The Full Moon

The worst cramps I have ever had set into my biceps. My arms began twisting. I could feel my ankles popping. It came on so suddenly. I dropped to my bedroom floor. I looked out the window and saw a full moon. I could feel my bones cracking and breaking. Behind me, I heard this voice that said, “Mommy?” I crawled around to face the voice, and it was my little seven-year-old daughter, Emily. Emily started to cry at the sight of me. I tried to calm her down, but all she did was run out of the room screaming.

I looked down at myself only to see that I was turning into some kind of creature. I then felt like the air in my lungs was being sucked out. I couldn’t breathe. I thought I was going to die. I could feel my eyes drying out. I tried to blink, but I couldn’t. It was like my eyelids were glued open. My teeth became sharper and more pointed. I looked at my hands to see that my skin was a pale, death color. My bones were poking out of the tips of my fingers and toes. Now I was positive I was turning into a creature. But why? I sat on my bedroom floor and waited for it to stop, and it did after about fifteen minutes.

I was looking around the house for Emily, but I was not finding her anywhere. I know I could not call the police and file a missing person's report. It hasn’t been even three hours let alone twelve since she went missing. So I just kept on looking. I found her hiding in the attic, and decided that I didn’t want to scare her. So I decided to just let her stay up there until I could figure this whole thing out.

I sat down in the chair, behind the table that had my computer on it. I googled “strange full moon events.” All I could find was people turning into werewolves. Then I found it, a site that had an exact description of what I looked like. I was turning into a ZOMBIE. Then I finished reading a couple of paragraphs, and it basically said that there was a new product that was just released to the public the day before. It was animal crackers. I bought the animal crackers for Emily’s lunch for school. I ate some after I bought them for lunch with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The strange thing is that Emily has not had any problems like I have. She is just a normal “happy” kid. Why were adults affected and not children? I read more and it said, “Adults have cruel and empty hearts and children have hearts of love and curiosity.” I started to realize that adults are starting to become less caring of their surroundings. I had a hypothesis that if I was more aware of my surroundings I would be cured and could go back to a somewhat normal life.

I went to the attic to bring Emily some food, but before I went up. I made sure I destroyed all of the animal crackers, and that there was nothing left of them in the house. I brought her a chicken sandwich and some Pringle chips, hoping that they were not poisoned, too. When I got up there she was hiding in the corner behind a couple of old boxes. I came up to her slowly. I gave her a big hug and kiss. That was difficult, trying not to dig her. She started to cry because she knew that I was still myself and that I loved her the same. I told her my hypothesis and the plan to change me back. We eat our lunch up in the attic together with a good conversation about animals and hilarious events that have happened to us.

After we were done, we both went downstairs to the kitchen. I grabbed my computer and followed her in. I decided to turn on a movie and watch it with Emily. I wanted to see if that would change anything, but it didn’t. We ended up falling asleep at the kitchen table. I awoke the next morning with no result. I started to worry that I would never be able to be my normal self again. I woke up Emily and made breakfast that neither of us ate. By morning I started shedding my skin. Parts of my skin were poking out of the eggs and laid across the toast like butter or jam. I felt bad that I was not going to be able to cook for her anymore without some extra protein (my dead skin).

I spent all day today playing and spending all the time I could with Emily, hoping I would be able to be cured. But, of course, still nothing worked, and I was starting to run out of ideas. I tried the things the internet said to do, what books said, and many others, but still, nothing worked. I almost wanted to give up. I was running out of ideas and especially hope to keep me going.

Once it had been a couple of weeks after the event happened, I had finally given up. I had to face the truth. I was not going to be cured, and I was going to have to live with being a zombie forever. I have been scared and worried for the past couple of days. Once I was ready to face the truth, I had to tell Emily. I realized when I was trying to find Emily she was not in the house at all. I got on my computer and looked up her name to see if I could find out where she was. I was sent to this memorial website that had her name on it and the year she was born. I knew it had to be her.

I went to the site of the cemetery and saw her gravesite for myself. Then I saw mine right next to hers. I saw it with my own eyes, but why would I have a gravesite? Wasn't I still living? I am standing right here, right now. Aren’t I? Then I read what my gravestone said. Apparently, I had been dead for a couple hundred years. But how would I not know that I was dead? How did I die? Anyways, wouldn’t I remember dying? I had so many questions as I was walking out of the cemetery. Some lady and her child walked right through me, and I mean right through me. Realization hit: I was actually dead. The gravestone was telling the truth. I was so heartbroken to finally feel fine and suddenly get that taken away from you. I was just feeling comfortable about who I was. I wanted to cry so bad. If I could I would be right now. Then I remember Emily. I couldn’t or didn’t have time to ever tell Emily I loved her, and that it doesn’t matter what you look like just be yourself. I felt like I had failed her. Because I was all worried about myself and not about taking care of Emily. All the things the website said had come true, and adults these days only care about themselves, not others, or their surroundings. I should have cared more about the people in my life and around me. Instead of caring about the way I look.

To this day I have been cursed for not paying attention in life and just caring only about myself. In my spare time, I take care of the children who live in my house now. I make sure they get fed and that they are always tucked in every night before they go to sleep. I wish I had the time to tell Emily I loved her and that I cared about her a lot. I mean this is the only way I would be able to make up for what I did to Emily. There have been at least forty children in total that have lived in my house, and I have helped and seen them grow up. All of them are good parents to their own children now. I just hope that the chain keeps going. Just pay it forward in a way that it will never be forgotten.

—Natalie C.