Surrounded by Monsters

 Scurrying around the corner, She stops to catch her breath. Why is that always so hard for her? The thought of having to go back to the store is enough to make her dizzy. There are monsters in there, monsters She doesn't want to encounter again. But right now, She must sneak past the ones blocking her way home.

One step, two, three, four. She warily weaves her through the maze of monsters. Don't make eye contact! If she does, they mock and scowl. Or worse yet, they grin. Those are the worst. Grins show her the monsters' teeth, white, bright and ready to munch with. But she knows if She hurries along fast enough then they won't notice tiny little her.

Inside the complex, she freezes in horror. A group of female monsters are loitering in the lobby, in front of the lift. They're silently consumed by the boxes in their hands. A set of stairs to the left beckon her, but her legs are shaking too much from the stress of the trip to use them. She has to make a choice: physical exhaustion, or mental and emotional humiliation. Before She can realize what her body is doing, She's running past the monsters to the lift. Ignore their laughter, even though it is definitely about the way She runs. Monster's voices can be heard from behind all the doors. Old, young, high pitches, low, all of them mix together into one nightmarish symphony in her head. She stops in front of her apartment door to shake them out, but She can't. Not even her own thoughts can be heard over the din, although it doesn't matter anymore. One day, soon, She'll be able to get away from this land of monsters.

Just one day at a time. That's her current mantra. Mom just needs to work for a few more weeks then we'll escape. The countryside sounded so peaceful. No monsters, no horror trips to the store, just her and her mom. Although, if She was honest with herself, sometimes her mom seemed to transform into a monster. She didn't always recognize her; horns sometimes grew out of her hair and her teeth morphed into fangs. Why though? It never made any sense. But if She dropped something, or messed a recipe up, the monster would take over her mom's body.

As She looked down at the grocery bag in her hands, She panicked. What if She had gotten the wrong ingredients? What if the monster came out of her mom when She gave it to her? She wouldn't be able to take it, not today. Her body was tired and her mind was too. No, She couldn't go in, She wouldn't go in. With her mind made up, She put the bag down at the door and ran. Up the stairs and onto the roof She flew, not wanting anything to do with this land anymore. Up on the roof She lost sight of the countryside, of the empty fields that had often called her name before. All She saw was the land of the monsters, their tall fortresses around her and their cries pierced her ears. What could She do? There was no escape from the monsters, none except...

She inched towards the edge of the roof, tears cascading from her eyes. It was a long way down, maybe She'd faint before the impact. At the thought of hitting concrete below, a sob broke from her throat. Another came, and another, until they drowned out everything. But there were some sobs that weren't her own. They came from behind her, from the other side of the roof.

When She glanced behind her, She saw a monster. Wait, no! It was a boy! He was at the other edge, curled up in the same position as She was. She pushed herself away from the edge to console him. The only person She ever saw was her mom, everything else were monsters. So why him? With uncertainty, She held out a hand for comfort, and the two began to talk. The Boy talked of the same monsters She experienced, and of the same countryside too. They both seemed surprised at the other's experiences, and decided to talk in a safer place. Off the roof they went, down the stairs and into the Boy's apartment. Once there, they talked more and more until days had passed. Their friendship grew as each of them leaned on the other for support around the monsters. Slowly they found other people in the land, and together the group found solace in everyone's presence.  She does still struggle sometimes; her mom and new friends will be consumed by monsters every once and a while, but it's very rare now.  With the help of the Boy She is overcoming the fear, and monsters are becoming people again. 

Perhaps the countryside can wait for another lifetime.