Latest / Shallow Nights: Scary Bedtime Stories / Whispers of the Unseen: Tales of Twin Spirits and Familial Curses

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Whispers of the Unseen: Tales of Twin Spirits and Familial Curses · Shallow Nights: Scary Bedtime Stories

0:13
My twin sister and I were born with two heads and one body.
0:16
One brain is mine, the other is hers.
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We're conjoined twins. We were really lucky to have
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survived being born, not just because we're conjoined, but
0:27
because we were born a little early.
0:29
All the doctors were prepared to announce our death, but it never
0:32
came because we made it through the night perfectly fine, and
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now we've made it all the way to 15.
0:40
Sally is the name of my sister. She looks a little different,
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but that's OK. She looks a little bit like a
0:46
baby corpse. It's OK.
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She calls herself that, and she thinks it's funny because she
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likes spooky things. Sort of small and frail and
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shriveled. She's smaller than me because
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we're parasitic twins, but I'm OK with that.
1:01
She's really smart. Sally always pays attention and
1:04
knows what to say. A lot of people find us strange
1:09
and I understand that, but for us it's normal.
1:12
We can't be separated and we don't want to be usually.
1:16
Sometimes Sally can be a bit of a pain, but she says that's how
1:20
all siblings feel about each other.
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Sally knows a lot of stuff since she reads a lot and pays
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attention to everything. I tend to mind my own business,
1:29
but she's always taking in information.
1:33
A lot of the time though, I end up speaking for us because
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people find her creepy. It always goes the same.
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The person doesn't notice her at first, as small as she is, but
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when I start talking to her you can see it in their face.
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The fear, the disgust, the concern.
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It always makes me angry because she's not any less human, but
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Sally says it's OK because she's used to it.
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Then when she tries talking to the person they just ignore her
2:01
and look away. Rude.
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I hate people who will act like that just because they don't
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like how someone looks. So sadly Sally will tell me what
2:12
she wants me to say and I'll say it always making sure to give
2:16
them my best judging face. I think it works because they
2:19
always look like they feel bad. My parents don't like Sally
2:24
either, which is also really mean.
2:27
They try to interact with her as little as possible and it's
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obvious they didn't want her. I think they used to hope when
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we were little that she'd just die.
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They don't call her their daughter, they don't talk to
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her, and they yell at me for talking to her.
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Maybe they still want her to die just from sadness instead.
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I can tell they feel bad too though, because when Dad yells
2:52
at me he gets really red in the face and storms out when he's
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finished yelling, which is what he does when he gets sad and
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doesn't want us to know. Mom will look at me with tears
3:02
in her eyes and I can see she hates that I don't hate her
3:05
other daughter. I think they're sad because when
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I don't talk to her they can pretend they have a perfect kid,
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but when I do it's obvious they couldn't even make a normal kid.
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So I talked to her a lot. Sally talks a lot too,
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especially after they yell at me.
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She talks a lot about abuse, which she likes to read about to
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understand it and our parents better, and how even though
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we're really lucky to have lived this far, what's the point if
3:33
we're never happy? I also have depression and
3:37
anxiety, so it's good to have Sally, but sometimes I don't
3:41
know what to do if someone doesn't give me instructions,
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and Sally always makes sure to give me them when I need it.
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She also likes to talk about the knives in the kitchen.
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We cook together a lot and she's fascinated with them because she
3:56
can't hold them herself, and it's kind of hard to describe
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how it feels to hold something to someone who's never done it
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before. Sally really likes the bread
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knife because it looks funny compared to the other ones, and
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it makes a nice noise when it cuts into a loaf of bread.
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And she likes the really big ones for chopping stuff up
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because it's so shiny and pretty.
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Lately we've been hearing our parents talk about putting me in
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therapy or into a hospital because I want to accept that
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they want to erase Sally from our lives as if they can.
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She stuck to my body. When we heard them whisper about
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it one night, I got really scared because it could be
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hypnosis therapy so I forget about Sally or a hospital visit
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so they can put me under and remove her for good.
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And if that happens, she'll die. She doesn't have her own organs
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besides her own brain. Sally told me not to worry
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because she always knows what to do and she promised she wouldn't
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let them separate us. She really calmed me down when
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she said that because I trust Sally a lot.
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Plus, she came up with a really great plan to make sure we're
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safe and we're going to do it tonight.
