"I'm ready to move on and get help. Please help"
She woke up startled and broke into a cold sweat. Propping herself up on her bed, Ambi could hear the chirping of the crickets in the dead of night, the sound of the wind rustling in the leaves of the jacaranda tree planted adjacent to the house. She grappled in the dark to find her phone and heard a soft creek at her front porch. Assuming that this was the neighborhood stray cats which sought refuge from the bitter cold she thought nothing of it.
A frustrated and exhausted Ambi knocked her phone down on the floor and began to curse under her breath- this stupid contraption which she was still trying to get used to. Ambi leaned over the side of her bed to pick her phone which was at the far left corner. As she reached to grab it, she heard scratching noises and whispers coming from the door. She tipped over and fell flat on her stomach.
With the agility of an acrobat, Ambi sprung up from the floor and tilted her ear towards the door. She thought she could hear something move and stood still to listen some more. All around was pin drop silence, as if everything had frozen in time. "Maybe this is my overactive imagination and my wild dreams" she thought as she slid back into the warmth of her covers and rested her head on her fluffy pillows. Ambi turned her head towards the window, to catch a glimpse of the clear night skies and saw a huge shadowy figure with gleaming eyes resting on the window pane. She pulled the covers over her head and took a deep breath. " I have to be dreaming. I have to be dreaming." she repeated severally in a bid to convince herself that this was not a drug induced hallucination.
Ambi knew she was a prisoner of her mind, and this was not the first time she saw shape-shifting shadows. Ambi was sure that she wasn't crazy. She saw them all the time- day and night, while awake as well as in her dreams. They were a part of her life. They did nothing to physically harm her, but always taunted her very existence. " Ambi.... Ambi.... You know we live here.. why the shock.." she heard a raspy whisper coming from the window. " We got bored and decided to have a little fun... Look..... Look what we can do".
Ambi peeked through the sheets and saw the large shadow creep up to the ceiling. It split up into smaller shadows which kept slithering back and forth on the ceiling. They circled alongside each other and made a spiral shape. The shadows merged into a huge blob of darkness and moved to the floor. This singular unit made its way to the foot of the bed and crept up to Ambi's face. "We're back.. we've heard that you've been trying to get rid of us.. it's not fair. It's not fair".
Ambi remembered the doctors appointment and the diagnosis. She wasn't too keen to be institutionalized and made an effort to excommunicate herself from everyone. She had bargained with her doctors and family to obtain some prescription over-the-counter medication which she promised she would take. Ambi was convincing- to the extent that she discontinued the treatment and put up an act concerning her "miraculous recovery". Now she had to deal with this monstrosity, something she kept a secret from everyone. "I'm.. I'm not getting rid of you. I wouldn't dream of it." Ambi whispered to the shadow as she uncovered herself. She sat up. She sat still and stared at it.
The shadow was stunned. It had never seen her like this. "It's been interesting getting to know you; all things need to come to an end. I've been miserable; hiding all through and it's getting old". Ambi didn't know how she mustered this courage but she knew she wanted something different. The shadow moved closer to her and growled "Never.. never.. you belong here". It quickly jolted to the window and disappeared. Suddenly, Ambi heard the cock crow and flap its wings. She took her phone and texted her sister "I'm ready to move on and get help. Please help". Her phone buzzed almost immediately "I got you sis. Will be there by 8:00 am. See you soon".
Ambi slumped her back down against the headboard and smiled. Finally the road to freedom.
