year 1812
She sits in a wooden chair, hands in lap, in front of her bed room window. The moonlight danced freely in her ocean green eyes and a relaxed smile spreads across her doll-like fair face. Her glossy red hair was gently being brushed by what seemed to be a tall and slender (human but not quite) man who was just simply dubbed as ‘The Unknown man’. At first this would seem to be a scary and possibly dangerous situation, but to Madison Monroe, this was her normal.
Madison Monroe was the only child to a willowed woman named Merlin Monroe. Although there was plenty of wealth, happiness came short inside the Monroe household. At the tender age of five, after telling her mother that she was seeing ‘strange little monsters’ from her bedroom, her mother at first did not believe her. Her mother would just tell the little and rather naive girl that it was imaginary friends until her daughter eventually started responding with “They’re not Imaginary… They’re from hell, momma.”
With that said, Maddie was diagnosed with and unknown mental illness that made her see ‘illusions’ of demons, spirits, and creatures from hell. Her mother had sent Madison to near by therapists and even hiring a priest from their church but nothing could seem to cure her illness. Her mother was not the most holy and religious woman who had ever walked across the face of the Earth, but she couldn’t tolerate her daughter being known a curse from the devil himself.
Eventually, after years of what seemed let torture, Maddison learnt to keep what she may (or may not) see in her head. Although she knew deep down in her heart that what she saw was indeed real, it seemed to be that no one could she what She saw… She felt absolutely alone in her world of horrors. That was before she met ‘Unknown’.
‘Unknown’ was not like the other creatures. He would scurry away at first glance nor would he taunt her with growls and hisses. He would just stand there, ever so calmly, coming and going as he pleased. She could touch him even though he mostly felt like cool air and little strings of silk, like the type of loose silk that the silkworms would leave before turning into bothersome mouths, and she could actually talk to him. Although he had never responded verbally, he seemed to be able to understand her and could even communicate through actions.
Madison looked up at ‘unknown’ only seeing black blankness under his hat.
“I wish… that someone… even if it’s just one person… could see what I do.” She wished aloud as hot tears rolled down her cool face. Surprisingly, A dark and almost cryptic voice answered back.
“Beware of what you wish for, child.” The air grew cold as he disappeared into a soft mist. The brush that was still in her hair, simply slid out and landed with a settled plop onto the carpet. Madison sat there choked with shook before smiling, amused and excited all at once.
