Make Believe

by Alan Wills

  Nakia walks into her daughter’s bedroom to see what the girls are staring at. Her husband is standing there in a daze.

  “Brad.”

  He doesn’t answer.

  “Brad!” she yells.

  Finally, he snaps back to reality. “Did you see her?”

  Nakia looks confused. “See who?”

  “The woman dressed in white. She was standing right there.” He points beside himself.

  “Honey, you are scaring the girls.”

  “Not me, Momma,” Shawna says.

  Nakia turns to them. “Why don’t you girls go downstairs and help by putting the groceries away?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” they reply in unison.

  But, first, Shawna goes over and picks up the music box by his feet. She looks up at him and gives him a sinister smile.

  The girls then go downstairs, leaving Brad and Nakia to discuss what just happened. The conversation becomes muffled as the girls take one step at a time.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Everyone is sitting at the dining room table. Nakia walks in from the kitchen, placing a large bowl of spaghetti and a platter of garlic bread in the middle of the table. Brad watches her sit down and then looks over at the girls. Everyone is silent. He can tell something happened today but wants to give the ladies time to share with him when they are ready.

  Nakia’s facial expression changes as she stares at her daughter. “Shawna, do you want to tell Brad what happened at school today, or should I?”

  Using her fork, Shawna pushes the spaghetti around on her plate. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Her mother puts her fork down. “What was that, little girl?”

  Shawna remains quiet while her mother continues.

  “Apparently, Miss Shawna has been pretty productive in art class,” Nakia states, pointing to Shawna’s backpack on the window seat.

  Shawna walks over to her backpack and takes out some papers. She comes back to the table carrying the pictures she drew and hands them to Brad. He has a confused look on his face as he studies the drawings. His expression changes to one of horror and disgust.

  “What are these? Explain these to me!”

  Shawna’s anger starts to build. “I said I don’t want to talk about it!”

  Her mother jumps up from her seat. “You better watch your tone, young lady!”

  Shawna looks over at Megan for help, but Megan continues what she is doing and takes a bite out of her garlic bread. Shawna stares at her mother, then drops her head.

  “Beth likes my drawings.”

  Brad slams his fist on the table. “Enough about Beth! She isn’t real, and if she was, she’s not a good friend to get you in trouble.”

  “She is to real! I see her, and she talks to me!”

  Brad looks at the last drawing, dropping it on the table.

  “Oh, my God,” he whispers to himself.

  Nakia watches him, concerned. “What is it?”

  “Shawna, who is that woman?” he asks, pointing at the picture laying on the table.

  Nakia walks around to him to get a better look. “What is it, Brad?”

  He ignores her and directs his attention back to Shawna.

  “I asked you a question.”

  Scared, Megan scoots her chair back from the table but leans over a little to see the drawing.

  “Brad!” Nakia yells.

  He turns to her with venom in his voice. “What, Nakia?”

  She puts her hand on one hip. “I know you didn’t just raise your voice at me?”

  He turns back to his stepdaughter. “I’m going to ask you one more time. Who is that woman?”

  “HER NAME IS BETH, AND SHE SAYS YOU ARE A BAD MAN!” Shawna screams and runs upstairs to her room.

  Brad is right behind her.

  Megan looks at her stepmother.

  “It’s okay, honey. Please try to eat.”

  Megan looks over at the drawing left on the table across from her. It shows a woman in a dress spotted with blood. She has long black hair and long skinny fingers with sharp nails. Her skin is ashen with dark veins running through it.

  Megan’s eyes grow larger. The woman moves in the drawing as blood drops out of her mouth. Megan shakes her head to make sure what she is seeing is real and slowly glances over at the picture again, but this time, the woman is still.

  ****

  Shawna runs into her room, slamming the door behind her. Brad approaches her room but stops to take a couple of deep breaths. He doesn’t understand the anger that came over him; however, he has to clear the air with his stepdaughter. He knocks on the door before entering. Shawna is sitting on the side of her bed with the music box on her lap. She looks over at him and closes it.