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Our parents are going to bed right now and Sally is resting
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up so she can make sure to give me the best advice when we sneak
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out of our room. I decided to write about her
5:24
while she naps because she's a really great sister and I think
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a lot more people should appreciate her since she's
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treated so bad. I'm tired of people acting like
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she's invisible. I can feel her waking up.
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I have to put my phone away now to concentrate.
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I don't want to cut myself on the big shiny knife while I walk
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to their room, though every poet considers the heart to be for
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more than pumping blood. I wonder whether any could hold
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an organ in such esteem if they lived a day beneath my skin.
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Is it not said that those who suffer have seen the eye of God?
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Even I suspect this is nothing but a lie.
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If it were really true, then I should have seen him by now.
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All Fry women are cursed, you see.
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It is the way of things, as natural as any other law of the
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universe. My mother had it, my mother's
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mother had it, and her mother before her.
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It was this way before, it is now, and it always will be.
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Just as birds sing in salmon swim, so too are we fries,
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doomed to live beneath this stormy cloud.
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Our blood is poisoned, rotten to the core, and as long as there
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is air to breathe, this will be our fate.
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Call it what you will. A sixth sense, a woman's
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intuition or telepathy maybe, but cursed is exactly what it
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is. My mother calls it the touch,
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and that is what I call it too. All Fry women have the touch,
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but no two women are ever the same.
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My Aunt Sarah has the touch. She can see when somebody is
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about to die. Do you see that man over there?
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She will say. You won't even make it another
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day. And sure enough, the man will
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die. His fate had already been
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sealed. How do you know when they're
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about to die? I asked her once.
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Perhaps it was a rude question. I know it's not the kind of
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thing I should pry at, but I'm getting older now and trying to
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make sense of this world. Well.
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She paused. It's not quite so simple.
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We're all dying, even you and I, but when somebody's time is up,
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they stop looking like you and me.
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What do you mean? I pressed her.
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I see their skin start to rot. She explained when it's really
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bad, it'll melt off like butter. Their eyes turn Milky Gray and
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their veins bulge deep purple. My cousin Riley has the touch
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too. Every man she falls in love with
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dies a horrible death. At first, according to my
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mother, everybody thought that Riley was special, that she
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would be the first fry to escape the curse.
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She never showed any signs of having the touch throughout her
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childhood, and it was assumed that by the grace of God, misery
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had passed her over. But we were all mistaken.
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She brought home a boy from school one day.
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His name was Alexander. They were just friends at 1st,
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and they were only trying to understand the rush of emotions
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from a cocktail of hormones. There was a little flirting, a
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little bit of insecurity. It was the budding spring of
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passion. They would talk in class and he
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would make her laugh. He told all kinds of funny
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jokes. Riley had a crush on him, but
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what did she know about love? They were just kids after all.
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To any adult, that would have seemed absurd, but I promise
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you, at just 13, love feels as real as anything else in this
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world. It happened when we were walking
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home from school, she explained. Alex took my hand and I could
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feel that warmth and happiness fill every pore in my body.
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I felt happier than I'd ever felt in my entire life.
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I knew then that I'd fallen in love with them.
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And fall in love they did. The boy got run over by a bus
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the very next day. Of course, my mother has the
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touch too. Sometimes, even during the
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sunniest of days in the peak of summer, she will stop whatever
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she is doing and tilt her head to the heavens with her eyes
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closed. We all know that she is
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listening to unheard voices in the wind and that we should not
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make a sound. After a few moments without a
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single cloud in the sky, she will turn around and say there's
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a storm coming. Sometimes there really is a
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storm. A great big Thunder cloud, dark
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and ominous, will roll over the treetops and crash the earth
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with hail and rain and lightning.
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But sometimes she means something else.
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Last winter, for example, I was helping her decorate the family
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Christmas tree when she seized my hand with a tight squeeze.
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There's a storm coming, she whispered to me.
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The next week, my grandfather was diagnosed with stage 4
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pancreatic cancer. He didn't even make it to April.
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I thought he would at least get the chance to see another
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spring. Sometimes I find myself missing
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Grandma Anna, even though I never got the chance to know
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her. I just feel like if she was
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here, maybe she would be able to help me understand.
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I have so many questions. Why are we cursed to live with
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this pain? What could our ancestors have
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possibly done to deserve such wrath?
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Are children not free from the sins of their fathers?
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I've never conjured an evil thought inside of my head for as
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long as I've been alive, and yet I must bear this burden as if
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these sins were my own. You're named after your
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grandmother, My mother told me. How's that?
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I asked. We named you Anne.
