The Birthday
By Tenna Perry
Marie awoke to a feeling of dread brought on by the terrifying images of the night before. Nightmares of faceless monsters coming out of the darkness tearing into her flesh, searing pain and the inability to run or scream. It wasn't the first time monsters had invaded her sleep with their evil, low hissing whisper of a voice. In fact Marie couldn't remember the first time she had heard the voice telling her to not move while she silently struggled for air while an endless number of tentacles seemed to grasp at her body, hurting while holding her immobile.
She did remember times when she awoke in strange parts of the house. At these times she often would have bruises her mother would point to and discuss with her father the fact Marie could run into things while sleep walking but never wake up Thinking back to the last time she was running through the house, hit the door and began crying only to have her mother ridicule her for being such a crybaby. The voice seemed to drone on forever asking why she would cry over a bumped shoulder but never cry or even wake up when she hit hard enough to leave bruises on her wrists or neck.
As if summoned by her thoughts, the voice of her mother rang out, "Marie! Aren't you ever going to get up? It is already 8 o'clock and we have so much work to do before the party this afternoon."
Knowing who was actually going to be doing the dusting and mopping, Marie resigned herself to a Saturday filled with drudgery and threw the bedspread back and gasped in surprise as she realized not only was her nightgown missing but so were her sheets.
Frantically she began searching her room and wondered why she had begun hiding her sheets lately in addition to the sleepwalking. What could be wrong with her? None of her friends had trouble with going to sleep in one place but waking up in another. They had looked at her so funny over that one, she never had the nerve to tell them of how she would go to bed in one outfit but often wake up in another or how the sheets disappeared only to somehow end up washed and folded at some other day and time. The last thing Marie wanted was to thought crazy like her Aunt Linda who had tried to commit suicide when she was only fifteen.
At her mother's impatient, "Marie!" Marie stood up only to find her legs, stomach and "down there" hurt terribly. Wanting to lay back down, Marie started to ease her body back towards the mattress only to bolt back up and grab her rob as her mother's footsteps were heard coming down the hall. Not knowing why, she instinctively knew she couldn't tell her mother about this morning's new group of aches and pains. With pounding heart, Marie knew without a doubt she would be punished and possibly locked up if anyone found out. Marie suddenly couldn't breathe as she realizes the monster's voice from the night before had told her these things.
Hobbling towards her bathroom, Marie is able to put her mother off with, "I am just going to brush my teeth Mom. I will be there in just a minute!" Shutting the door behind her, she sits on the toilet only to cringe in pain and tears fill her eyes as the urine begins to flow in burning, stinging rush. Suddenly Marie realizes she isn't alone in the bathroom after all. Looking up she is surprised to see her father standing in front of her closet with an arm load of what appears to be dirty clothes. As he says, "Happy Eighth birthday Baby girl," Marie's eyes widen with terror, as she sees not only her nightgown from the night before in her father's arms, but also bloodstained Barbie sheets. Particularly HER Barbie sheets that were on her bed the night before.
Realizing nightmare monsters can indeed be real; Marie's widened eyes rise to meet those of her father.
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