  Brad walks over and sits beside her. “I’m sorry for getting so angry with you. I should have never raised my voice.”

  He takes the music box and places it on the nightstand. Then he leans in front of her, taking her hands into his.

  “I promise never to yell or speak mean to you again. I just need you to tell me who the woman is.”

  Shawna glances up, looking past him. The corners of her mouth turn up into a smile as the woman in the bloody dress appears.

  “Her name is Beth, and she is my friend. But don’t worry. She says you both will be meeting soon, and you will know who she is then.”

  Shawna continues to stare past him at Beth.

  Brad crawls backward away from her as Shawna’s eyes turn a solid, empty black. He stumbles to the door.

  “We’ll keep your food warm if you decide to come down for dinner,” he says, then rushes back down the stairs.

  When he enters the dining room, Nakia is placing a plate of food in the microwave.

  “How did it go? Did you two make up?”

  Brad nods. “Yeah. She just needs a little more time alone. I told her that we’d keep her food warm in case she wants to finish her dinner.”

  Nakia plants a kiss on his cheek. “I put hers in the microwave, and yours, I warmed up. It awaits you at the table.”

  Before going back to his dinner, he glances at the stairs again, wondering what just happened.

  ****

  Nakia finishes putting the dishes away and makes her way into the bedroom to change clothes. After stepping into the bathroom to brush her teeth, she hears tapping on the door, but no one is there when she opens it. Nakia looks over at the bed where Brad is sleeping. With a shrug of her shoulders, she turns and goes back into the bathroom. A shadow appears in the mirror.

  “What the hell is that?”

  Thinking it’s a smudge of dirt, she walks closer and wipes the mirror, but it stays.

  “This is ridiculous. I’ll deal with it in the morning.”

  Nakia bends over the sink and starts brushing her teeth. A breeze makes her shiver.

  “Nakia,” a voice whispers behind her.

  She stands up to see a woman who is drenched in blood pointing at her. Nakia can’t seem to get her legs to move. Her eyes widen as the woman floats toward her.

  “We must come together, Nakia.”

  She shakes her head, signaling no. “Who are you?”

  Beth’s creepy laugh makes Nakia shiver even more.

  “I’m the one who will take all your troubles away.”

  Beth moves fast and is now standing in front of Nakia. Before Nakia can even blink, Beth places both of her hands on the side of Nakia’s face and kisses her. The bathroom lights go out, and Nakia feels an overwhelming rush of electricity travel through her body. She wakes up on the floor of the bathroom. Having no recollection of what just took place, she stands up, walks into the bedroom, and lies down next to Brad, who is still sleeping.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Night has fallen, and rain pelts against the windows. After an eventful dinner, the Winters’ house is quiet. Everyone is nestled in their beds except one little girl. A dream has taken over as
she tosses back and forth. She whimpers before sitting up in her bed. Her bedroom door opens, and her shadow on the wall follows her as she goes down the hall to her parents’ room and opens their door.

  Brad flinches from the breeze and wakes up.

  “Whoa, Megan. What are you doing up?”

  She has fear on her face as she stands at the foot of their bed. “I had a bad dream.”

  Her father wipes his eyes and sits up. “Aww. Want to get in the bed with us?”

  His daughter stands there, still looking fearful.

  “What’s wrong?” Brad asks.

  She starts to step backward toward the door, her facial expression changing to a look of horror.

  “You don’t want to get in the bed with us?” he asks.

  She continues backing up slowly. “No.”

  Brad leans forward a little. “Why not, sweetie?”

  “Because in my dream, when I woke you up, the thing wearing Mommy’s face sat up,” Megan answers.

  He looks at Megan, confused. “What?”

  Just then, the sheets on the bed start to shuffle behind him. He slowly pulls back the covers to see Beth lying next to him in her ghastly form, staring at him with black eyes.

