The creature

Why the creature chooses to remove sick children from their homes will always remain a mystery. Hidden from the sight of comforting parents, it waits for fevers to spike, for voices to turn coarse, and when muscles are to weak.

No one knows why the children are the only ones who can see it, and why they do not fear him is even more puzzling. For it has only one goal and one purpose.

With a single grotesque green finger, thin and long, it appears between the blades of grass on lawns, from the calm waters of lakes, and in the far corners of dimly lit rooms. The children always come closer as it sings sickeningly soft nursery rhymes. Their ears unable to resist the calming melodies as the sweet aromas of their mothers’ scent and sugary treats drift past.

He comes in the darkest days, feasting on infections, contamination, and injuries. With a taste for weakness, he knows when to indulge and, even worse, when to stay away.

The night was long for Joanna and Clark as their daughter, Isabella, continued to suffer from a fever that would not break. She lay in bed, sweat covering her face and her breathing shallow. She tried to sit up, but the room spun around her. Her head throbbed, and her lips were dry.

“Maybe we should try more Tylenol,” Joanna suggested, hunched over at the edge of her daughter’s bed.

“Not for another hour,” Clark replied, placing a cool cloth on his daughter’s forehead.

“Do you think we should call the doctor?” Even Isabella noticed the concern in her mother’s voice as it began to tremble.

“He said it’s just a fever, a virus, nothing more. She needs to fight it off herself.”

Isabella’s eyes felt heavy, but she forced them open. “Am I going to die?”

Joanna and Clark forced a chuckle, hoping to ease their daughter’s fears. “Of course not,” her father said reassuringly. “You’ll be better by tomorrow morning. What do you want to do?”

Isabella thought for a moment. “Play under the oak tree in the backyard.”

“That sounds like a great plan.”

Joanna and Clark stayed in the bedroom. Joanna sat at the foot of the bed while Clark struggled to remain upright in a small chair. They were both exhausted from caring for their daughter, having barely slept themselves.

Clark forced his eyes to remain open as he glanced out the bedroom window. The large tree in the backyard swayed its limbs back and forth. He had never liked that tree, but Isabella had grown attached to it. She held tea parties in its shade, played on its swing, and collected acorns in the fall.

“Come near…” a silky voice sang from outside.

Joanna and Clark did not look up. They had not heard it.

Isabella raised her head. “What did you say, Daddy?”

Clark glanced over at his daughter. “Nothing,” he replied softly, barely awake.

“Oh.” Isabella looked confused. “I thought you said something.”

“You’re tired, sweetheart.” He kissed her forehead. “Close your eyes. You need your sleep.”

“Come near,” the voice sang again, louder this time. “There’s no need to fear…”

Isabella sat up. She knew she had heard something this time.

“What is it?” Joanna asked.

“I heard the voice again.”

Joanna’s eyes widened. A flicker of concern crossed her face, and she wiped away a small tear before looking towards her husband. “I think we need to take her to the hospital.”

Clark rubbed the back of his neck. “And wait there for six hours? It’s already so late.”

Joanna did not respond.

“The doctor said she needs rest. I’ll make another appointment in the morning if she’s not better.”

“Come near, there’s no need to fear. All your dreams will soon be…” The voice stopped.

Isabella glanced at her window. A lone tree branch drifted in the wind, its leaves having long since fallen in preparation for the coming winter. The sky was dark, and night had settled in.

“You have to have heard that!” Isabella exclaimed.

“Lie down, sweetheart,” her father said, dismissing her comment. “You need your sleep.” He stood up. “Mom and me will be downstairs if you need us.”

“Come near, there’s no need to fear. All your dreams will soon be…” The voice paused before singing again. “Here,” it finished.

Isabella heard the voice once more but chose not to mention it to her parents. She lay back down as Joanna kissed her forehead and moved towards the door. “Goodnight, Bell. I love you.”

She closed the door, leaving Isabella alone in her room.

The voice grew louder and clearer. “Come near, there’s no need to fear. All your dreams will soon be here.”

Isabella sat up in bed. “Who are you?” she asked.

She was not afraid. She simply wanted to know who her new friend was.

“I’ve come to heal. It’s very real.”

Isabella sat at the edge of the bed. Unexpectedly, she began to feel better. The sickness that had kept her in bed for days had suddenly vanished. Her stomach no longer hurt, her mouth was no longer dry, and when she sat up, the room held its shape instead of spinning around her.

She had gotten better quickly, just as her parents had said she would.

“I’d like to, now that I feel better,” she said. “But it’s late, and Mommy and Daddy won’t let me.”

“Come near, there’s no need to fear. All your dreams will soon be here.”

Isabella began bouncing on her bed. “You sound like so much fun, but I can’t.”

“Come near, there’s no need to…” The voice fell silent as Isabella’s door swung open, revealing her father standing in the doorway.

“Lie down, sweetheart,” Clark said.

Isabella stood up. “I feel so much better, Daddy. The man outside fixed me.”

Clark scoffed as he walked towards the window. The backyard was dark, and the oak tree stood in the middle of the yard, casting a shadow across the lawn. “There’s no one there,” he said, turning back towards her.

“But I heard him. Feel my head. I’m all better.”

Clark touched his daughter’s forehead. It burned beneath his palm. “You’re still burning up. You need your rest.”

Isabella obeyed her father’s request and climbed under the covers as Clark moved back towards the door. “Goodnight, sweetheart. I don’t want to come back up here again tonight.”

He closed the door.

Isabella did her best to stay in bed, but she was too tempted by the voice outside. Her new friend had made her feel better, and she wanted to meet him. She slowly pulled the covers off her legs, placed her feet on the floor, and tiptoed towards the window, her nightgown dragging along the floor.

