All But a Nightmare...

Hush little baby, don't you cry..

Momma's gonna sing you a lullaby..

A surreal melody plagues, echoing with subtly nefarious notes quaking sanity at its roots. It stretches out, far and wide, coating a barren, old bedroom with a serpentine tongue. Small hands attempt to block the resonance, by covering small ears. The little girl, who the melody haunts, curls up on her little bed, swaying and muttering, praying that it stops. A tiny droplet of water drips down from shut eyes, as they squeeze with all their tiny might. All her attempts prove fruitless; nothing stops the dirge of desolation and it's lover, darkness, from blanketing the girl and room, from leaky roof to creaky floor.

Hush little baby..

Don't say a word..

A dance of duos is interrupted, when a splintered door swings open, slamming against a crackled wall. Jolting, the little girl removes her little hands, and stares at the gaping space between her room and another. At the threshold, a grisly woman of soot and embers stands, its head cocked. At the scalp, shreds of hair remain. From there the creature is but blisters and scorched flesh, naked and singed to a crisp in areas. Oozing black and red, she stares at the small girl, who trembles atop her small bed. The molten woman continues to sing the same few notes, her deranged tone leaking like acid. Her touch does the same, when willowy digits stroke the tiny cheeks of the girl. In the wake of grazing nails, hellish flames ignite, burning tender flesh as the little girl shrieks.

Momma's gonna make you just like her..

The second the little girl tries to jerk away, the scolding palm of the mother presses to her throat in a vice grip. Pretty hazel eyes meet the wicked gaze of perdition. Still, or even more so, rather, droplet after droplet of liquid misery streams down small eyes, making the mother's wrist sizzle and crackle. Her hand wasn't the only one to grab the little girl though. Oh no, many more joined hers. They snaked from underneath the bed, reaching out with lithe arms to drag their rugged nails along her arms and legs. How hard or long she screamed, it mattered not to them. The Devil's hands wouldn't stop until her tiny body was ravaged and scarred, burned to its depths with a blaze unlike any other. And as if that weren't enough, the chthonic heat suffocated tiny lungs to the point of bloody coughs and wheezing.

Look what you did! You did this! YOU DID THIS.

A masculine voice disrupts that of the mother, who wavers, along with the many hands. With a thunderous clap, she and the clawing appendages disappear. But, all is not well. The source of the clap came from a rough palm, when it collided with a soft cheek. The little girl jolted again, but sideways, the force of the smack nearly sending her flying off her little bed. Rivers pour now, from hazelnut eyes, and she hiccups. Unmarred by fire and smoke, she feels the cherry red mark burning beneath her tiny palm. With a sniffle, while nursing the bruising cheek, watery eyes peer up at a hulking figure, whose ears almost literally release puffy smoke. Her small lips part, but the only sound allowed is a yelp, when another swing is made and delivered to her other cheek. This time she goes down, landing on creaky planks with a thud. Whimpering now, she can hear her mother's voice again, ringing loudly in her ears.

Hush little baby..

Don't you cry..

Tiny nails claw at her own tiny ears, like it would stop the tormenting song. It didn't of course, and just as her ears begun to bleed another monstrous attack met her; a massive hand snagged her scalp by its hair, yanked her up viciously and threw her on the small bed. She bounced once, before that same hand pinned her throat down. Squirming under the massive weight, she tried to scream again, but did not prevail. Her tiny legs kicked, her tiny hips bucked, but he wouldn't release. He shouted instead, calling her filthy names and accusing her of unlikely faults.

Daddy doesn't love you..

With a howl the man vanished. One would assume the little girl's relieved finally, but they're wrong. The only reason he disappeared, is because he was consumed, by infernal flames. They returned with vengeance, swallowing the desolate room and swelling until nothing was untouched by the Devil's heat. It choked her more than any of the hands had, burning her tongue and throat, until they blistered and peeled away, layer by layer. Her skin did the same, bearing bone in various spots. Where skeletal matter peeked black rage scorched. All else burned and melted, while silent screams were held within her head, unable to break the surface of singed lips. Her world went dark for a single second.

Neither do I..

One last whimper makes its way from a little throat, to little lips, and the girl gasps. Jolting once more, pretty hazel eyes peer from a closed door, to the creaky floor, and up at a leaky roof. Breathing rather heavily, her small chest heaves small heaves, and she curls up once more. A single droplet of water drips from her closing eyes, and she exhales. It was all but a nightmare, and she relaxes at the soothing thought. That is, until a splintered door swings open, slamming against a crackled wall. Jolting, the little girl removes her little hands, and stares at the gaping space between her room and another. At the threshold, a grisly man stands, the neck of a bottle in hand.

"You did this."