EntryCrickets sang their sorrowful song, as the night air crisply crackled through the forest trees. Shadows loomed about the unconscious figure, seemingly keeping watch over the simple rise and fall of his chest. Dreams-or nightmares- flooded his mind, and creatures from his childhood danced about through his head. Unaware of how long he?d been out, and oblivious to what horror he would soon face, Sabin's eyes slit open to the dark of the night.

"Whe-where am I?" He groaned to himself, propping his body up with his elbow to the ground. As he glanced around, the wind continued to whisper eerily past his ears, and the trees rustled restlessly. Questions kept consuming his thoughts, and everything seemed to collide viscously causing much confusion.

"Wait. . my dream." He thought those words through thoroughly as he lifted his strained eyes to the black abyss. Cursing himself under his breath, he figured that he simply acted upon its instructions incorrectly. Shakily, he managed to conjure enough strength in order to stagger in the direction of his home. Another thought crossed his mind, "What will mother say?" A gloomy expression made its way quickly across his face. His brow furrowed, and with disgust of what might happen, he trudged on unwillingly.

What seemed hours of traveling, he finally came to a familiar opening which he and his father had traveled through countless times. Ah, his father. A slight smirk found its way across his features. He tried to remember the stories of heroes destroying the villains in countless attempts to make an impression on their present world. He practically chortled at his fond memories of such fantasies.

His thoughts were interrupted by a disturbing view of his home. He heard agitated feet upon his wooden porch. Instantly he knew his mother was waiting impatiently. He then made out the anxious figure of his mother nervously pacing back and forth, keeping her eyes strained through the forest trees.

His hands groped his thighs for a moment. He knew what he would be told, and it would not differ at all from past scoldings. Keeping his head down, he moved towards the entrance to his home. Suddenly his mother's eyes fell on him, and she screamed eerily, pupils dilating until they appeared minuscule. Darkness narrowed in around him, and he instantly became light headed. The horrified look on his mother's face was directed at him. It seemed as if her blood curdling scream lasted a hundred years, never to leave the ears of the frightened Sabin.

He covered his ears in confusion, attempting to wake himself up from his own nightmare. His mother kept her eyes glued to him, ripping a piece of the wooden porch below her feet. It easily detached itself seeing as the nails were old, bent, and somewhat rusted. Sabin was paralyzed, and could do nothing but simply stand in utter bewilderment.

She ceased her high pitched scream for a moment, as she lifted the heavy piece of wood and ran straight for him, cursing and swearing. He could not move. Thoughts flooded his mind like never before, and he could not fathom what was happening to him. When she was of only a few meters away, she began swinging blindly, her eyes shut tight. Sabin finally conjured up words to speak, screaming for her to stop. Nothing he said did him any good, for his mother's attempts to kill him did not decrease in strength or accuracy.

He was at the peek of agony, and as he stumbled back, his eyes followed the piece of wood as it swung back, and then quickly forward. Before it came into contact with his head, he jolted awkwardly towards her and fell unconscious.

He must have dosed off for a few hours. Mumbling curses as he once again propped himself up, he became aware of his surroundings. Suddenly he was thrown back to the ground with the piercing scream of his mother. Horror flooded his eyes once again, and he lay on the ground, petrified. After a few moments of hearing his mother's screams, he rolled to his side, only to be greeted by the distorted face of his mother. Scrambling back to his feet, her whole body came into view as it slumped over the steps, staining the porch with blood. Open gashes and wounds could be found at every inch of her body, and the colour in her once vibrant eyes had been drained out. He covered his ears, attempting to shield them from her screams. Dead.

As he lifted his hands to his face, he threw them back down with disgust. Blood matted them heavily, and they appeared longer, and had acquired long nails that came to a sharp point. He attempted to put together the puzzle in his mind, eyes darting between his bloody hands and his mother's rotting corpse. Another scream, yet this time he had no idea whether it was still from his nightmare, or if it had uttered it himself. Staggering further away from his mother, he stopped at the corner of the porch where a mirror could be seen in his peripheral vision. Turning towards it, he trailed a finger along his long ears, white hair, and sharp teeth. Finally, he dropped his finger which had left a trail of blood where he had traced over himself. He leaned towards the reflective glass, and watched his own pupils narrow. They reeked of death, and had turned blood red.

He finally had made sense of what had happened, and as he began to crawl towards his dead mother, his father stepped through the door way, horrified. His eyes drank in his blood stained wife, and then to his son. Angrily he stepped towards him, and threw his closed fist at him, swearing to kill him.

Sabin did the first thing that came to his mind. Run. For bloody sakes, run. He picked up his weary feet and jumped from the porch, landing in a pile of tattered leaves. Knowing he was being pursued, he simply wished to die. He tried to drown out the horrible threats which his father so brutally yelled, but could only hear his mother's screams echoing eerily through his ears again.

After what seemed hours of running, night came into its fullest. He slumped lifelessly against the massive trunk of a tree which stretched to the skies. His fascination of these monsters never ceased to amaze his father. What Sabin did not know was that he had caused himself to be consumed by it. His chest fell and rose rapidly, as he lifted his monstrous hands in front of his eyes. Perhaps he will never know, whether he was intrigued, or horrified with the monsters. Perhaps he will never remember what he did to his mother that left her so brutally deformed. And perhaps, he will never lose his lust, and curiosity for the very creatures that haunt his dreams. Regardless of whether or not time will bring answers to these questions, Sabin stood up once again, lifting his blood red eyes to the sky. And with a deep breath, he screamed out into the night air. Even today, the reason for this scream is lost. Even today, his mother's horrified face, and emotionless eyes remain an enigma to him.

Gaian name: obstenant