Sweet Tooth

By Nidal Abrar Syed

The floorboard creaked as a silhouette followed its shadow along the door I left ajar. An eerie aura thickened the air. I glimpsed at William pretending to be asleep on the other side of the room before closing my eyes shut.

William whimpered, “Mom?”

A struggle ensued. I did not have the courage to open my eyes even for a split second, but the unholy noises that I heard were enough to leave a vivid image in my head.

Tears rolled down my eyes because some part of me wanted this to stop, but the other part of me knew that it cannot stop. I was not prepared for the deafening silence that would come after this.

But it did, followed by a petrifying tone that said, “No chocolates before bedtime”.

By Nidal Abrar Syed