I was really afraid to open my eyes because I didn't know what to expect,I was fully awake and ready to get up from bed but I was afraid of what may happen, Aurora wasn't in the room I guessed because I couldn't hear her sleeping or awake,then suddenly someone started shaking me vigorously.
"Wake up sleepy head" Aurora said as she pushed shaked me on my bed.
"Go away Aurora" I said, using my pillow to cover my head.
I was so afraid that I didn't even attempt looking at her.
"What's wrong with you?"
"I would tell you but you would doubt it like you do to anything I say"
"It's not like you to skip both lunch and dinner especially on your birthday"
I had totally forgotten that I haven't eaten anything since yesterday,I wasn't feeling hungry but when Aurora mentioned the words lunch and dinner my stomach started grumbling,I had to get something in my belly really quick but my feelings of fear kept battling with my feeling of hunger.
"I'm not hungry" I mumbled.
"Are you sure? because you are supposed to be"
"Well I'm not" I said turning away from the side where she was sitting.
"Come on Mike" She continued persuading and pushing me to get off the bed.
"It's not working Aurora"
Aurora knew her persuasions were not working,so she decided to go about the normal way the way a caring sister would.
"I'm sorry Mike"
"Why are you apologising to me now?" I asked turning to her side now.
"I should have tried to find out what was going on with you yesterday" She stopped to look at me,but my face was still,I was only able to make out her figure and nothing else.
"Instead of making fun of you" She was staring at the floor now.
"Now you realise that"
"If you could just come out from those bed sheets and explain to me once more,I promise I will listen"
"You promise" I said quietly uncovering my face.
"Yes I promise"
I stared at her for a moment,then I suddenly felt like something was about to happen and quickly covered my face again.
"Come on Mike, you haven't even eaten any good food since yesterday afternoon"
"I know but something might happen" I said clutching and pressing the pillow against my face.
"Just take my hand, you don't have to open your eyes" She said placing her hands on top of mine.
I didn't buy the idea at first but I was feeling very hungry and in no time I got overwhelmed by my hunger and had to take her hand, just to get some food.
"Ok now just close your eyes if you want and I will lead you to the kitchen to get some food"
She tried to make it clear to me that it wasn't necessary for me to close my eyes,but if only she saw what I saw she wouldn't be saying that now.We got to the kitchen and Chloe led me to a bowl filled with fruits which I had to eat first before I get any real food, the first thing my hand caught was a piece of banana and I didn't hesitate to quickly peel it and down my mouth hole it went with barely any chewing.
"You are really hungry and yet you choose to hide and starve to death"
I wasn't paying attention to what she was saying I was busy stashing food into my mouth to listen to her.
"Why's your brother eating like that?"
Mom had walked into the kitchen but I didn't notice her presence until she asked a question.
"He's still hungry from yesterday"
"I thought he had eaten this morning"
"No he hasn't"
"How are you doing mom?" I asked with my mouthful.
"Mike what are you doing?"
"Eating some food,duh" I said with my mouthful.
"Mike just open your eyes and tell me what's wrong" She said, but I could sense the fear in her voice, she was afraid of something that I just didn't know yet.
"Mom you won't understand" I said still stashing fruits into my mouth.
"Then make me understand" She said, walking close to me now.
"Where did all the food go" I gasped,as I noticed that there were no more fruits in the bowl.
"You ate them all Mike remember" Aurora said.
"Awww but I'm still hungry" I stumped on the floor angrily.
"You'll get food Mike" mom said as she cleaned the mess I had made on the table.
"But you have to open your eyes first" Aurora said.
"Why?"
"Because...…" mom tried to make an excuse, but she didn't know what to say.
"Because you need your eyes to eat the food or you are going to hurt yourself" Aurora backed her up with a pretty nice excuse.
"I don't think I can"
I was struggling with making two decisions, open my eyes and just look at a few unbelievable things or satisfy my hunger.
"Just do it Mike"
"Okay I will do it"
"We are waiting" mom said,after thirty seconds of me not opening my eyes.
"Okay!!!" I yelled and quickly opened my eyes expecting to be in another dimension or something but all I saw was my mom,my sister and a food flask in front of me,I was actually in front of the dining table I thought I was somewhere around the gas cooker.I opened the food flask to discover that the content was actually noodles.
"I don't need my eyes to eat this"
"Yes you do,trust me" Aurora said, she was smiling with her her hands folded.
"I'll see about that" I said and quickly pushed a spoonful into my mouth which I shouldn't have done because my tongue was on fire 🔥 now. I didn't have time to shout at Aurora,I quickly rushed outside to wash my tongue with the water from the tap rather than drinking it, while I was doing that I was really expecting the water to turn into blood but it didn't and after I was done getting the hot pepper I turned to return back to the house,then the sky got dark immediately,I got really scared and was really expecting a blood bath but what I got instead was splashes of real water from the sky,I was really happy that the strange things weren't happening to me but I still wondered why they had happened in the first place.I walked into the kitchen smiling instead of looking worried and anxious.
"Could you have done that with your eyes closed?" Aurora said, immediately I walked in.
"Nobody should trust you to cook for a blind man"
"Yes but you still have to finish the food" Aurora said pointing to the rest of her pepperish death meal.
"Actually" I said as I walked to the freezer.
"I'm okay with yoghurt" I pulled out a small bowl of yoghurt that would prefer to eat rather than die from Aurora's death meal.
