The dark gray sky thundered with a menace and the clouds were an angry red. Lightning flashed across it and the heavens hurled rain down at Earth. Susie flinched, hearing the sharp sound of thunder. Downstairs, her brother Liam called to her. “Susie, are you talking to your imaginary friend again?”, he asked mockingly. Their mother sighed, although she knew Liam was right. This was the fifth time this week that Susie had been speaking to “someone” in her room, and her mother was extremely fed up with it. She had tried to rid the habit of this in her daughter, but her words seemed to fall on deaf ears.

Susie trudged down the stairs, quite downcast. Everyone was astonished as she had tears running down her face. Her mother rushed up to her, and asked her what was wrong. Susie refused to speak and immediately clammed up. She did not talk throughout dinner and as soon as she finished dessert, she sprinted up the stairs and into her room. She locked herself in and did not come out.

In the middle of the night, Susie woke up with a start, remembering what the voice had told her, and the consequences if she did not follow. Unwillingly, she stepped out of her room, shaking with fear. The wind howled and a chill went up Susie’s spine. Every step made her shudder as she thought of the unknown dangers ahead. The  mirrors aligning each wall seemed to reflect her terror and for an agonizing moment, Susie could have sworn she saw something flitting around the curve of the corridor, but it vanished without a trace. She walked on for what seemed like forever and then stopped in front of the attic. Slowly, she pushed open the door…

Creak.

With each horrifying sound, Susie’s breathing quickened.

Creak.

The door swung open, and Susie started descending the stairs.

CREAK.…..

The darkness seemed to tower over her as she reached the bottom of the flight of stairs…

THUMP!!!

Liam and his mother jerked upright from their comfortable beds. Rubbing his eyes from sleep, Liam looked at his mother in confusion. Then, a lightbulb flashed in their heads. They guessed at the exact same time, what…or who had made the noise. Clutching flashlights, they stepped out of their room, and scoured the house, desperately calling out Susie’s name.

Meanwhile, Susie was looking around fearfully, hoping no one had heard the noise the box had made when it fell over. She looked at it and gasped. It was the exact box she had been instructed to open. But how did it arrive here? Pushing away her fear, she stared at the box again. It had intricate markings engraved on it and a few gems adorning it. Although Susie was terrified, she also felt strangely excited. Filled with mixed feelings of dread and excitement, she pulled up the flap and stepped back in anticipation. She could hardly see anything in the murky darkness, and she strained her eyes to make out the vague figure rising up from the box. Her blood ran cold as she managed to glimpse the shadow of the creature. Long claws extended forward, and Susie slowly started backing away. Just as she was about to climb the stairs, a raspy voice spoke up from behind her. “ I must say Susie, job…well…DONE”.

All the colour drained from Susie’s face and she went pale. Turning around to face the creature, she gasped. She was utterly baffled and extremely frightened as she had no idea how such a monster could have been residing here, in their very own attic.  It had sharp fangs which looked like knives glinting in the dark. Hollowed out eyes stared at her, as it sneered. It’s face seemed everchanging, once filled with repugnance, then happiness, then agony, then cruelty….

Just then, footsteps reverberated throughout the attic and Susie knew who they were. “ RUN!”, she screamed just as the monster pounced. Slipping and tripping, they ran out of the attic, her family confused as to what was going on. Susie ran for her life, trying to reach the kitchen before they became it’s meal, or something worse. Looking around frantically in the kitchen, she spotted a long knife. She peeked out of the kitchen and could only hope that her family was fine. Then, she heard them scream in terror, as the monster ’s thunderous footsteps echoed throughout the house.

It was now or never.

Yelling fiercely, Susie ran out and sprang at the monster’s heart with as much force as possible, hoping with all her heart that it would work.

Everything went silent for a moment and then….

BANG!

Susie’s knife hit home as the monster’s cry of pain and hate shattered the silence. It collapsed, crashing into a glass cupboard. It was the last time it would ever terrorize a family again. Slowly, it disintegrated as it finally vanished from sight.

Susie and her family huddled together shakily. Her mother squeezed her tight and Liam thanked her gratefully for her courage. As they stared at the wreckage the monster had caused, they sighed. On the outside, they would be a normal family, but deep down in their heart, they hid knowledge of a terrible encounter. The incident was etched in their minds, and even if they didn’t completely know it now, this had changed their lives…

FOREVER ……