God knows how long, she finally gained the will to move once more.

“Where the fuck did you go?” she gasped into the darkness, “There is no fucking way that this whole night has been just my imagination.” She was almost yelling in the darkness.. She had hid for the past hour, or more, she had lost track. She felt confident enough to attack the… the… whatever the fuck it was, the next time it reared it’s disfigured head. She drew the knife from the drawer and awaited the twisted assailant. After the paranoia finally stopped, she sat on the couch, and wept. She felt a hand on her shoulder, soothing her, trying to calm her, but, without words. It was a mothers touch, and it made her feel so safe, she cuddled up to the mysterious therapist. She then remembered, her parents were out for the night.

“Maybe they came home early?” She thought. The comforter hadn’t said but a word, and at this point it wasn’t necessary. Ana, almost knew her fate. She took it with a pill of pride, and a tablespoon of terror. When she looked up she let out an ear piercing squeal, and then, she was gone, they vanished into the thick darkness of the night. There was no trace of her when her parents returned. "It" took her away from her family, her friends, from the world. Ana was gone, and there was nothing anyone could do to save her.

3 Months Later, a newspaper article read “Search for Lost Teenage Girl Abandoned, after 3 months of looking, still, no sign of the young girl” Her parents, were devastated. They left for one night. One fucking night. And someone broke in, and took their only child. They would never live it down, but, they wouldn’t have to live for much longer now.