The backyard was silent. “Are you still there?” she asked.

Silence returned.

“Do you still want to be friends?”

Silence again.

Isabella turned her back to the window, preparing to return to bed, convinced her new friend had left.

“Come near,” the voice repeated, silkier this time. “There’s no need to fear. All your dreams will soon be here.”

“I knew you didn’t leave!” Isabella exclaimed.

“Come and step outside. You’ll be happy you tried.”

Without hesitating, Isabella reached down and flipped the brass latch, raising the wooden window above her head. Her arms ached under its weight. She scanned the yard but could not see her new friend. All she could see was the old oak tree.

“Where are you?”

“Come near, there’s no need to fear. All your dreams will soon be here.”

The sweetness of her mother’s perfume drifted past the little girl’s nose. She glanced around, convinced her mother must be floating just outside her window. But there was nothing there, only darkness.

Before she could think about it, the intoxicating aroma intensified, mingling with the scents of cinnamon buns and pumpkin tea. Isabella could almost taste her favourite treats.

Her mouth watered.

“Why not join me in the yard? It’s not that hard.”

Isabella glanced down from her window, two stories above the ground. “I can’t climb down.”

The old oak tree’s branch creaked as it moved closer to the window. Isabella had watched it sway in the wind on many nights as she fell asleep, but this was different. It seemed to possess a strength of its own.

The limb stopped just in front of her window, its branches forming a sturdy platform.

“No need to frown. Just follow me down.”

Isabella reached out. The bark was rough and cold beneath her fingers, but she dug her fingernails deeper into it and pulled herself outwards. Her feet found steady footing as she wrapped her arms around the thick trunk. The branch never struggled to hold her weight. Its embrace felt like a hug from her father.

The voice began to sing again. “Come near, there’s no need to fear. All your dreams will soon be here.”

Once Isabella reached the ground safely, she looked around again. “Where are you?”

“I’m over here. No need to fear.”

She spun around. The yard was empty except for the tree beside her. “Where?”

“You’re looking up. That won’t give you much luck.”

Her eyes fell to the grass at her feet. The blades cast shadows upon one another as the vegetation stretched out in a sea of hunter greens. Not far away, an index finger protruded from the ground.

The bony finger of the unknown creature had appeared once again. Its wretched digit slipped up from beneath the earth, beckoning its next child to come closer.

“Is that you?” she asked.

“You’ve found me at last. Now your worries are past.”

As Isabella approached, the rest of the extremity squeezed its way out of the ground. She looked down at its long fingers, the flesh rotting away as they twisted in the shadows. The hand appeared frail, followed by a bony wrist that looked as though it might snap at any moment.

“Where’s the rest of you?” she asked.

The hand did not respond. Instead, it repeated the same song Isabella had heard so many times that night. “Come near, there’s no need to fear. All your dreams will soon be here.”

Isabella froze, taking in what she was looking at. She took a step back.

“Why turn away? You know you should stay.”

“I think I should get back to my Mommy and Daddy.”

“And why leave this place? Come closer, embrace.”

“They wouldn’t be happy if they found out I was playing after bedtime.”

“Who made you feel new? Who came here for you?”

Isabella did not respond.

“I did, my sweet child. I made life, worthwhile.”

Isabella froze, her eyes locked on the hand. It twisted around its bony wrist, its skin somehow greener than the grass beneath it. The thin wrist creaked as it moved, yet never broke.

“You look so scared, but I have always cared.” Isabella chose not to move. “Come near, there’s no need to fear. All your dreams will soon be here.”

Isabella swallowed hard, pushing away her last remaining fears. After all, her new friend had helped her feel better, guided her safely to the ground, and even knew what her favourite treats were.

He would never harm her.

Isabella took a step closer. The creature reached out and rubbed the fabric of her nightdress between its thumb and index finger as it repeated its song one last time.

“Come near, there’s no need to fear. All your dreams will soon be here.”

When the sun rose over Isabella’s house the next morning, Joanna and Clark stepped into their daughter’s bedroom. They rubbed their eyes, having fallen asleep on the couch, exhausted from staying up the previous night.

Clark opened the door and saw Isabella still lying beneath her covers. The room was quiet as the morning sun shone behind the old oak tree.

“She looks so peaceful,” Joanna said, smiling at the thought that her daughter might finally be feeling better.

“She just needed a good night’s sleep,” Clark replied as he sat on the edge of the bed. His weight pressed down on the springs, causing Isabella to roll slightly towards him. “Time to wake up, sweetheart.”

He rubbed her back.

She did not respond.

“It’s time to get up,” he said, rubbing her a little harder. A flicker of concern entered his voice.

Joanna stepped closer, holding her breath. “Bell?”

“Sweetheart,” Clark said, pulling back the covers and gently rolling his daughter over.

His heart froze in his chest. His daughter’s eyes stared blankly upwards, lifeless and unseeing. Joanna screamed behind him, stumbling backwards as she covered her mouth. 

No words came out.

“Sweetheart!” Clark grabbed Isabella’s lifeless body and pulled her close. She was cold and stiff. “Wake up!” He shook his daughter, but her eyes continued to stare through him.

“What happened?” Joanna cried.

“The doctor said it was just a fever and that she needed sleep!”

“I told you we should have gone to the hospital!”

“She said she was feeling better last night!”

Clark’s eyes locked on his daughter’s cold, pale face. He desperately searched for an answer. “Why did she leave us? Where did you go?”

The room fell silent as Joanna and Clark held Isabella.

Why the creature chooses to remove sick children from their homes will always remain a mystery.