"I think this is a good time to explain everything Mike" mom said patting the chair for me to come and sit there.
"Ok mom" I said, eating my yoghurt as I walked to the chair.
"Yippee!!, time for fairy tales" Aurora said quietly occupying the chair opposite me and mom.
"Aurora...!!" I roared in anger.
"I'm sorry" She quickly apologised.
I started telling them about the horrible things that happened to me yesterday starting from the blood rain to the terrible and horrifying nightmares I had that night,after I was done narrating my experience they both claimed to believe but I knew they didn't because I sensed the doubt in their voices and every single question they asked, but I didn't blame them I too will find it difficult to believe such story if another person told it to me, but I wouldn't now, since I have already experienced it myself.
"Mom" I called looking around.
"Where's dad?" I asked.
" He has gone to work when you were busy closing your eyes in bed"
"Did you guys tell him about my behaviour yesterday?"
"Yes I did?" Aurora replied.
Dad didn't even check on me this morning to see how I was doing after what Aurora told him,I would understand if he didn't check on me in the night but he didn't even come to see how I was doing this morning and he just left for work,I was really mad at him for that but I kept it to myself for what it was worth.
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It wasn't long before I had a visitor in the afternoon who else? if not Chloe,and I was lucky to be sitting outside the time she arrived so we could talk a little before Aurora found out she was here.
"Hi Mike"
"How are you Chloe?"
"I'm fine" She said,as she sat beside me on the short bench.
"I'm surprised to see you outside though" She added.
"Why?" I asked, pretending not to know her reason for saying that.
"You went crazy yesterday"
"I know, but....."
"But what?"
"Never mind I know you didn't believe it"
"I believe you Mike, but what I don't understand was how you were the only one seeing those things"
"I can't explain that" I shook my head.
"Like you said your body was socked with blood outside, but when we got there, the only thing you had on your body was just a few water drops from the rain"
"I know it's too hard to believe but it's true" I said, slapping my face with both of my hands.
" Yes but what matters is that you are okay now" She said placing her hand on my back.Aurora soon came outside and saw Chloe and that was the end of our discussion, Aurora was so fond of her that she wouldn't let her rest anytime she visited,and that was why Chloe got to spend more time with her.I went to my room to read some books after Aurora Left, but after an hour of reading I got bored and needed someone to talk to so I went to check on the girls which I had left the room for in order to read in peace.When I got to the door I could hear them talk and I couldn't stop myself from eavesdropping on them because they were talking about me.
"Is Mike your boyfriend?" Aurora asked.
"He is my boyfriend but we are not really dating or anything"
That reply was fair for me but I would have loved it if she had said we were dating.
"But do you like him"
"Aurora… I wouldn't come here to visit him regularly if I didn't" I could tell she was blushing.
"Yes, but do you want to be his girlfriend?"
" Ok for a girl who just turned thirteen yesterday, you ask questions you that you shouldn't ask" Chloe tried to get mean, but that wasn't just her thing.
"I'll take that as a yes" Aurora said slowly to break the silence.
She was hilarious I felt like falling on the door and laughing away my boredom, but I heard Chloe say something.
"I'm going to check on Mike now" She said.
I quickly scrambled my way out of there I would feel terrible if she found out I was eavesdropping on them.She walked into the dining room where I was reading,my book was there but I wasn't, she was going through the pages on the book when I walked in from outside.
"Are you done with Aurora?"
She didn't see me walk in because she felt startled a little bit when I spoke.
"Actually I just came to check on you" She said dropping the book back on the table.
"Ok" I returned to my seat and she sat beside me.
It was really nice having a friend to talk to, she really made me happy we talked about school and all the funny moments that we had together,we talked and laughed together until my dad came back from work.
"Your dad's home" Chloe said pointing at the window while I was still busy laughing.
"Oh yes" I said and rushed outside to welcome him.
"Welcome dad"
"How are you Mike"
"I'm okay now"
"But why didn't you come to see me this morning?" I added.
"Those things were mere hallucinations Mike"
"No they weren't, you only say that because you didn't see it"
"Mike I don't have time for this now I'm already tired from work" he said and continued walking to the house.
"You didn't even care how I was doing after what Aurora told you, you only say these things because you didn't see it!"
He didn't say anything he just kept walking until he entered the house,he ignored me like I faked everything that happened yesterday, I was mad with the way he reacted, I stumped my foot on the ground my mood was ruined and I needed to be alone and what's a better place to be alone than up a tree.After some minutes Chloe came outside shouting my name.
"I'm up here!" I called her attention up to the tree,if it was Aurora I would have just ignored her.
"What are you doing up there?" She asked, looking up, but she couldn't see me clearly.
"Nothing"
"I heard you shouting earlier is everything okay?"
"Yes" I lied.
"Ok I'm coming up there"
"No Chloe I really...…."
Before I could finish my statement she was already halfway up.
" You don't look ok" She said when she got to the branch where I was sitting.
I heaved a big sigh before I spoke.
" He thinks I was hallucinating" I said looking at the sky.
" That's nothing to worry about I'm sure he will believe you when you explain it carefully to him"
" If only he saw, what I saw if only all of you saw what I saw"
" It's okay Mike" Chloe said touching my shoulder.
" I'm okay but I really wish you all saw it" I said smiling at her, to show her I was okay.
" But we won't, because it won't happen again" She smiled back at me.
She relaxed her head on my shoulder as we both watched the beautiful view of the sunset.