The Tale of Two Stories

“The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window.” Reagan started.

“Augh, not this story again!” Young Jonas groaned.

“What? It’s a good story.” His older sister proclaimed.

“Yeah, but I’ve heard it a bajillion times. Why not a new story to spice things up? Otherwise, I’ll die of boredom.” He whined.

“Fine. You’re old enough to hear my other stories I suppose, but don’t come running to me in the middle of the night, okay?” Reagan said, face firm.

“Yes, ok, I promise,” Jonas exclaimed, excited to finally hear one of his older sister’s scary bedtime stories. She was famous for telling the best stories in town, but she only told her stories to certain people.

“Long, long ago the world was quite like the world today. There were people like you and me in it. There were forests and oceans, highways and cities, lakes and mountains, skyscrapers, and animals of all kinds. The only difference to this world was the moon. Every full moon, some people would lose control of themselves and do nasty things. Some of them even took on a different form, like werewolves. They would kill and feast and do things no ordinary human could ever do. Some of them could lift a whole truck over their head, others could kill so quickly, that their prey hardly had the chance to react. Because of this, the world was soon thrown into chaos. The government tried to stop these creatures, but they grew too strong and powerful. The people panicked and started boarding up their houses and hoarding anything they could get their hands on. It wasn’t until a few years later that the world was run by these beasts.”

“Did the monsters have a name?” Jonas interrupted.

“They called these creatures the Moon Weres,” Reagan answered. Jonas couldn't tell if it was just the setting sun reflecting on her face or if his sister appeared to cringe and her brows bent a little.

“Now, where was I? Oh yes! Now, in this world of uncertainty, there was one town that tried to ignore the creatures of the moon. They built a wall around their territory and rigged the place with alarm systems so loud they could bust your eardrums. The people there lived in peace for a long time. They helped others who proved to not be Moon Weres and shared provisions around to all. It was a haven for those haunted by these animals, who were once their loved ones.

“But of course, soon enough one Moon Were found a way into the village. They kept a low profile for a while and only dispensed of a few people. It didn’t take long for the villagers to become frightened and blame one another. The village was going to turn into the rest of the world, but one person was able to drive off the Moon Were and set peace straight again,”

“That wasn’t a scary story,” Jonas huffed. “Nobody special died, nobody suffered, the hero didn’t make any sacrifices, the monsters didn’t seem that scary. They just kill people and flee like cowards.” The boy remarked, with his bottom lip sticking out.

“Do you like death and violence?” Reagan asked in a shocked voice.

“Well, when you put it like that, no. I’m just saying it makes the story more interesting.” Jonas shrugged.

“Okay then. Well, I’m sure that one day, you’ll put your own exciting twist on my story.” Reagan concluded. She tucked Jonas in for the night and walked to the doorway.

“Was that really it? That was the whole story?” Jonas asked, turning to face his sister.

“Sorry if I'm a disappointment,” Reagan replied in a dull tone.

“I didn’t mean that, and you know it.” Jonas smiled, settling into bed.

“Want to hear another one?” Reagan asked with a feeling that she would regret this.

“Really? Two stories in one night!?” Reagan couldn’t help but smile at her brother. How could she say no to that face? She walked over to his bed, sat, and began another tale.

“Once there was a family who had a very dark and dire tradition. Every time a new member of their family came into this world, they had to pass a test on their 16th birthday. The child would go to sleep and face perilous beasts. They would have to kill their worst fears before dawn, or they would perish in their sleep.

“One girl was about to go to sleep on her 16th birthday to defeat her nightmares. She was nervous but she was confident she would pass. The girl entered the dream with an open mind and was instantly thrown into chaos. There were electric eels with venomous skin, spiky alligators with the sharpest claws and teeth, and big cats so silent, that they could pass right by you without you noticing. The little girl was scared but remembered what her parents taught her and vanquished all of them. Now there was just one left. A white face with black eyes challenged her to a game of riddles. If she won, then she would pass the test and go home. If not, she died in her sleep that very night. The little girl was able to solve all the riddles in time and made it out at the last second. Once she awoke her parents welcomed her back with open arms as she was now an official part of her family.”

“Still not scary,” Jonas laughed. “You’re supposed to have a reputation for stories.” Reagan sighed.

