Monsters Are Not Real

I was alone in an ocean-like room of white. It wasn’t an ocean, and it wasn’t a room. I stood in the middle and on the edge. A Tree as Tall as a Man (or perhaps it was a Man as Tall as a Tree) stood in front of me.

“You do not exist.” I threw at him. Monsters are only as real as you believe them to be.

He stood over me and grinned without using his face. “You believed in the wrong thing.”

I remember exactly how this dream ends.

Alone

I’m alone in the forest of Trees as Tall as Men (or Men as Tall as Trees). I wandered down that small dirt road to the lake. I didn’t have any tubes or rafts or books or chairs. It was large and calm and clear. It was beautiful out, but the Foul Wind was blowing harder than a hurricane.

I saw more shadowy monsters in the trees. They imitated the forms of humans. They looked like Jared and Emily and Lori, but they didn’t. They were long and short and stiff and rubbery.

Monsters are only as real as you believe them to be.

“You do not exist.” I casted, and they disappeared.

More replaced them. They appeared faster than I could will them away. The shadowy monsters grew and grew until the Trees as Tall as Men (or Men as Tall as Trees) were no longer in sight.

Monsters are only as real as you believe them to be.

The Forest of Men

We have to camp outside now, in the forest. The Foul Wind is definitely blowing harder now. The sky can’t hold all the grief we are throwing at it. So we settled our tents in the Trees. Uncle Luke was crying. When I talked to him, he stared at me with an odd light in his eyes.

“You are supposed to be dead.”

I thought he was saying that the bugs should have gotten me, but he explained, “I saw you fall to your death.”

“No, I’m okay. I just missed my footing.” I insisted. “I’m not dead.”

Pictures of Clouds

Everyone left because they were tired of death. They believed me to be dead so they left me behind. Now I’m alone in this forest. I didn’t know what else to do, so I sat on my back and took pictures of clouds with my eyes.

Above me the Trees looked like they were as Tall as Men (or maybe they looked like Men as Tall as Trees).

Dead or Alive

Marcus told me I was dead. Melinda told me I was dead. Everyone I met told me I was dead. I’m not dead. Why do they believe I’m dead? I tell them again and again that I just lost my footing; I wasn’t hurt at all. They’ll stop believing in me and I’ll disappear.

Monsters are only as real as you believe them to be.

Eliza

Eliza and I were sitting in our room when Robert threw open the door. “They’re everywhere!” He screamed, “Get out of the house!”

As the words came out of his mouth, insects started crawling from the vents and under the door. They seemed to phase through the floorboards. There were more than just cockroaches this time. There were hideous things: spiders and beetles and centipedes and flesh eating things.

“YOU DO NOT EXIST!” I cried in response. Despite my spell, they continued to pour from the ground and the walls and the ceiling. “YOUDONOTEXISTYOUDONOTEXISTYOUDONOTEXISTYOUDONOTEXIST!!!”

Robert stared at me as if I were insane. “What are you doing? Of course they exist!”

“Monsters are only as real as you believe them to be.” I told him.

It was too late, though. Eliza was gone, the swarm had hollowed her out from the inside, erupting from her skin like volcanoes.

I ran.

Bugs

The house has been infested with cockroaches. I’ve never heard of there being cockroaches here before, but I suppose they can appear everywhere. They’re all over the house. They run all over the floors and walls and get under your feet. We have to wear shoes all the time in the house now.

I told them that there were no bugs, but they wouldn’t believe me. I told them that monsters are only as real as you believe them to be, but they wouldn’t believe me.

No More Lake

We’re not allowed to go to the lake anymore because of Anthony. They keep telling Aunt Jessi that they’ll find him eventually. They’re wrong, though. He’s gone forever. Out of sight, out of mind, as they say.

I’ve been taking walks through the woods instead. It’s very nice this time of year, though it seems as if that Foul Wind has been blowing harder.

Or perhaps it is just Aunt Jessi’s mind throwing her grief to the sky.

Anthony

When we got back to the house, we noticed Anthony was missing. So, we went back down that small dirt road to the lake. This time we didn’t bring any of our tubes or our rafts or our books or our chairs. No one could understand where he could go. We were all supposed to keep our life jackets on.

They found his tapping the shore, trying to get its attention. “Anthony’s gone,” it wanted to say.

We called the police, but they haven’t come. I didn’t think they would.

A Foul Wind

We went to the lake today. We all took our tubes and our rafts and our books and our chairs, and we walked down that small dirt road to the lake. The lake was large and calm and blue. We all jumped in. It was cool and clear.

While I floated on the lake, I thought I saw a shadowy monster in the Trees. Monsters are only as real as you believe them to be, however. It disappeared as I cast, “You do not exist.”

There was a Foul Wind blowing.

Horses in the Sky

We arrived at the lake house. It’s a large building, large enough to fit the whole family. The lake is behind it, but we don’t have a view. The forest blocks the way. The only route to the lake is that small dirt road.

In the yard is a horse statue. I don’t remember when it got there, but I think it’s hideously beautiful. They look like they’re flying through the sky when viewed from below. They’ve got fear in their eyes, but they don’t even know what they’re afraid of

.

I have to climb up it a bit to get a good picture. When I jumped back down, my footing wasn’t quite right, and I collapsed in a heap of bones. I’m okay though.

The Lake House

We’re going to the lake house today. The drive there is long enough to be boring but short enough to not bother bringing anything to do along the way. I always look out the window and read stories in the telephone wires to occupy myself instead.

I thought I saw something standing underneath the monkey bars at the playground as we drove past. I think it was a short Tree (or a tall Man).

No. It was nothing. Just a trick of the light aided by imagination.

A Dream

It started with a dream.

I was at the lake house with my family. It was a clear and pretty day, and the lake was large and calm and blue. I was walking through the forest full of Trees as Tall as Men (or were they Men as Tall as Trees?) . I was taking pictures of the clouds with my mind.

I don't remember how this dream ends.