In The Middle

“Hey! Hey!” The little girl heard someone calling out. “Why are you laying there alone?” The voice asked as it echoed across the darkness. The little girl tried to answer but her lips felt numb. “You should move away from there.” The voice recommended. “It’s raining, can’t you see?” The little girl used all her strength and opened her eyes. Her eye lids felt heavy and her eyes were weary but they welcomed the little light that came across. The darkness was beginning to vanish away as little rain drops landed on her face, increasing the pain that had already taken over her body.

“Are you okay?” The voice asked again as it approached her. The little girl struggled with her numb body and her heavy limps. She fought every single aching muscle and lifted herself up.

“What the…!” The little girl wanted to yell out but the bare sound of each word burned her throat like a torch. She stared in total amazement, unsettled by the strange figure in front of her. She closed her eyes and shook her head, sure that it was possible for what she was seeing to be true. She opened her eyes again, and the creature was still there.

“You…” The little girl finally managed to say with a broken voice “…are a teddy?” She asked, noticing how it sounded even weirder when she said it out loud.

The little teddy bear tilted its head for a moment. All of the sudden, it raised one of its arms made of an old brown fabric and lowered its head to take a look around at itself. It began to poke parts of its body that were made with different fabrics or roughly sewed up. It lifted its fluffy head and stared at the little girl with its blue button eyes. “Yep!” The teddy bear confirmed with enthusiasm, nodding. “Why are you surprise?”

“Why wouldn’t I?!” The little girl though in disbelief, still trying to find reason out of the teddy.

“Come already, we have to head back home.” The teddy bear walked toward the little girl and tried to push her up unsuccessfully.

The little girl sat there for a moment. “Home?” She asked, now more intrigue with this word than with the animated plushy.

“What is it, Aisha?” The teddy bear stood in front of the little girl’s blank eyes.

“How…” Aisha noticed the pain in her throat was lowering down. “…How do you know my name?”

“Why are you asking so many nonsense? We are getting all wet and this is not very good for my fabric.” The teddy bear nagged as it tried to push Aisha up once again.

Aisha’s numb body was gaining a little bit of strength; although, she still felt light headed because she knew it was impossible for an old teddy bear to act like a …person. She finally took her eyes off the teddy bear and noticed the surroundings. The rain was light but the place was covered with a thick and cold mist and a constant tone took over her hearing. The sky was gray, covered with a thick blanket of gloomy clouds. Between the dark and gray tones, the sudden lights that exploded in the sky caught Aisha’s attention. The bright lights shone every now and then, turning the sky clear for an instant. Simultaneously, Aisha stood up as another explosion took place. She could hear the teddy bear sighing in relieve but she was too amazed by the sky. Lightings? The little girl wondered.

“Aisha!” The teddy called out to the little girl that was standing in middle of the mist and the rain, staring blankly at the sky. “Let’s go!” It yelled again. This time, it did take the little girl out of her day dream. She turned her sight toward the teddy bear and walked toward it in a hurry pace.

As Aisha walked along with the fluffy teddy, she noticed her body was being taken over by a weird feeling. Although, the pain and the aching were still in every single muscle, and although the mist and the rain were cutting her skin with the coldness, she felt a warm inside of her. The weird explosions, the unclear view, the stuffed animal…all looked so familiar in a sudden.

“We are here!” The teddy exclaimed as they stopped in front of a cave like opening made by structures that had crumbled up. The teddy turned around and stared at Aisha, whose eyes were filled with doubt. The teddy waved its fluffy arm. “We will be safe inside.” The teddy said with a warm voice. Even when the cave was dark and mysterious, it gave a warm invitation to the little girl.

Aisha shook her head and took a tentative step inside the dark cave, following the teddy. Save? From what? Aisha wondered.

The gray tones and the cutting cold were exchange with the unknown darkness and the sudden moisture. In the soul breaking hollowness of that cave that seemed as never ending, Aisha could see nothing and feel nothing more but the aching and the rough path hurting her already wounded feet. In the total emptiness, Aisha began to think about everything. Is this a dream?

