The Window
Emily is no expert, but something seems off about this window.
There was something not quite right about the window. It was, for all intents and purposes, doing its job. A separation between inside and outside with a visible line of sight through the glass. It didn't even seem to be tinted, and reflected the colors well, yet none of that seemed off. No, the actual content being viewed from the other side was just - wrong. While looking through this window, particularly, the outside seemed to be nighttime, with dark trees slinking off into the depths of the darkness.
This is where the problem was. It was midday, an exceptionally bright day at that, and the sun was piercing through the other windows in the house. In fact, at the end of the hall where this room was located, a beam of light shone in, illuminating the burgundy paisley-patterned carpet. Still, somehow, outside of this window, it was dark. The other problem was that this was a seaside villa, and the window should have been overlooking the vast and beautiful expanse of bright blue-green ocean, with sunlight dancing from the waves far below.
Emily wasn't sure what to make of this window, and her immediate thought was that it must be a painting. She reached for the handle and slung the window wide open. She squished her eyes closed as the sunlight burst into the room. As she slowly regained her vision, she looked out to see...exactly what she should see.
She shook her head and closed the window, as it latched, it returned to the view of a dark forest. Only now, something even more peculiar caught Emily’s attention, it was herself. Her reflection in that mirror seemed off. Her skin seemed darker, with thick black bags under her eyes as if she had been in a fight, and she was clutching her arm like it had been injured. She opened her lips to talk, but fear shot through her body. She realized she was also grabbing her own arm. It wasn’t just an image of her; it was reflecting something ominous.
This window…what was wrong with this window?
She flung it open again, preemptively covering her eyes to shield them from the brightness. However, this time, as she opened her eyes, she still saw the same dark forest. She cursed under her breath, realizing her arm really was hurting now. In fact, everything seemed to be sore on her. She let out a whimper as the realization sank in that all over her body she was aching.
She pushed the window shut again and saw her reflection standing in the room. She looked normal, and the room looked like it should. Then, the smile on her face grew larger, much too large for a human face. She laughed wildly, with no sound escaping her mouth - no, it was her reflection that laughed. Emily’s eyes widened and she slowly stumbled backwards, her head in a fog. She realized the wall that contained the window was not attached to any kind of room.
All around her was nothing but a dark forest, with a random wall and window leaning against a massive, decaying oak tree. She watched as the reflection waved slowly, turned around and walked away. Emily lunged at the window, fighting through the pain in her body, and ripped the window open. All she saw on the other side was more decaying trees, and in the distance, something glowing a soft hue of orange. She cried, but the sound of something large muffled her sobs as it stomped through the trees, headed right in her direction.
The End?
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