  Megan shrieks as Beth attacks Brad and runs out of the room. She takes the hallway toward her bedroom door as Brad screams for his life. Not wanting to be by herself, she turns to go to her stepsister’s room.

  Megan rushes over to Shawna’s bed, pulling back the covers, but she isn’t there.

  “Shawna, where are you? Nakia?”

  The doorknob to the bedroom starts to jiggle. Then someone starts striking the door. She runs over and puts her back against it, trying to keep whoever is on the other side from entering.

  “Please stop! Shawna, where are you?”

  The banging on the door stops. When she leans her head sideways to listen, she starts to hear music playing behind her. Megan slowly turns around to see someone in the rocking chair.

  “Who’s there?”

  She hears what sounds like her mother’s voice calling her.

  “Mommy?” She walks toward the chair.

  “Want Mommy to read you a bedtime story?” Beth says, mimicking Megan’s mother’s voice.

  Megan stops walking as Beth stands up from the chair. Screaming, she runs from the room.

  The whole time, Shawna is sitting in her closet with the music box. She can hear the commotion but is too scared to peek outside.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  A week later, the morning sun shines through the small window on the front door. Nakia makes her way downstairs to answer the knocking. She opens the door to a woman and her daughter’s principal standing on the porch.

  “Hello, what brings you by today, Mrs. Harding?” she asks, not inviting them inside.

  “We noticed the girls haven’t been in school and just wanted to make sure everything is okay,” the principal replies while trying to get a peek inside the house.

  “We have been dealing with some family issues, but we are okay now.” She looks over at the second woman. “And who might you be?”

  The woman extends her hand for a shake. “I’m Miss Wells, the new social worker at your daughters’ school.”

  Nakia looks her up and down. “I see. Well, thank you both for stopping by, but my daughters and I have to drop some items off at the Goodwill and should get going.”

  Mrs. Harding leans back and sees Shawna swinging.

  “Where is Megan?”

  Nakia’s body language changes, and she starts to get irritated. “She is sitting in her favorite chair.” She points to the right side of the wraparound porch.

  “Will both girls be at school on Monday?”

  She thinks to herself, These people don’t know how to take a hint.

  “Mrs. Harding, we really need to be going. I’m not sure about Megan since her father has left.”

  “How long will your husband be away?” the social worker probes.

  Nakia places a hand on her hip. “I’m not sure. He has taken an extended trip with his secretary.”

  “Oh my, I am so sorry,” she says.

  “It’s fine. I just haven’t had the heart to tell the girls. I’m not sure they will understand.”

  The principal and social worker turn to leave. “We’ll get out of your way and look forward to their return.”

  Nakia nods her approval. She checks on her daughter before shutting the door. Megan is sitting in a chair, rocking back and forth with a blank stare on her face. As a car goes by, the social worker looks over at her but can only see the blacks of her eyes.

  “Something is wrong with those people,” she says to Mrs. Harding. “Something happened there. Did you see? She didn’t even blink.”

  Shawna is going back and forth in the swing beside the house, the wind swishing around her. When she comes into her downswing, her feet graze the ground. As the dirt starts to clear, it reveals a hand with a wedding band.

  After closing the door, Nakia looks down. She sees the full box sitting by the door. The music box sits on top. It opens to start playing music.

  “No, we don’t need to take care of them. They’re gone.”

  THE END

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I first want to give honor and thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I would have never taken my script and turned it into a book had it not been for the support of my wife, Teresa Beasley. I thank you for always being my number one cheerleader and supporter and for God sending me you. I want to thank my lovely beta readers, Monica Furlow and Susan Tirsway. Your feedback helped me in shaping the story. I also want to thank my editor, Sara Tirsway, for helping me make my story even better.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Alan Wills is a filmmaker and author, who loves horror and fantasy. He is an avid movie watcher and reader of graphic novels and comic books. He encourages readers to visit steeledgefilms.wordpress.com to learn more about his films and other works.