Aisha’s little body began to get used to the darkness as it stopped shivering and it began to gain courage with each step she took. Her feet were already used to the rocky road and her eyes were now turning keen, but she was more than relieved when she saw the light coming from the other end.

As the light began to increase Aisha began to hear sounds…comfortable sound. Aisha squeezed her eyes as the intensity of the light grew. She could not distinguish anything but the bright light and teddy’s shadow silhouette that was moving its little arm. Aisha felt the enthusiasm and energy went right to her small wounded feet as she quickened her pace toward the exit.

In the last step Aisha took to get out of the dark cave, the light was showered upon her by the magnificent sun that shone with its entire splendor. Aisha could not believe what she was seeing with her little brown eyes. The tree reached the sky as if they were endless. The birds sang such a beautiful melody and the butterflies flew across the open field. The flowers were radiant and gorgeous, drowning the air with their fragrance.

“Home, sweet home.” The teddy exclaimed as it spins around and enjoyed the bright colors.

Aisha’s eyes began to water up and she ran toward the open field. She could still not believe what her eyes were seeing, but she was too happy to care about it. She ran and ran, ignoring any pain, until she reached the colorful lilies and threw herself in the green, green grass.

Aisha began to hum sweetly as the little animals gathered around her. She smiled to the colorful birds, touched the little mice and held the white bunnies. The pain that was running through her veins was now gone. The coldness was washed out by the warm sun lights. Aisha began to hum louder as her eyes drown in tears, without wiping out her smile. Heaven. Aisha thought.

“It’s nice” The teddy approached Aisha and the animals “to see you smile like that again.” It added as it sat down next to them.

Aisha’s eyes that were filled with happiness and overwhelming feelings were now taken over by an intrigue and confusion. She stared at the little teddy bear and noticed the huge contrast. “How come…” The little girl passed her little hands through her ragged dirty clothes. “…how come everything looks so perfect and neat, but we are like this?” Tears rolled out of control from her eyes and her voice began to break down. “Are you sure we belong here?”

“Oh my, oh my, why would you think we don’t belong here?” Teddy stood up and brushed its worn out fabric on Aisha’s shoulder.

“Everything here is so beautiful and clean” Aisha sobbed “don’t we ruin the place?” She wiped her tears and looked around again, now with fear. “Wouldn’t someone kick us out?”

Teddy took a deep breath and looked around. Then, it locked Aisha’s sweet eyes with its blue button eyes. “Remember this, Aisha” Its voice sounded sweet and warm making Aisha’s tears flow faster. “You are beautiful. Clothes, color, or anything superficial cannot catalog you, okay? And no one can tell you where you belong but yourself” Teddy cleaned Aisha’s face and tapped her head. “We all belong to this world.” Teddy continued as it tilted its head and brushed the fluffy fur of one of the white bunnies. “We all have the right to live where we want…no one can ever take that away from you, okay my dear?” The teddy finished and sat down next to its little friend.

Aisha swallowed her tears and stayed quiet for a while. Although everything was like perfect, for some reason, something didn´t feel quite right. She thought about it for a while, but the more she looked at the view the more relaxed she felt. The ideas of impossibilities that were hunting her consciousness had now faded away thanks the sweet fragrance and fresh wind. Aisha shook her head and smiled widely as her eyes filled with happiness again.

“Nothing can go wrong, right? You promise?” Aisha hugged the little teddy bear and pressed it tightly with her arms since it was her symbol of hope. The teddy nodded tenderly and both of them began to hum as the bunnies gathered even closer.

“Are we going to eat now?” Aisha asked after her tummy did a strange sound.
However, the teddy didn’t answer.

“Aren’t you hungry, Mr. Teddy?” Aisha asked again, but no answer was heard.

Intrigue by the silence of the teddy, Aisha looked down. The image in front of her eyes brought tears back to the surface. Between Aisha’s wounded arms, lied a worn out teddy bear that showed no sign of life. The teddy was torn off in the chest and the right ear was almost falling off. The fabric looked more worn out and dirty and threads were coming out. Aisha tried to search in the teddy’s blue buttons the life she found before, but she just encounter a lone button sewed to the fluffy head.

Aisha tried to gasp air but her lungs were empty. The desperation was taking over her body and her mind was once again going dizzy. She looked around trying to see if the right teddy was around. What she encounter was even worst.

