Dark Secrets

Chapter 2: Trying Hard Not to Fall (1 of 2)

It’s been over a month since I saw the boy who made the pain in my scar fade away with his magic touch.

I had the worst birthday ever last year when I turned 7 so I’m praying to have a happy or good enough party by tomorrow.

But ever since I had that peculiar dream which gave me an excruciating pain on my scar, I always have dreamless nights until …

I had a dream of walking again to the secret passage underground but this time it’s not the strange man I see but a black door.

I can hear noises from the door behind screaming like they’re all in pain asking me to open the door.

I want to open the door the door for them an let them out but it’s locked up by a key.

While I’m looking around for the key, I notice a statue of a dog nearby, sticking out its tongue where a golden key reclines.

I’m about to get the key from its tongue when suddenly the dog’s mouth moves and bit my hand.

“AAAAAAAH!” I look to my right hand immediately to check the bitemarks but it’s all clean. “Wait.” looking at my hand again. “The scar … the scar is gone.”

“Baby! What’s wrong?!!” Mom barged in to my bedroom with Dad.

“Is there anyone in your room?!” Dad holding a baseball bat.

“Look Mom.” showing Mom my right hand. “The scar is gone!”

“Huh?” Mom looking at my palm closely. “Honey.” shows to my Dad.

“Her scar is getting smaller these days, Honey, it’s normal.” Dad said.

“Oh really? That scar remained in her hand for over a year and it’s just last month when it started to shrink but now it vanished?!”

“Instead of overthinking about things, let’s just be glad that she no longer has that scar on her hand.” Dad shrugs his shoulders.

“Well it’s a good thing, but I’m still worried on what’s happening with our daughter.” Mom patting my head. “Are you sure, you’re alright?”

“Yes, Mom, I’m fine.” embracing her as I look at my right hand.

They put me back to bed after the commotion but after that nightmare, I couldn’t sleep anymore.

My parents prepared a party for me at the backyard, all my classmates came aside from Alexa.

We’re all having fun playing the games when I saw a clown standing at the side staring at me.

He smiled at me and gestures to come to him, I’m thinking that my parents prepare a surprise gift to me using the clown so I follow the man who’s all white and red like the Canadian flag.

The clown led me to the big tree in our neighborhood and performed magic tricks while dancing funny that made me laugh out loud.

“Hahaha! Your trick is lame but you dance funny, clown.” I uttered.

“Hehehehehe. I got one more magic trick for the birthday girl.” the clown said as he stares at me in a creepy manner.

“Mr. Clown, I need to go back now at the party.” stepping backwards slowly as there’s a voice in my head telling me to run.

He smiles at me freakishly until the corner of his lips stretched too much that tears his face then come towards me while doing his side steps dance as he laughs sinisterly.

I run as fast as I can while hearing his scary laugh when he stopped, I looked back to see if he’s gone and he really is nowhere to find.

But when I turned around his bloody face is only few inches away from mine that made me stumbled on the ground.

I couldn’t move or scream for help like I’m completely frozen while watching him come to me.

When I feel his tongue licking my face all I can do is close my eyes like I’m ready to be eaten but then I suddenly heard my Mom’s voice.

I open my eyes slowly to see what’s happening but the monster beneath me is gone and Mom is running towards me.

“Baby! I’ve been looking for you everywhere. How did you get here?!”

“Mom! There’s a clown, he wants to eat me!” telling to my Mom as soon as I run to her arms. “I thought you got a clown for my party to give me a surprise gift so I followed him here.”

“Clown?? You saw that clown too?” Mr. Oakley, one of the fathers of my classmates who came with Mom to search for me.

“What do you mean Tyler?” Dad asked the Mr. Oakley.

“There’s a story in town that a clown always shows up in a birthday party, luring the celebrant to the woods and take the kid with him where he got murdered.” Mr. Oakley uttered. “That clown died on the that tree over there.” pointing at the exact tree where the clown took me.

What happened to me that day becomes a talk in town, everyone says that I’m lucky to be found alive because the children who comes near to that tree all went missing and assumed to be dead.

A week after the incident, it’s Alexa’s birthday and she invited me even the other kids make fun of me because of what I experienced.

I just got out from the toilet when I saw Alexa going in to the woods alone, I tried to call out her name too many times but she never looks back at me so I followed her to somewhat familiar path.

When I saw the clown again, I want to runaway immediately but I know what will happen to Alexa if I leave her alone.

I’m scared but I muster up my courage to step forward and take Alexa with me, when the clown looked at my direction, I know I’m in danger too but Alexa is my best friend and I won’t let her be eaten.

“Look, who’s here, the girl that got away.” Clown starts smiling.

“Desa?” Alexa look back at me. “This clown is very funny.”

“Alexa, don’t look!” grabbing her hand. “Let’s run, alright?”

“Wait, is he the …?” Alexa looked back and saw how the clown transformed to a bloody monster.

“RUUNNN!!!” I drag Alexa as fast as I can while we’re running for our lives. “I told you not to look back!”

“The more you tell that to someone the more they’ll do it; don’t you know that?!!” Alexa running with me.

“Then run, don’t stop running!” ignoring the laughter we’re hearing.

“I’ll listen to you from now on!” running as fast as she can. “Oww!” tripped on the root from the ground.

