Fearie

• Chethani Nanayakkara, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2013

The world had ended. That much I could be sure about. The sun had been extinguished, I thought that to be impossible - but no. They had figured a way to do it. The weather had disappeared, as well. There was no temperature: hot, warm, or cold. It was just right.

We were going to die now. There were only a handful of us still alive. The only thing left to do was to go. But they had left behind these creatures, which made dying hard.

I guess I should explain what they are. You could call them aliens, they came from outer space – but I can’t. They’re way to similar to us. They look, speak, and move like us. The only difference is their eyes. Their eyes desire blood and pain. Whatever it takes to survive – they do it. They killed innocent people, spilling blood as if it were nothing more than water. They destroyed everything. Earth was just a mass of smouldering flames, blood flowing like rivers.

The creatures they left behind were worse than themselves. The Survivors nicknamed them Fearies. They took the form of your greatest fear. Hence the name, Fearies. One thing you should know about Fearies is that they’re selective. Once they pick someone to haunt, they stay with them. I can’t see the form of the Fearies that don’t haunt me; they are just a black cloud floating around. Usually the victim dies when submerged in their black cloud. Now you could say then why not let them kill you? Because they don’t kill you. You kill yourself, in the struggle to attack them. To not be attacked by them is to know where they are at all times.

That’s what I’m doing now. I’m watching my Fearie. It may sound silly, but my greatest fear is clowns, second to my fear of losing my loved ones. But since the latter has already happened, I can’t fear it anymore.

The clown was searching for me, but I was following it. It came to a stop at the end of a cul-de-sac. I ducked into an alley keeping my eyes trained on it. It didn’t appear it was going to move for some time. I crouched behind a bin, and closed my eyes. A few seconds rest wouldn’t do me any harm.

I opened my eyes just in time to see the clown disappear. I sighed, now I had to go search for it again. It was almost evening; I let myself have the luxury of a nap.

Without the present threat of the Fearie, I fell into a dreamless sleep. A cold breeze drifted across my neck. A memory popped into my head. I smiled as I watched my little sister play in the snow for the first time. She opened her mouth to say something, but it was lost into a rattle. Something was wrong. A shadow covered my memory. I opened my eyes.

Two large painted eyes loomed over me.