The lovely white rabbits that snuggled around them were all lying lifeless. The butterflies quickly plumped into the ground as if they weighed 100 pounds. The flowers withered away, their bright colors turned into the one of death as the green grass turned dry and dark.

The little girl opened her mouth wide as she tried to gasp air again. The air that entered burned her lungs as if it contained toxics. The air running down her throat filled it with an intense taste of poison. She cried even harder now in despair. She called out for the little animals to wake up, but none of them answered. Aisha reached out for one of the bunnies and touched its once fluffy fur. The lifeless bunny opened up in sync with the other ones as their rotten hearts and grotesque intestines fell out, creating such a pest that killed the fragrance that the flowers once made.

Stumbling, Aisha pushed herself up from the dead grass, without letting go of her broken teddy. She ran and ran as she begged for everything to turn back as it was. She cried and she cried but no one answered. She looked up and noticed that even the Sun hid from that unholy scene. The sky was no longer bright or warm. The clouds had turned thick and gray. She ran and ran but there was no place to run to at all.

Aisha yelled with all her power for the teddy to come back. She didn’t want the bunnies, she didn’t want the sunlight. Hell, she didn’t want bright sky or the beautiful flowers. She was crying for company, for that little rotten teddy that once gave her hope. She ran and ran until she tripped and fall into the dead ground. In a simple second, everything came back. The pain electrified every bone, the aching took over every inch of her body and the wounds opened up again. The pain was so sudden and so intense that she couldn’t even move. She just lied there. Her face filled with dirt, tears and blood.

Just Mr. Teddy, is that too much to ask for? The little girl wondered.

She tried to remember the humming, maybe that would help her with the pain. As she tried to recall it, something blew her thoughts…literally. In front of the little girl’s eyes, an explosion took place. The ones she had seen at the beginning were now inches away from her, blowing everything up. After the explosion ceased, in the little girls last seconds, she saw two tall man dressed in something heavy and with helmets walking toward her. Angels with armors?





After the explosions in the town ceased, two soldiers that were looking for survivors entered to one of the houses. The house contained two dead corpses; a man and its wife in the living room. Both of them had a messy dead. Both of them had been blown away. The soldiers took a deep breath and were about to leave the house until they heard some heavy breathing. They took out their guns and walked slowly toward the room as they evade the roof and walls that had crumbled down and were blocking the way.

The two soldiers dropped their guns when they found between the crumble pieces, a little girl lying on the ground holding tightly a rotten teddy bear with one of her arms. The little girl had been severely wounded. Her wounds were bleeding intensely and one of her ankles was twisted. It was not just the fact that it was a tiny, little girl wounded like hell that broke the heart of those two solid soldiers, it was the fact that that little girl was humming between her heavy breathing, such a sweet melody.

The two soldiers knew it was in vain to try to talk to the little Muslim girl; one of them kneeled down and brushed gently the head of the little girl. It wasn’t long when the girl began to try to gasp for her last breath. In her last second of life she opened her little bloody lips, as tears rolled down her face; “You promised...you lied” She whispered with her broken voice and then she faded away.

Deadly Lullaby

In a time long, long ago—so long ago that many have forgotten—lived a happy town. People rejoiced in happiness and lived gratefully each day. Such a wonderful place.

However, I’m not going to tell you about its bliss or glory. About how humble they were or how they felt blessed
.
Oh no. I’m going to tell you the unknown story. Its fall. The story of how that little happy town became forgotten. The unknown story of that unknown little town.

It all happened that “normal” day. Maybe Fate was tire of seeing people happy. Maybe Fate finally got sick of their smiles. Or maybe, Fate finally carried out his twisted plan.
From one of the little houses, came a squeaky noises that bothered the entire family—soon it spread all across town. No one knew what it was, but they knew it came from the rat holes that invaded the house. They set on traps to kill these unwanted visitors. They used the classic mouse trap and some chemicals—incredible poisons they found in an unwanted temple—to catch them and kill them. It was a total success. It seemed that all those rats died upon the venom of the chemicals. But, oh boy, of course that was not the end of it—Fate loves to play.