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She said with a twinkle in her eye after Anna and with a smile.
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I see a lot of her in you. That made me feel good.
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I am Anne after my grandmother. Even though I never met her, I
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could just feel that she was an amazing woman.
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What happened? I asked my mother.
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I could tell that this was an upsetting question, and it made
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my mom a little choked up, but she set down her coffee and took
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my hand. Grandma Anna was a wonderful
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woman, She said so vivacious and full of light.
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She struggled a bit to find the words, but found them at last.
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When she walked into a room, you could just feel this warmth
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radiating from her, like she was this little ball of sunlight.
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You couldn't possibly feel sad when she was around.
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And then I requested Mom sigh. Your grandma was full of life,
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but when she would meet people, she paused.
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It was like a little piece of her would transfer into them.
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That was her touch. I ruffled my brow, unsure of
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what to think. She loved people, my mom
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continued, but she used her touch a little too often.
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By the time you were born, there wasn't anything left of her.
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When I think about her, it gets me thinking about my own touch.
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If I'm being honest, it makes me scared.
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What pain lies ahead for me? Will I ever escape this sorrow
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or am I cursed to live a life of misery?
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I've always been a bit of a sickly kid.
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It just seems like I'm always battling some kind of disease or
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pain or illness I can never seem to get right.
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I was born with cystic fibrosis, which doesn't help things.
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Imagine being waterboarded slowly, one day at a time, every
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day since you were born. Every breath I take feels like a
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vice is crushing my chest, and I worry that one of these breaths
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will be my last. A couple years ago, I woke up
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feeling sick. I'm not just talking about a
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little bit of food poisoning either.
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I mean that I was really, genuinely sick.
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The doctors said that the disease was progressing faster
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than they thought it would. They weren't even sure if I had
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a year to live. I've thought about dying every
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day of my life. It comes with the territory of
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being born with a terminal illness, but nothing can really
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compare to that moment right before the end has come.
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I have no doubt that Aunt Sarah could see the Reaper standing
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with me that day. Everybody came to pay their
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goodbyes while I sat still in my own bed with tubes of every
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variety poking in and out of my body like a human pincushion.
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I was barely conscious with all the drugs in my veins, but I
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remember the priest with his wrinkly hands standing over me
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to give me my last rites. And then something changed.
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My dad walked over to me and with a tear in his eye, gave me
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a little hug. I love you.
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He whispered, and as he squeezed me, I realized then that there
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are fates worse than death. If I could take back what
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happened next, I would in a heartbeat.
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If only, but sadly that is not the touch that has been given to
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me. As his body pressed against
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mine, I felt the life inside of him leave his body and I
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absorbed every bit of it like a sponge.
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The doctors were amazed. They had never seen such a fast
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recovery before. Was IA medical miracle?
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They said Within a day I was out of my bed and walking around.
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Within a week I was already back at school, but my father didn't
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make it. He was dead and I am what killed
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him. I don't even know how I'm
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supposed to live with myself, but each day I take 1 foot and
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put it in front of the other whether I like it or not.
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I take one breath after another and soldier on.
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It is the fry way we are cursed to live, but live we must.
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I asked my mom once why she and my dad never had any other kids.
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With a sad look on her face, she said well you were supposed to
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have a brother. Really.
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You never told me that before. I told her you were twins.
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Actually we were going to name him Tyler, she said.
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What happened? I asked.
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Sometimes I could feel you both tossing around.
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She said with a hand on her stomach.
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I even joked that you were hugging each other and she cast
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her eyes downwards with sadness. But the doctors knew that there
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was something wrong with one of the babies.
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You were sick. She added, looking at me.
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I couldn't think of anything to say in return, so I just
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listened. Your brother on the other hand,
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she continued, was healthy as a horse, a perfectly healthy baby
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boy. I lowered my head, already
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knowing what happened, But for some reason, you 2 switched
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places. Your brother was stillborn, but
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baby Anne made it. It was a miracle and so I
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realize now that I've killed not one, but two people.
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Eat it. Charlotte pushed Marlena's face
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closer to the fly infested dog turd.
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Eat it and be grateful. My daddy saw your daddy at the
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soup kitchen, so you must be hungry.
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A cacophony of giggles erupted behind Charlotte.
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A gaggle of pigtailed, ponytailed, and Bob cutted brats
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from hell. You're hurting me, Marlena
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cried. Please, just let me go.
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Strands of her flowing brown hair were beginning to touch the
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droppings. Enough, Charlotte.