“Alexa!!” looking back at her as I saw the clown coming at her. “No!!!”

“Desa! Help me!!” Alexa trying to crawl her way to me as she reaches out her hand. “Don’t leave me please!”

The clown opens his mouth as big as he could and about to devour Alexa but I put a twig in his mouth instead to push him away from Alexa, although it stopped him from a while, he just bit the twig.

I know I made him angrier and we really might die at that moment so I just embrace Alexa tightly while keeping my eyes close.

We’re both scared and crying together as we don’t want to die yet but what else can we do?

“No! Noo!! Nooo!!!” clown screaming in agony.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a shadow of huge wings on the ground.

I look back and there’s no one behind me with such huge wings but only the clown burning into ashes.

“Desa, look!” Alexa pointing at the burning tree where we came from.

“What’s happening??” I look at the ground again and the pair of wings vanished as the clown turned into ashes.

“I don’t care anymore.” Alexa said. “It’s over now Desa! No one can take down that tree but look how it burns.”

Alexa’s right, the town’s people tried too many times before to take down the tree but no one succeeded and now it’s burning.

As the fire consumes the tree, I saw a lot of white lights going up to the sky, I don’t know what are they but they’re definitely not just smoke from the burning tree.

5 days later, it’s the 1st day of class on the 1st Monday of September and I’m on my 3rd grade in elementary now.

Everyone in school knows what happened on my birthday as well as on Alexa’s birthday, some still makes fun of me by leaving drawings of a clown on my desks but some befriends me when they found out how I saved Alexa from the clown.

3 weeks later, when I’m on my way home while riding on my bike, I saw Mr. and Mrs. Sebastian at the porch of their house and resting on their rocking chairs.

“Good day, Mr. and Mrs. Sebastian!” waving my hands to the old couple. “Why do they look so pale??” mumbles as I passed by.

“Desa! You’re finally home.” Mom embraces me as soon as I entered the house. “Come, let’s dress you up.” holding my hand.

“What’s happening Mom? Where are we going??” following her upstairs. “Why do I need to dress up?”

“We’re going to the funeral home.” Mom replied. “Mr. and Mrs. Sebastian, are dead. Your father is already there to help Guy.”

“Huh?? But I just saw them earlier when I passed by, they’re both sitting on their rocking chairs at the porch of their house.” I said.

“Don’t be ridiculous sweetie, that’s impossible. Stop talking nonsense when we get there, it’s rude.” Mom entered my bedroom.

“But I’m telling the truth Mom! I really saw them a few minutes ago!”

“That’s enough Desa!” Mom take a black dress from my closet.

“Fine, I’ll keep quiet.” taking off my clothes to change. “I’m telling the truth but you don’t believe me.”

When we arrived at the funeral home, I saw Mr. and Mrs. Sebastian lying in their caskets, they really are dead like what Mom said.

Their grandson, Guy, told everyone that he found his grandparents dead in their bed early morning.

Mr. and Mrs. Sebastian are both old, but dying at the same time while sleeping makes me feel suspicious about the cause of death.

I never like Guy because he always smokes and drinks alcohol, but our family is friends with his grandparents.

They’re the first neighbor who welcomed us in town when we migrated and they’re like my grandparents.

My parents and the other neighbors helped out with the funeral while Guy is smoking and drinking with his friends at the table outside as if they’re having a party.

The next day, after school I’m about to past by the Sebastian’s house when I saw the two again at the porch.

I tried my best to ignore them because I know that they’re both dead and I’m about to go to the funeral home but my bike stopped in front of their house.

“Please let me pass.” looking down on the ground.

“You can see us, Desa.” Mr. Sebastian blocking in front of my bike.

“Help us, you’re the only one who can help us.” Mrs. Sebastian standing beside me.

“I’m just a kid, what can I do to help you? My mom doesn’t even believe me that I can see you two.” lifting my head to see them clearly. “You’re both dead but how can you be alive right now??”

“We know we’re asking too much of you but you’re the only one who can help us, Desa.” Mrs. Sebastian holding my hand.

“Your cold Mrs. Sebastian.” I can feel her ice-cold hands.

“Go inside our house, Desa. We’ll guide you along the way.” Mr. Sebastian points at the front door that suddenly opens.

They’re ghosts but they’re still Mr. and Mrs. Sebastian that I know, only that they’re both pale and cold when they touch me.

I entered their house like they want me to do and they lead me to their bedroom where Guy told everyone he found them lifeless.

“The thing that killed us is under the bed.” Mr. Sebastian uttered.

I looked down under the bed and saw a white bottle for medicines.

“This medicine killed you both?” took the bottle under the bed.

“It’s not medicine, my child.” Mrs. Sebastian uttered. “Show it to your parents also this glass with water, it’ll be enough as evidence.”

Mr. and Mrs. Sebastian were cops before so I just followed everything, they told me to do.

I showed my parents the evidence I have and told them that the old couple made me do it, trespassing the Sebastian’s residence and gathering the evidence that they got killed and not a natural death.

Dad went to the police station to request for an investigation along with the proofs, he didn’t tell me the specific details but on the burial of Mr. and Mrs. Sebastian, Guy got arrested by the cops.

“I’m sorry baby, if mommy doubted you.” Mom looks apologetic to me while we’re having supper in the dining room of our house.

... To be Continued ...