//------------------------------// // ..-. .-. .. . -. -.. ... // Story: Knock. Knock. // by Arreis Of Avalon //------------------------------// I walk to the next room. Twist. Turn. Light. I blink. There is a bed. My head hurts. “I remember now! Someone very small lived here!” Someone, or something? I don’t recall. I turn off the light. The pony with the box head stands nearby. I simply walk away. I’ve no time for monsters today. No patience. Nopony home. Upstairs. Twist, turn, light. Blink. The eyes on the floor watch close as the telescope appears. I see another torn note. They are real. But not as they appear. You see them like that because you’re in a state of somnolence. My vocabulary lessons paid off. Did I ever have those? “Somnolence. The state of drowsiness or severe insomnia that can cause peculiar images.” I take a deep breath. “I often addressed the diary entries to myself. My older self, who, one day, would read these entries. It was just a game - but now, I feel that a complete stranger has penned these pages!” But how am I my own stranger? What has happened to my self? I turn off the light and turn. The boxhead pony once more. I gasp and stumble back, going back towards the ladder. But I stop myself. What had those notes said? … Face my fear. I turn and walk hesitantly towards the beast. I am unafraid. I walk through it, holding my breath. Nothing is there. “... The air is thick.” I open the door and walk to the lights. Twist. Turn. Repetition. Somewhere, a door creaks open. Light. I blink. My clock appears. I wind, quickly. I want this hell to stop. I turn off the lights. Next room, turn, twist, lightning strike. Lights on. There’s scribbling all over my walls and floors. White hoofprints. I’m scared. Face my fears. I need to face them all. The door slams. I shut the light off. Knock. Knock. Knock. Next room. Creeeak…. Twist. Turn. Light. Blink. Clock. Wind. So repetitive. This is my hell. My punishment. I failed. --_C-Come clos-ssser… Lights off. She won’t find me. I’m right here…. I run downstairs, unable to face this monster. In the corner of my eye, I see a shade enter the room I leave. I am safe, for now. But I am not. Dead end. My end. Doon’t h-hhhide f-from mee…. Twist, turn, creak. I breathe in the light. I savor it. I turn it off. Nothing is there. I peek up the ladder. The shade smiles down at me, her faded grin haunting me from above. I blink. I go up. Gone. I walk. You thought about it, and, now, it is inside. Upstairs further. I hold my candle steady. Nothing here either. I go to the light. Twist. Don’t do this! I close my eyes. Turn. I whisper, softly, my apologies. The lights turn on. Dead end. I turn off the lights. Downstairs. To the door. It takes a moment - the light flickers. I open the door and walk to the next room and the next. An eye watches me in the room of eyes. It knows. Someone is home. I don’t know what to do. I hear a voice. I know the voice. Whose voice?! H-Heeeey y-yy-oo-cube! “... A-And what’s this,” I say, pretending I don’t hear. Pretending the pony is not behind me. “Is it a hole in the wall, or am I just seeing things? Of course, I am only dreaming again, and it is easy to prove. Once the light is on, this will all disappear.” All of it. Even me. Especially them. I want them all to go away. I twist. Turn. The shade approaches. Her grey colors shock me, but I keep turning. No shock. No color. Only twist. Only turn. Turn. Turn. Turn. Fasterfasterfaster - Nothing happens! The shade nears. I am in an unknown hell with only shadow and grey to guide me. I close my eyes tight. I don't want to watch. “.. Where am I now?” The eye is gone. The shade is gone. My telescope, gone. “Long periods of isolation are harmful to the psyche. A tired mind distorts the perception of reality. I have to snap out of it. I feel like something eerie is happening to my home.” Home, or mind? Are they the same? Both are gone. I walk, and walk, and walk. The floor clicks beneath my hooves. It is made of tiles. I see something up ahead. Light? Colored light. I feel my heart racing. I run toward the light. It gets further and further away. Something calls me closer. I see a flash of purple in the distance - was it grey? My eyes are blind. I see only shadow. I cry out for help. Nopony came. Not even the one I sought the most. The shadows close in. I awaken. *~*~*~ I leap out of bed and kill the lights. A strange dream indeed. No time to dwell on