Chapter XXXII:

I heard someone calling my name. A hot breath breathed on my face.

“Ladybird, ladybird. Fly away home. You house is on fire and your children all gone. All except one. And that’s little Ann. And she has crept under the warming pan.”

I jerked my eyes open. Luna stood over me, smiling. I screamed as I backed up. She giggled at me.

“W-W-What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Why do you think?” she asked. I shook my head. No… No! Luna’s had a devilish look in her eyes.

“Why yes,” she said. “I am here.” I still shook my head.

“No!” I shouted.

“Yes,” Luna said. She reached out and touched my cheek.

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I woke up back into the woods. I thought I was going to be sick. I don’t want to be here. Let me go back. Let me go back! I backed up while looking around. I could only see nothing but dead black trees. Laughing circled the tops of the trees. I sank to my knees, covering my ears. Soft fingertips stroked my hair. I didn’t look up. I didn’t want to look up. I could already see her face in my mind.

“Go away! Why can’t you leave me alone?” I asked.

“Didn’t I tell you?” she asked in my head. “You belong to me and I will never let you go.”

“No!”

“Aww.” Her nails dug into my scalp. I felt like I was choking.

I heard someone screaming my name in real life.

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I woke up to see the priest shaking my arm. I stared at him, panting. The old man had a worried look on his face.

“You were screaming in your sleep,” he said. I blinked for a moment. The priest started to disappear within the dark trees. His voice started to fade in and out.

“G-G-Get away from me!” I shouted. The priest kept shaking me and calling my name. Luna’s nails dug into my back. My body started to feel cold.

“Stay with me,” the priest. I shook my head.

“Please leave me alone,” I begged. “I just want to go home.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Luna said. I could feel her breath on my ear.

“Ladybird, ladybird. Fly away home. You house is on fire and your children all gone. All except one. And that’s little Ann. And she has crept under the warming pan.”

My eyes darted behind me. “Stop it! Stop it, please!” The priest started praying aloud over Luna’s whispering. The two voices clashing in my head gave me a headache. My eyes began to water. My body could barely move. The air left my lungs. I tried to gulp but my mouth felt so dry. I fell down into a ball.

“Stop! Please stop!” I begged. My vision became blurry. I succumbed to the pressure around me.

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When I woke up again, the priest sat at the foot of his bed. He looked at me, worried.

“W-W-What happened?” I asked.

“I casted the demon out of your head,” the priest said. I sat up with a blank expression on my face. The old man shushed me.

“Don’t talk,” he said. “I am going to have to keep you here all night.” I tried to speak but he put up his hand.

“I don’t want to hear it,” he said. “You will stay here tonight. I will be staying here with you.”

“But what about my wife?” I asked in a low voice.

“It will be fine,” the priest said. “I will have someone watching over them. You don’t have to worry. Your wife will be fine for the night.” For some reason, that didn’t make me feel better. In fact, something didn’t feel right. For a second there, I thought I saw Luna’s smirking face at me. I blinked and the priest had his eyes on me. He patted me on the shoulder and drew back his hand.

I couldn’t let myself go back to sleep that night.