The clouds rushed away from the sky to reveal a perfectly blue ocean of light. The sunshine beamed down on a rustic house surrounded by a field of grass. There stood a tall young man, alone, waiting for an ounce of validation from God. He combed back his white hair away from his face, revealing his aching eyes drowning in a waterfall of tears. He peered down at his red-stained hands, understanding finally what he had done wrong. July 18th, 2009.

Dust danced in the ray of light, beaming from the window. A girl prancing around the rustic house appeared for a moment in the hallway before prancing back into the kitchen. Emet closed the doors behind him, not fearing the loud creak it made; he longed to know what was behind them. The abandoned house.

He made his way towards her, curious as to what followed. Stories of horror about the young girl sprouted around the town for years, none of which scared Emet. There he was, at the edge of the hallway, parting ways between it and the kitchen. Emet panned the scene until he caught sight of the tangled, unwashed head of hair just below parallel to his hips. He peered down at the girl and noticed her oatmeal dress and muddy shoes. The vinyl floor around her was left grimy and stained, unlike the rest of the kitchen. It was almost as though the kitchen was a different place. Separate from the rest of the dark, unclean house, it was lit up with cream-colored lights and furnished with bright, retro decor. Classical Opera music whispered in the background on an old, rusty record player.

Emet, intrigued by the little girl, tried getting her to talk. “What’s your name?” The girl straightened her shoulders and glared up at Emet. She was confused — could he see her? He was talking to her? Suddenly, without skipping a beat of Emet’s heart, the girl fled the kitchen, dashing to a new part of the house and laughing all the way there. He felt the echoing, divine laughter of the girl wrap around his neck and leak into his ears, taking captivity of his heart.

Emet followed quickly behind her, tracking the girl by the muddy footprints she left behind. Eventually, the footprints stopped. He found himself alone in a bedroom. This one was also lit up with cream-colored lights and furnished with bright, retro decor. Except, the girl was missing. Emet turned about, searching for her, until...

Out of nowhere, the girl leaped at him. What did he miss? He had searched the whole room from top to bottom, but she was nowhere to be found — until now. Struggling to stay afoot while entangled by
the girl, Emet cried out in pain, even while knowing no one would hear him. What was a cute little girl had turned into a beast that enveloped Emet’s whole body, sinking deep into the earth’s core. He found himself on his knees in complete darkness, trapped by it. Where could he go? What can he do?

The little girl called out to him from afar, “Little boy, little boy, you are weak. You’re weak, just like
the others.” His life, built around defeating this creature, was all erased in the span of a minute. He refused to listen, though. He felt insulted that his final boss mocked him after all he had accomplished.

Emet rose to his feet, opened his eyes, and grabbed the beast by its neck. He forced it to the ground. In the blink of an eye, Emet noticed his hands, gripping the remains of a little girl. In utter confusion, he lifted himself from the bloodstained carpet.

An alarm sounded, and Dr. Gibbens pushed open the metal door to Emet’s hospital room. “You are okay Emet,” Gibbens said, “Glad you survived; that crash was brutal. I’m surprised you’re awake so soon.”

Was it all a dream? Emet thought as he opened his eyes. He was met only by Dr. Gibbens, who had a familiar face...