“I’m sure you’ll understand them one day. Now go to sleep.” She smirked, ruffling her brother’s hair.

“Good night, Rey,” Jonas muttered, already falling asleep.

“Good night, dear brother, good night.” Reagan smiled at her brother and with that, closed the door. The room wasn’t totally dark. There was a nightlight in the corner for Jonas because he feared the dark. This was something he wasn’t afraid to admit because he knew everyone went through this stage. Reagan knew this and decided to use this later to her advantage.

Later in the night, Jonas awoke to a scratching sound at his door. He turned around and noticed the noise seemed to come from the bottom.

Odd, he thought. They didn’t have any dogs and their one cat didn’t scratch much. Jonas got up and walked over to the door.

“Hello?” His shaky voice spoke. Suddenly a howl rang out in the night, piercing the dark silence. The door banged open, and a burst of wind swept into the room, filling it up and throwing little Jonas back. He yelped in pain as his body hit the bed frame. A dark smoke followed the wind and created a mist in Jonas’s room. It swirled around him, engulfing him in a soot-like air.

“W-who’s there?” Jonas stuttered. He cowered beside his bed for a minute before opening his eyes and looking around. The smoke had vanished. Jonas slowly got up and went over to his bedroom door which was now closed. He looked around the room. There was nothing there, no trace of smoke in the air as if nothing had happened. The young boy put his hand on the doorknob and slowly turned it. He peeked down the hall. Nothing.

I think I’ll sleep with Reagan tonight, he thought to himself. He started to get his pillow when he remembered his sister’s words,

“...don’t come running to me in the middle of the night...” She had warned.

But this isn’t related to the story, I actually saw something, Jonas told himself. It was smoke, not some moon creature.

Jonas looked into the hall again, making sure the coast was clear before sprinting to his sister’s room. As he ran, he swore he saw eyes in the corners of his, cold and menacing. He ran past the series of doors in the hall before stopping at a deep brown one with a silver knob. Quickly turning the knob and pushing the door open, Jonas found himself in his sister’s room... his sister’s empty room. There was no Reagan. There was a bed made up, a nightstand littered with gum wrappers and bottle caps, and closed closet doors but no Reagan.

“Reagan?” Jonas whimpered. “Reagan! Th-this isn’t funny. Come out!” He started to cry. Thunder suddenly burst out in the distance, lighting up the room. The boy’s breath hitched. The walls were covered in crimson blood stains. Some were old and turning brown. Others looked like they were freshly splattered and were still dripping down the walls. Jonas screamed and dove into his sister’s bed. He nestled in, wishing his sister was here to comfort and protect him. She would tell him jokes and a funny story about a fox and raven and they would laugh away at the rain pelting down. Alas, his sister was not there. He would have to be brave on his own. Covering his ears, he started to sing a song.

“Far over the misty mountains cold,” He began. Thunder continued to crash. “To dungeons deep and caverns old.” This part he smiled at for his sister always lowered her voice at this line, making her sound funny.

After singing a bit more of the song his sister taught him, Jonas worked up the courage to sit up in the bed. He glanced around the room. Thunder still rumbled outside, and the blood was still running down the walls, but other than that there was nothing out of the ordinary. No monster. That was slightly comforting. Jonas snuggled under the covers of the bed.

Maybe this was some nightmare. If it was, all Jonas had to do was wake up. He screwed his eyes shut, counted stars, and even made his body go limp for 5 minutes straight, but nothing seemed to work. Sighing, the boy got out of bed. Maybe if he vanquished his worst fear he would wake up? Nothing could really hurt him if his theory was true. Just to be safe though, he took his sister's knife from under her mattress and tucked it behind him, in his pants.

Jonas walked over to the door and poked his head out of the room. Dead silent. The young boy proceeded to walk down the rest of the hall, and down the stairs. Before he could get too far down the stairs though, he saw a figure in the living room, making him duck down behind the railing.

As quietly as he could, Jonas glanced down at the thing in his house. It had arms and legs like a human along with a head and what Jonas thought were fingers. The creature seemed to be sniffing the air in search of something. Was this the creature Jonas was supposed to defeat? Only one way to find out. Jonas started back down the stairs as silently as he could.

