Bella’s Monster

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“What is that horrible thing?!” Bella thought, as she was awakened by scratching and shrieking coming from outside.  Crawling reluctantly out of swaddling duvets, Bella stumbled towards it. She stepped forwards, drew the curtains, and opened the window. There wailing was…

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A couple of foxes!?

 

Rolling her eyes, Bella sighed a sigh of annoyance. She gazed at her city. She loved being here in London, yet Bella missed the sweet hum of rural countryside with all of its lovely animals. Looking past all of the landmarks, her eyes came to a stop at the dim night sky. An odd fog came and cloaked the twilight background, leaving only the full moon uncovered.

 

Bella’s heart jumped. “Not now,” she whispered, “Not now.”

At the end of the street, under a flickering lamp post, stood a lone figure.

 

Bella yanked the curtains shut, her breathing wavering.

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A sharp rap on the door made Bella freeze.

 

It could not have been her dad; he was at work. She could hear the door opening-

 

It was climbing the stairs.

 

Bella took a step backwards in her room, waiting for the agony. Her breathing seemed extremely loud in the silence.

 

Her door knob turned, and in it came.

 

The next morning, Bella awoke with a sharp jolt of pain. She took a quick breath inwards as she inspected the injury.  The palms of her hands had bright red marks where her nails had dug into her fists.

 

All night long, Bella had her hands clamped into tight fists after she had seen it. Bella was also curled up under her duvet last night, with her eyes scrunched shut as she begged for the horror to go away. Eventually it did, but it left Bella feeling a bit odd; as if it never came, as if she dreamt it, but she felt like she had been changed.

 

As Bella jumped down the stairs, she could smell something tasty waiting to be eaten by her in the kitchen.

 

“Morning sweetheart,” her dad announced as she stumbled into the room.

 

“Morning,” she replied tiredly.

 

“Did you sleep like a log last night?”

 

“Yes,” Bella lied.  She was too busy looking at the freshly baked cinnamon swirl sitting in front of her to tell the truth. Her mouth watered a little.

 

“Last night, I thought I heard you running about with your big, loud feet,” Bella’s Dad said.

 

Great, Bella thought, he heard me.

 

“Probably just me sleep walking,” Bella replied; she instantly regretted saying that. She never slept walked.

 

They hadn’t always been this happy.

 

A couple of years ago, Bella’s mother left their home and never came back. After the divorce, her dad became very depressed and started drinking his way through bottle, after bottle to make him feel better. Bella still remembered the day when he came home, dizzy, at 3 O’clock in the morning after coming back from the pub. He reeked of alcohol, his fist was bleeding, as if he had just come from a fight. The sofa squeaked and creaked, as he flopped onto it and took another swig from a half-finished bottle. It had made Bella’s heart ache to see him like that.

 

On her last birthday, he had realised what he had done.

Abandoned her; let her starve; abused her.

 

The last couple of months of his depression were much better. Although he would still drink, he had got out of the habit of popping down to the bar and staying there until late the next day.

 

There lives soon got back to normal and both felt happy with each other. But as Bella started to eat her pastry, she couldn’t help but feel her more dark, sinister side.

He deserted me, she thought, he hurt me, I can’t ever forgive him for that.

 

After yesterday, Bella couldn’t stop thinking about the monster. At breakfast, she stared out the window thinking. At school, her face was a mask of parchment, while her mind had monstrous thoughts whizzing around inside. When her dad was asking how her day was, Bella’s lips said ‘everything is fine’ automatically without her brain- still thinking- having any recognition that she was being asked a question. When she got home, Bella walked quietly inside the house, got a snack and started her homework, like she did every day- but Bella moved with no emotion, with no reactions. It was as if she was a robot being controlled by its programmer.

 

Suddenly, Bella felt as if she was missing something; as if she had been torn away from something. Something she had a strong longing to be with, something that she needed. Something that she would not be able to live without. Unexpectedly, Bella jerked violently towards her window. The amount of force being used made Bella feel like a rope in a tug and war. It felt like someone, or something was trying to prise her from the safety of her room.

 

Bella could feel her limbs beginning to break. She twisted

her face into a mask of pain. A fiery heat rose up from the pit of her stomach, that began to take control of every part of her writhing body that was shaking on the floor. Inside her mind she could see a dark shadow looming over a small, hungry child; a bony hand reaching out over a cliff and letting go of what it was holding. She watched it drop into the murky sea; staying there and to never be found. But the last image that came to Bella’s mind stopped her from quivering. She looked like she hadn’t notice anything happen and she was completely fine, as the blood drained from her face. The last image that took control of all her emotions was a picture of herself, only a year ago, staring at a bright but dark light….