it now. Open door. Turn on light. “I can feel someone was here recently. There’s a lip-shaped star on the door lock. As if someone kissed my door with a clay-covered mouth…” Downstairs. Next room. Twist. Light. The wardrobe appears. Lights off; next room. A shadow of a memory crosses over my hooves. “Rotting leaves on the ground… Is it fall now?” Two racers. One winner. Neither won. Betrayal? My head is full of thoughts. No wonder it hurts. Twist. Light. Blink. Clock. Wind. Somewhere, a light blows out. Next room. Twist. Turn. I shed light on all of the cracks. There’s so many here. “Everything is as it was, but still - it’s slightly off somehow. What’s changed?” You have. “Or have I just been too overwhelmed lately?” That must be it. “I can’t keep anything straight! My memory is going.” Gone. What happened to my memories? Blink. Full room. I kill the light and head downstairs. Twist, turn, procedure. Order. Just what I wanted, right? Empty room. Upstairs. Lights. Nothing. Lights off. I’ve gotten better at this. More efficient. She’ll be proud, I hope. I want her to be proud, the one I called out to. Then, and only then, will the dawn come. I cross to the next room with tears in my eyes. I turn on the light. Lightning strikes. I kill the lights and go into the room previous, fear clutching my heart. The door slams shut behind me. I open it quickly. Nothing there. I cross into the next room. My magic wavers. My candle flickers. I think to myself - they’re here. I thought about it. It’s inside. The shuffling one legged pony walks in, her straightjacket tugging against the floorboards. She’s right in front of me. I run as fast as I can. I hide. Her eyes search for me. I pray to whoever will listen - save me. Help me. I cry out, silently, and nopony comes. They’re all gone now. Nopony home. That’s what I wanted. Are you s-still here? She leaves. I step out. I glance at the light, wondering, should I turn it on? No n--need. Next room. Nothing. Next room. The eye watches. He’s always watching. Keeping me here. Trapped. Alone. Frightened. I will never be free. “I know, that when the light returns - this horror will simply vanish.” I twist the light. He watched. He is angry. The world shakes as the lights come on. I wince in pain. Ow. I blink. “What happened here? Something is telling me I shouldn’t even try to uncover it.” I turn off the light and hide, unsure if he’s still watching. It appears he is gone, however. I turn on the light. The boxhead I never noticed disappears. I take a deep breath. Why doesn’t she scare me like she used to? I try to take a step, but suddenly, I am halfway across the house. I stumble, surprised - this is new. Is it? I don’t remember. Everything is new to me now. Everything but my routine. Twist. Turn. Light. Blink. The fan appears. I go upstairs. Turn on the light. Nothing new. I open the door next to me and walk through. Lightning strikes again. The beast is nearby once more. Twist. Turn. Light. Blin- SLAM. My eyes shoot open. My clock is there. I wind, frantically. Nowhere to hide. Nowhere I can really run. I am trapped. Haunted. The visitors hate me, don’t they? I failed, I fai- Fffrree...zzzee… Light off. I run to the door. I open it quickly. It came in. I run as fast as I can away from the monster. It follows. It chases. I turn on the light upstairs. The eye watches. It knows. The shade catches me. I scream out. Nopony hears. Lights on. Nothing is here. I cry softly, feeling ready to collapse. It’s been such a long night. Such a long chapter of my story, and I can’t even write any of it out. My diary is gone. I’ve no journal anymore. It’s all gone now. He made it so. Who is he? I do not know. My memories... Lightning strikes. The hell continues. Through the house, I continue. Monsters, everywhere. Monsters, all of them. You are missing the point. Why do they keep whispering to me? Fear not. I am scared and they cannot help me. The lights like to flicker. I go to the next door. The one leg walks through. I simply sigh and turn around, unable to face her. My clock was there. Will I never be free of this hell? I make my way back to my clock eventually. I wind. My candle shakes. It is still not daw- H--HhhH----ey! I gasp, my eyes wide. She is behind me. That voice. I know her voice. The shade? The grey? I try to call out - her name. What was her name!? I don’t want to lose her name again, not after she left us all be- The sun rises. I awaken.