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I shouted. Leave her alone or I'll tell the
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teacher. Charlotte turned her head toward
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me in a slow, calculated manner. Oh, look who it is, pee pee boy
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Carlos. She pointed, her gang bellowing
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out on cue. Did you run out of pants to pee
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in yet? That was three years ago.
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We were in second grade. You want to know what my daddy
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said about you? She took a step toward me,
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blonde pigtails the bouncing as she moved.
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He said your mommy didn't just skip town, he said your daddy
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killed her. Stop it.
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That's not true. I took a step backward.
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He said your daddy got mad because your mommy was sleeping
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with every man in town. He said that your daddy doesn't
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even know if you're his kid. Her next step sent me stumbling
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backwards, tripping over Marlena.
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My skull smacked against the crap covered asphalt.
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The group roared with laughter, joined by a new voice.
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Marlena's you? Charlotte giggled.
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I knew you were full of piss. I guess you're full of crap now,
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too. The crowd went wild.
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The sudden blare of the school bell caused the herd to break
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apart and ahead toward the building, leaving me to tend to
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my wounds. My ears were still ringing from
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the knock to my head when I first heard her bring her to me.
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The woman's voice turned my blood into ice.
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It was a low, guttural whisper, echoing from the tunnel at the
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far end of the playground, 50 yards away.
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I pushed myself up and turned toward my collar.
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She was wiry, so thin that it looked as if a weak gust of wind
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would snap her in half. Her skin was grey and sagged as
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if it was about to fall off. With her right hand, she
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beckoned toward me once more. Her voice sounded like it was
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emanating from all around me. Bring her to me.
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I wanted to run away, but my legs betrayed me.
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My feet were glued to the ground.
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Tears began to flow down my face.
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Just as she was about to speak again, my bladder released.
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Carlos. I turned, snapped out of the
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trance by my teacher's sharp voice.
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Recess is over. Get over here now.
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My goodness, did you wet yourself again?
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I'm going to have to call your father.
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The class clapped and laughed from the window, as if I'd given
19:33
them some sort of encore. We can't keep doing this.
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My father kept his eyes on the road as he spoke.
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Dad, it was an accident. I saw some.
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I know it was an accident, boy. But you can't keep having them.
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You'll be starting middle school next year.
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I know, Dad. I didn't mean to.
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I saw some. No one ever means to mess their
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pants. You just need to go to the
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bathroom more often. Sometimes you have to go, even
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if it doesn't feel like it. Do you understand, Dad?
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I'm trying to tell you that I understand.
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Yes, Dad. I understand it was still early
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in the afternoon when we got home.
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My dad had to go back to work, so I was left alone.
20:16
I took a quick shower, hopped on my bicycle, and rode back toward
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the tunnel. I wasn't sure who the woman was,
20:22
but something inside me was burning to go back and see her.
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I parked my bike on the side of the tunnel opposite the school.
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It was a large empty field with a few trees.
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No one was around except for a couple of teenagers throwing
20:36
water balloons at cars. Hello.
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I used my hands as a makeshift megaphone from 10 yards away.
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Is anyone there? The dark skeletal figure began
20:48
crawling down the tunnel, bouncing side to side.
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The woman's Bony Gray elbows jutted out toward the walls.
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Her knees were locked straight, forcing her into a misshapen
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triangle like figure. She was giggling and humming as
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she wriggled forward. A sudden wave of chills poured
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over me, covering my body in goose flesh.
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I moved backward away from the tunnel.
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The woman seemed incensed by this and began moving faster.
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She started making a noise that sounded like she was rapidly
21:19
licking and smacking her cracked, rotting lips.
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I turned to run, but was immediately pushed to the floor.
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What are you looking for? Your mommy?
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It was one of the teenagers wearing a red shirt.
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You got to get out of here. I pushed myself up in
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desperation. Before you get hurt.
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Is that a threat? Twerp.
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He shoved me down again even harder.
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My sister is a class with this kid.
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She said he pees his pants all the time.
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His sidekick snickered at the same time she spoke.
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Bring them to me. It sounded like she was inhaling
21:55
as she called. Please.
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I yelled. Can't you hear her?
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We have to go. The only thing I hear is a
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little boy about to pee his pants.
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I stood up once more and was immediately dropped by a punch
22:07
to the gut. I laid on the ground, helpless
22:11
as Red Shirt jumped on my bicycle and rode off.
22:14
The sidekick launched a water balloon at me before running
22:17
away, hitting me square in the crotch.
