Who is Fear? - A Short Story

Fear cowers against the door of a dim and shadowy room, awaiting her release. Her long black hair is draped over her pale face, her eyes shut tightly. Her hands pull her scrawny legs tightly to her chest. She is vulnerable.

Strangers move freely about while she trembles quietly—teeth chattering. Sobbing. Sobbing. Sobbing. Her cries drift around the small enclosure.

What if. What if. What if... Her mind imagines.

The curtains rustle, light peaks in through the window. It is bright. She shields her soul behind her clammy fingers, struggling.

The purple bags laying under her eyes pull her soul deeper into the abyss. Her toes curl aggressively. Strangers approach her, she sits stagnantly—hands embracing her screams.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Heart beating, eyes shaking. Why is she here?

Tick, tick, tick.

The clock beats to fill the background of her silent chaos. Her black shirt is now soiled with tears and sweat; it wrinkles on the end where her hands grip tightly. Baggy black pants hang off of her frail body; she buries herself from the world. Gnawing on her fingers, she waits.

The room starts to feel smaller. Whimpering, she delves further into the darkness.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Anxiety pierces her heart: what next?

“AHHHH!”

Darkness floods the room; she has trapped herself inside.

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Lindsay Loo