Frowning, Domi wondered what his friend was worried about lately and moreover, what happened in the forest. He needed to ask without his mother around. He decided to interrogate him while he was walking back home.
"I'll accompany you!"
Keith was happy to hear such behaviour, and so was Domi's mother. Sun had already set and the sky had turned orange.
Mid way, Domi sat next to the path, his foots hanging in the trench surrounding a field, supposed to accumulate water at rainy season. He said.
"Come here, sit down."
Keith actually wanted to have a private talk with Domi too. They had a tight friendship and could distinguish mood through face expression and attitude.
"Tell me what's going on, you look very sad, you even avoided eye contact with my parents today."
"You wouldn't believe me. There's a monster coming to see me at night."
"Your mother isn't 'this' scary. Is she?"
Keith pinched Domi's forearm.
"Outch!"
"Take me seriously! There's a shadow monster, with big sharp teeth, three arms, very tall! And his eyes look as if... you had firefly under inflated cheeks. A very dim light."
The kid tried to imagine, that was some scary thought.
"That's a nightmare don't worry, that isn't real. I often have nightmares when I'm sick, bu-"
"I'm telling you he's real!"
Keith cut him short. Raising his voice.
"He ate a lizard last night, there's a stain on the wall where he... he killed and licked it."
Keith decided to not tell everything. The past days he learnt that telling the truth had bought him only bad things, mostly pain and trust loss from his mother. Domi's eyebrows were raised, he was intrigued.
"I want to see it. There's no way such thing exists. And if so, I'll chase it out of my room!"
"It's 'him', I gave him a name, Mister Show. I thought he was kind at first, be he has shown only awful things the past nights."
"I got an idea, sleep with me, in my room, my mother will surely accept. Go ask your mother!"
Keith wasn't sure. Maybe the monster could harm Domi, maybe he was inside of his head, meaning no one could see it either. But he couldn't be sure of anything without trying.
"Okay, I'll be right back."
Slowly pushing the door he checked if Leton was still here to not interrupt them. He was gone, but his mother was waiting for him.
"What happened to your head? Did you fight?"
She crossed her arms.
"No mother, I fell, Alma stitched me. I would like to sleep in Domi's room tonight. Can I, please?"
"Yes, but enjoy their hospitality and take breakfast with them."
He nodded, he was very happy, he'll be able to share something with Domi. After taking his pillow in the room, he joined his friend outside.
They braided few basket before dinner was prepared and served by Yotoh.
"Hard work deserve reward!"
He said while placing plates on the table.
The food was quite blank once more. But Keith was enjoying the company so much he did not pay attention. There was a warm atmosphere in the living room.
They had much more furniture and compared to his, their house was a palace. It was a single storey house, with thick dirt walls that could retain sun's heat, and isolate noise. The floor was made of wood but its plans were changed once every five years which didn't allow it to rot.
The house was far bigger, they were more residents. Everyone had their room except the next child who would share his room with the parents first.
They had solid windows and doors every side of the house, Strong enough to not detach themselves with wind pressure and thunder-showers.
Cricket's songs began to resound afar. It was finally time to go to bed. Domi was impatient and excited while Keith was dead tired, his digestion had begun and with a full stomach, he had the only the will to slumber.
Alma went to Ublee's room to count her a bedtime story after saying goodnight to the boys.
Domi sat on his bed next to Keith and whispered.
"He will come, right?"
"I am not sure if he knows where I sleep tonight."
"Please describe him to me, give me more details."
"He's as dark as the middle of the eye, he seems covered by a cloth yet nothing entangle his movements. He moves weird! Then there's his arms, very skinny, as if they were bones, I couldn't see where they came from, his body is just as a moving mass of shadow. He doesn't walk, he melts along the floor."
They waited a long time, the night darkened to its paroxysm and cold began to settle. Keith's description sent chills through Domi's back. He was impatient.
"His mouth is at the place that belongs to the nose, there's a pit full of white and pointy teeth sticking out. And you can't touch him even if he is as cold as water in the morning."
Keith was laying down on the bed, looking at the ceiling that had an interesting wooden structure. He continued.
"When he moves, it looks broken, as if he had no soft way to advance, he looks static and it resembles a spider's walk somehow..."
"He's tall..."
"Yes! Very tall, I don-"
Keith felt Domi's shaking, he was still sat. Staring in the middle of the room. There, standed a mostly horizontal silhouette. Particles came from the floor passing though slabs as if it was water flowing through fabric. The mass thickened and began to advance toward them.
"Hello Mister Show."
Said Keith. Domi was frozen. Air continuously exited his lungs as his ribcage muscle contracted.
As he neared them, the monster kept on growing. His size could have reached the roof if he stood up straight.
"That's my friend, Domi, he wanted to meet you. He's kind, so be kind too."
Alas, every of Domi's muscle were paralysed. All of his energy disappeared in those few seconds, and as his ribcage was compressed, a warm liquid came up his throat. His eyes were watery as he forgot to blink.
"It's okay, don't worry, he's not real."
Said Keith to comfort himself. He was nearly calm but his fist were a little tensed up. He was still trying to decrypt what he was seeing.
Domi began to choke on few chunks from the dinner they had. Still without uttering a word. His mouth tightly shut, almost nothing went out. Mister Show kept advancing, an arm stretched from under his head and grabbed the bedsheet. The huge mass of darkness towered over the bed. Mister show looked interested in the new friend.
There was nothing such as the eyes Keith had described. But a slit appeared, its shade was lighter. As a drop of honey, its size slowly enlarged down the chin, then to the sternum. The gaping mouth began to open from its top, with a gigantic void where should stand the throat.
Domi fainted. His muscle all relaxed at once and a bit of puke exited his mouth to land on his shirt, and the side of his mouth. Keith saw the scene that happened a few centimeters next to him despite lack of light. He asked.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you? He better just be asleep, or you've just got me troubles."
A low mockery could be heard, he sounded amused.
"I don't understand why you are here. And what I am supposed to do for you to go away."
He heard loud cracks, such as dried wood in fire. A hand with what seemed to be a dead lizard, bigger than the one from the other night emerged. He gave it to Keith and waited next to him. Very close, once more.
"No, that's gross. It stinks and it's full of dirt."
The two light appeared and rapidly turned red. Bright red. Out of the monster's mouth came a high pitched growl, with not much strength in it. A tongue came out to 'clean' the lizard. And so the monster waited again.
There was something special with the lizard's smell that caught Keith's attention, an hypnotizing flavour coming out of it. Soon, not looking at it became hard. He shoved it inside his mouth and chewed it multiple times before gulping it down. It tasted greater than expected.