Creak...

The beast’s head snapped in Jonas’s direction. The boy covered his mouth with his hand and held his breath. He heard the beast crawl over to the staircase, his eyes darting up, but his body dare not move. His back against the railing, the beast’s head right above him, swaying left and right. Left, sniff, right, sniff. The creature didn’t have a snout, but a flat face, like a human. It sure didn’t act like one though. The creature let out a low growl that caused drool to string from the jaws of the beast. Agonizing seconds passed, which felt like an eternity. After letting out a huff, the monster finally looked away, allowing the little boy to sigh in relief.

Good thing I brought this knife, thought Jonas. Okay, I can do this. If the creature is in the living room and has its back to me, I can surprise it and throw the knife at it. I might only get one shot so make it count, Jonas!

Daring a look at the creature, Jonas made sure that the monster wasn’t facing him. It was just now that he realized that this thing didn’t have a tail. Jonas hesitated. Could this just be a simple robber? No. Not with a face like that.

Jonas got out the knife and carefully crawled down the last two stairs, being mindful to stay behind the railing.

Creak...

He held his breath for a minute. Did the beast hear him? No sound came that indicated the creature was heading in the child’s direction. It appeared to not hear him... odd. Jonas took a breath. He could do this. Nothing could truly hurt him in his nightmares.

The boy jumped out from behind the stairs, heart pounding in his ears, ready to battle the bulky brute, adrenaline so high he thought he would wake up. But there was no monster. Dread filled Jonas; it knew he was here. It was watching him... now he could feel eyes bore into him like a laser. Slowly Jonas turned around to see the glow of the monster’s eyes, standing feet above him. A growl escaped the creature’s mouth as it stepped out of the shadows.

“Reagan?!” Jonas yelped, with surprise and fear. Yes, it was his sister, but she had morphed into a creature too horrid to try to describe. Her eyes were slits, her arms long and skinny, and her back was hunched over. Then there were her claws that were dripping with blood. That made Jonas shudder the most. The Reagan beast looked down at Jonas. Jonas looked up at the beast.

“Hello, brother...” The creature launched itself at Jonas, who narrowly dodged. He pointed his knife at the monster, who apparently didn’t see the knife. She rammed into the boy and in return got a graze on her left shoulder. She shrieked out in pain. Her eyes darted to Jonas and snarled at him with hatred.

“Reagan!” Jonas yelled at his sister.

What is happening? He thought. You know what, just focus on defeating this scary version of Reagan. Remember, this is just a dream.

Jonas was about to look for something to attack his sister with when Reagan swiped her claws at him, throwing him back against a display cabinet.

“OW!” Jonas shouted out. He looked down at his arm to see two long gashes cut into the flesh. He got back up and was immediately hit by his sister again.

“What’s wrong brother? Not suffering enough? It’s just like you said, it makes the story more interesting.” Reagan kept at it, clawing at her own brother, with no second thoughts of who he really was. Jonas flailed to grab the closest thing to him and threw it at his sister. A shatter rang out and only silence followed. Jonas stared at his sister who was now on the ground, still as a rock.

“R-Reagan?” No reply. The young boy saw a shard in his sister’s heart. He gazed down and saw other pieces like it, lying on the floor of their living room. “Must have shattered a vase.” He observed aloud.

Jonas woke with a start, gasping for breath and sweating. He sat up and looked around his room, wild-eyed. There was no monster anywhere. The sun blared in through the curtains and made the boy shield his eyes with his hand. A sting came from his arm and he looked down. Two long scars were cut into his skin. Jonas carefully got out of bed and opened his door. Walking down the hall, he found his parents in Reagan’s bedroom.

“Mom! Dad! I have- W-what happened?” Jonas asked when he saw that his parents were in tears. Apparently, his mother didn’t hear her son’s question for all she could manage was a sob.

“No, my baby! No, no... Reagan, oh no... please...” Jonas looked over his mother’s shoulder to see what was going on. Her sister seemed fine, resting peacefully on the bed on her back. Then to Jonas’s horror, he saw it, shining in the morning sunlight.

Reagan was impaled with a shard in her heart and had a graze on her left shoulder. Right where he impaled and grazed her.