After some days of peace and joy, the horror attacked that little town once more. The squeaky noises that were once heard, invaded each house again. However, this time was stronger, more horrifying. They put on traps and spread out chemicals and noticed that it did nothing but increase the noises and the mess that were created at night.

-It can’t be rats- A man in the crowd yelled out during the meeting the town made.

-We should check what are enemy are before attacking.- Another suggested.

The entire town decided that was the best way to go.

They held on to their improvised weapons as they walked toward the biggest house of the entire town, where the noises were heard the most. The mayor of the town knocked on its huge wooden door, but no one replied. The mayor waited and then knocked again.

-No one is there.- A husky voice suddenly called out from the crowd. Everyone turned to see an old winkled woman. Her eyes were filled with hatred and her skinny self was shaking with agony. –That family disappeared already- She said with pain. No one believed her. –The chemicals you used were treasures of our ancestors to keep peace with this hollow world’s pests. You used them, now you have no protection. You cursed yourself.-

Everyone stared in disbelief. What was this old lady saying? Where did she come from?

-Stop saying nonsense!-The mayor yelled.

-Well, you’ll soon believe me and you’ll soon be begging for my help- The old woman replied and in a zaash she disappeared.

Everyone began to look around and to each other looking for answer to what just happened.

-That’s the old woman that lives outside town.- A little boy remembered.
-No matter who she is, is still nonsense what she was saying.- The mayor replied and with a kick he opened the wooden door.

The house was indeed empty. Everyone stood there in shock, as the words of the old lady echoed the empty house.

-They must be inside.- The sheriff said with encouragement.

A small crowd separated from the original one and entered the big house with small and light steps. They turned to the right, and the house was empty—a total mess, but empty. They headed to the left, but it was the same situation. Fearing what the old lady had said, they walked with shivering legs toward the second floor. All of the sudden, those familiar noises began to sound again. They stopped. Stared at each other; none of them were brave enough to accept they were afraid, so they were looking for a total coward between them. However, all of them were too proud to accept they were scared.

After a moment of no movement, they turned to the right and began to walk with even smaller steps. As they got nearer to the first room, the annoying noises grew. They stopped for a while, hesitating…now, looking for the bravest one among them all. The sheriff took a deep breath and put his hand in the handle. The door opened slowly, showing an imaged that made them wished it never opened.

From that wooden door, the darkness emerged. The sounds were now like pounding hammers in everyone’s head. No one dare to enter, no one dare to move. All of the sudden, two little red light balls surfaced in the dark room. They glittered away with evilness.

-What…- One of the men tried to speak. The words were struggling in his throat. A second later, the entire room was covered with red light balls. The sheriff in an accidental move taken because of fear, stretched out his hand and making his flash light illuminate the entire room.

It WAS rats after all. They were somehow deformed. Their skin seemed to be so much darker and their eyes now shone like blood. Their teeth were bigger and their entire body seemed as if they were ready to explode. Part of their flesh and bones were exposed, creating an intoxicating smell—or was it the devoured dead bodies of the former owners? Even with all of these, they were indeed rats.

They froze in horror. Was it true the gruesome scene they were watching? In that exact moment, the old lady’s voice began to ring in their minds. A cursed. It kept repeating. A curse.
No one outside knew what was going on, until a loud scream astonished everyone. In the confusion, they managed to see one of the guys that had entered coming out with his shirt all splattered with blood.

-The…the…rats…-He tried to say as he crawled out to the sun light.

What happened next was the most fun for Fate. The entire town was being attacked. The little rats that once wanted only cheese and leftovers, were craving for human flesh and had a thirst for human blood as they turned each time bigger, each time more gruesome.

-Help!- A voice called out with desperation from the outside yard. The man stopped roughly as he tried to catch his breath back. The wooden house in front of him seemed so old as if it had millions of years. It looked as if it was going to fall down at any moment. The man wanted to call out again, but his throat had given up upon him and he was afraid to knock.

When he tried to open his mouth again, the door opened slowly, giving away it was old; the old woman that was once in front of the big house appeared.

-What is it that you want?- The old lady was exhausted.

