The Silence

It was dark that evening, for a summer night anyway. There was no breeze, and no sounds coming from the surrounding forest. A rare but not unheard of phenomenon that the locals call, "The Silence." They always tell the kids to stay quieter than a mouse sneaking around on a carpeted floor. I never understood why the adults hated these nights, but I guess I can't really complain. I get to enjoy the silence and search for what everyone else so fears.

The moon was just beginning to rise off the eastern horizon. Casting a pale white glow over the entire forest. It was almost time, in just a few minutes, that pale white glow will wake a creature never seen before. As the moonlight hit the entrance of a small cave hidden in the forest, for the first time since the day began, the silence was broken. As it rose out of the cave, stretching and flexing each of its limbs, I could hear the tapping and scraping of its claws, as it's form hit the sides of the cave wall. It only took a minute, but as the silence was broken, it began again.

I grinned as I made my way towards the source of the noise thinking, "Today is the day, today is the day I finally see what everyone fears!" It didn't take long to reach the entrance of the cave, a small, and rather pathetic looking opening, daring me to go inside. But, as I approached the mouth of the cave, the silence was broken once more.

"I see you have found my home, what is it you would like, small child?"

Surprised by the voice, smooth and soft, like a gentle and caring mother, I turned to see the source of such a voice. It was a hideous creature, with four long and bony arms protruding from either side of its large furry torso. It's six black eyes, like an empty void, that let no light, in or out.

"What's wrong?" The creature asked, "Cat got your tongue?"

I tried to speak, but when I opened my mouth, no sound came out. I have felt this feeling before, the quivering jaw, the shaking legs, the inability to speak. Terror. Complete, and utter terror. I knew what I was getting into when I came out into the forest. I prepared, making sure that I could stay calm in a situation like this, so why? Why do I feel this way?

"Come now, don't be shy." The creature smiled, revealing sharp and menacing teeth. "Tell me your name."

"Sabry!" I blurt out, not quite realizing what just happened.

"Sabry, what a lovely name, would you like to know mine?" The creature questioned. I nod as a sense of calm begins to wash over me. No longer am I paralyzed by fear.

"Monody." The creature answered gently, "That's my name." I no longer feel my body quivering in fear, and open and close my hand to see if I can move again. I release a sigh of relief upon realizing I can.

"What are you?" I ask, carefully looking Monody up and down.

"A good question, but I'm truly unsure of how to answer it. This is my first time talking to someone." Monody puzzled, looking a touch sad and confused. "What about you? What are you?"

Well, actually. I'm not quite sure either. I know that the people in the town nearby call themselves 'humans' but I look different from them." I tell with some uncertainty. "I guess I never really decided." Monody seemed a slight bit upset at my answer. I guess she really wanted to know what I was. A while passes, with very little happening. Monody seems to be scanning me as I wait in uncomfortable silence for something to happen. As the night grew colder, and the moon rose higher, the silence became more and more absolute. Soon I couldn't even hear the sound of my own breathing.

Seconds felt like minutes, minutes felt like hours. Time dragging on until all seemed to stop. Monody only continued to scan me, until she began to move, motioning for me to follow. Each step only making a sound for an instant before all goes silent once again. As far as I could tell, we were heading due East, towards a large lake in the center of the forest.

Time resumed as we moved further from the cave. However, the silence continued. At this point, the moon had reached its peak, shining down on the trees and revealing the lake through a faint sparkling on the surface of the water. Monody's form large form became more clear in the moonlight, revealing long scars travelling down her backside, and clawed and webbed feet. I can't stop feeling a vague sense of familiarity towards Monody. Like I know her from somewhere. Her voice, and the way she moves so gracefully, all feels so nostalgic.

Is this truly the reason that everyone fears the silence? My mind begins to search for a reason to fear Monody, but the harder I search, the more gentle she seems. Aside from how she looks, nothing about her feels threatening. For some reason, I feel a strange sense of calm come over me whenever I think about her. But, soon we reached the lake, and again time froze.

I took it all in, the shine and sparkle of the moonlight hitting the surface of the lake, like a sea of stars right in front of me. Lighting up the surrounding forest and sending a pale glow to cover our faces. Fireflies filling the air, motionless, and a large single tree on a small island several feet above the water. As Monody approached the lake, the water seemed to rise towards the island flowing gracefully, and impossibly upwards. Soon the water had all but gone into the small island, allowing Monody to approach without trouble.

Once Monody reached the island, she turned to me and motioned for me to follow. Without a second thought, I began walking towards Monody and the island, my feet sinking inches into the mud with each step. The normal sloshing of the mud making no sound in the silence. As I neared the halfway point, white noise flooded my head, bringing me to my knees and making my head feel like it was about to explode. But still, I continued closer. I couldn't stop, my body wouldn't let me.

As I inched closer to the island the silence in my head grew louder, dro... ou... m... th..ts... Silence replacing every tho...

Moving closer...

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The moon begins to hide behind the western horizon and the absolute silence begins to fade. I find myself surrounded by identical, short and scrawny creatures with two glowing silver eyes, and one very defining feature, the lack of a mouth. Monody is nowhere to be seen, and these creatures seem to be mimicking everything I do. When I raise my hand, they raise theirs, when I turn my head, they turn theirs.

"Hello? Where am I?" As my mouth moves, so do theirs, the place where their mouth should be, stretching and following the movement of my own. I cautiously approach one, reaching out my hand to touch it as it does the same. It is cold to the touch, and smooth. They all seem so human. They are so human, but at the same time, they seem so animal, so alien. So unknown, yet so familiar.

And then, it's gone. The sun begins to rise, and shadows fill the room, making each creature disappear, one by one. until there is just one left, looking back at me with its sinister glowing eyes until the shadows begin to envelop it. It's confused look, turns to fear, and I reach out to help it, the creature reacting in kind. Until it's gone, and I am alone in the darkness, completely contained and isolated from the rest of the world, in complete, and utter,

Silence