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When I looked toward the tunnel, the woman was gone.
22:24
Somewhere in the depths, I heard a faint gurgling growl.
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I jumped up and raced toward home.
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The trip would take even longer without my bike.
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My dad's car was standing guard in the driveway when I arrived.
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He pushed the door open before I even reached the steps.
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Where the hell were you, Carlos? He yelled.
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You think today was some kind of reward?
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That you could just run around town doing whatever you want?
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Dad, I'm sorry. Please, I need to tell you I
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saw. My God, did you piss your pants
22:54
again? Twice in one day, Dad.
22:57
No. Somebody threw a water balloon
22:59
and IA water balloon. You thought you had permission
23:02
to go have a water balloon fight in the middle of a school day?
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Get to your room now, Dad. There was a now.
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I moped to my room and crawled under the blankets.
23:15
I tossed and turned. That night.
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Every creak of the floorboards and whistle of the wind caused
23:20
my heart to race. At some point, the sweet release
23:24
of sleep rescued me. I could hear the other kids
23:29
whispering and giggling behind my back.
23:31
At school the next day, I flinched every time I rounded a
23:34
corner. Hearing the final bell ring felt
23:36
like a weight being lifted off my shoulders.
23:39
I stepped out of school, planning to take a long way
23:42
home, when Marlena approached me.
23:45
Hey, Carlos, she said. I'm sorry I laughed at you the
23:48
other day. I was just trying to fit in.
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She started walking toward the playground.
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Oh, it's OK, I guess. I began to follow without
23:58
realizing it. You know Charlotte, it's not all
24:02
that bad when you get to know her.
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She was just having fun. She started walking quicker.
24:08
She kind of is. She's been bullying me since the
24:11
2nd grade. I matched her pace well.
24:16
Either way. She came to an abrupt stop and
24:18
turned to face me. I wanted to thank you for
24:21
sticking up for me. She slowly began leaning her
24:24
face toward mine. My heart started banging in my
24:27
chest. She inched closer, eyes closed.
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I gradually leaned back, closed my eyes.
24:35
Our lips were nearly touching, and then, eww.
24:39
Charlotte's voice shot through the air like a bullet.
24:42
I told you he'd come if you told him to pee.
24:44
Pee boy is a crush on you. She laughed.
24:47
Marlena stepped away, covered her mouth, and giggled.
24:51
I opened my eyes and realized we were mere feet from the tunnel.
24:55
You really thought she was going to kiss you, didn't you?
24:57
Charlotte laughed. I found another dog turd.
25:00
This one is just for you. Marlena and another girl grabbed
25:04
me by the arms and held me in place as Charlotte moved toward
25:07
me with a wet mess in her bare hands.
25:10
Bring them to me. The voice sounded more potent
25:13
now, more explicit than ever. I didn't hesitate this time.
25:18
I swung my head to the side and cracked Marlena in the nose,
25:21
then pushed Charlotte's hand into her face.
25:24
She screamed. Get them.
25:27
I sprinted into the tunnel, the girls chasing not far behind.
25:31
I was never the fastest runner in the class, not by a long
25:34
shot, but the tunnel wasn't very long.
25:38
I pushed myself forward with everything I had, but every one
25:41
of their strides equaled 2 of mine.
25:43
I could feel them gaining on me. My lungs began to burn.
25:48
I felt one of them graced the back of my shirt.
25:50
I was almost at the exit. A hand pushed me by the
25:54
shoulder, sending me crashing into the ground.
25:56
Face first. I bundled into the fetal
25:59
position and covered my face, instinctively bracing myself.
26:03
And then nothing. I opened my eyes to see that I
26:08
was lying in the field a few feet outside the exit.
26:11
I stood and faced the tunnel, but it was empty.
26:15
No Charlotte. No Marlena, not even the Gray
26:19
woman. I was brought in for questioning
26:23
by the police since I was the last person who saw the girls
26:26
before they disappeared. I told them that we were playing
26:29
a game the girls were hiding. I was seeking.
26:33
I told them the last place I saw the girls was the tunnel.
26:37
The department closed the school and scoured the shaft.
26:40
They found a single set of bones buried inside my mother's.
26:46
They still don't have any leads on who killed her or buried her
26:48
there, but I think I have an idea.
26:52
The school opened for summer classes today to make up for
26:55
lost time. When my dad came to pick me up,
26:58
a low guttural growl poured from the tunnel.
27:02
Bring him to me.