-You were right.- the man admitted-We need your help!-

The old lady grinned. –oh young man.- She began to say with all the patience of the world now, still smiling. -I won’t be of any help. Is too late now.- She added.

-But there must be something!- The man cried out.-We will pay any cost!

The old lady noticed how desperate the man was, and that blissful yet twisted smile draw itself in her face again. –Well, well. I think I have something that might help you.- The woman turned around and disappeared in the darkness of her house. The man waited patiently in the deserted yard.

Minutes later, the old lady came out with a little girl-She’s Aliza.- The man’s eyes were fixed on the girl. Her long dark hair flowed like the water of a dark damp into her waist and her dark eyes were as big as the moon. –She will help you.- The old lady assured.

The man stared in disbelief. There was no way a little girl that looked of almost 10 could do any good in a time of massacre. –You are not going to trust me again?- The old lady threaten. The girl stayed quite.

The man shook his head and grabbed the little girl’s hand in desperation and ran away. As they both began to fade in the road toward the town the old lady yelled-Now she is yours! Remember to pay her back well!- But the warning was never heard.

At the entrance of the now doomed little town, appeared a sweaty and bloody man holding the hand of a little girl wearing a beautiful black dress.

-Now..now…what?- The man asked to himself as the screams grew louder from his beloved town.

The little girl saw the shadows; the rats moving, hunting people. She smiled to herself as she let go of the man’s hand, and walked toward the town with no fear at all.

She walked ‘til she was further enough, and she opened her little mouth and began to move her little lips. The most angelical voice began to sing and hum a song that was filled with hope. She turned away when she noticed she had finally caught the attentions of the little creatures that looked like rats. She turned away and began to skip her way toward the nearest river. She skipped and skipped and skipped as she continued emitting that beautiful song, and the rats followed her all the way.

Finally, in front of the river she jumped to one of the wet rocks and turned away to watch how the rats that followed her drawn in the clear river.

The work was done, and the girl smiled with satisfaction. The little girl skipped back to the town, with her prized already in mind.

-Oh my dear!- The mayor cried with joy in the entrance of the town. –You saved us all!- The little girl stayed quiet, waiting anxiously for her reward. The bunch of adults that were looking down at her were perplexed when they noticed she wanted something in return.

-Oh little girl, we have nothing to give you.- The mayor lied. –All our goods have been turned to trash because of those hideous creatures.- The little girl knew they were lying. -How about this? In reward for helping us all, you can come and play whenever you want!- The mayor’s wife suggested. The girl’s eyes were filled with sadness. She wanted a prize. She didn’t want a place to play. She wanted something she could play with alone. She didn’t want company, not at all.

-What are you staring?- One man of the crowd grumped. We have to work now, go back to where you came from. Play time will be another day. – And they all turned away, leaving the little girl alone.

The little girl grinned again, but this time her eyes were mad. She was gone by night, but the next day she returned for she was granted the liberty to play. She went to the park were all the other little boys and girls where and she sat in a lonely spot. They played and played but none of them talked to her—not that she wished for someone to talk to her. She had returned to town for her prize.

After a moment of being silent, the little girl opened her little mouth again and the song began to ring loud throughout the town once more. However, this time a bunch of diabolic rats didn’t follow her. This time, the little kids that were in the playground dropped their toys and walked back home with their eyes blank and their smiles wiped away. The little girl smiled again.

That night of that fateful day, the voice of the little girl sounded again in a low volume in each house. The first to wake up were the little kids. Their eyes were popping out, their skin were turning gray, and their smiles were now complete wiped away. They stood up from their cozy bed and stumbled their way outside. They were no longer conscious, they were no longer kids.

The kids that once wanted only sweets and wished for toys to play with now craved for human flesh and had a thirst for human blood. The ones that woke up saw their kids’ dead eyes before they were devoured. The ones that didn’t woke up, never got to… and this deadly scene in Fate’s favorite game was accompanied with the little girl’s song sounding loud through the town from the dark skies. The next day, the town was deserted. The kids were gone. The adults were nothing but bones. The entire town was empty. The houses, the restaurants, the school, the playground…everything; now the little girl got her prize: Something she can play with—in—all by herself.