Epilogue

07th July 2015:

It was Jayden Smith's special day. He was now 8 years old. Just before he could celebrate it, his dad ruined it.

" We are moving to California. You wil start your 3rd grade over there buddy." said Marco, his dad.

" But I like it here. I don't want to go there. Arizona is good. Why should we leave it?" Jayden replied in a tense voice. It was difficult for him to make friends. He had a few in this neighborhood and he loved them. He was ready to spend some good time with them but wasnt sure how to leave them forever.

" Daddy got a new job. It's cooler and pays more, so we gotta move out. Look your brother is not complaining." replied Marco. He was trying to feed Braylon some breakfast. Braylon was almost 6. But he was a bit cranky every morning. So he had to be fed and wouldn't eat by himself.

"I say we start our packing today." said Jane. She really seemed excited about the shifting. But it was the worst birthday for little Jayden. He finished his breakfast and went upstairs to collect all his toys so that he atleast has some company in his new home.

******

It all started when the Smiths went to a public playing area in California. It had been 2 months since they have arrived and settled in their new home. They didn't get a chance to go out to the public park as they were busy unboxing and setting the home. The kids were going to school for the past month.

" Mommy look! This slide is so good. I wish Peter was here." Jayden said. He really had no friends in this neighborhood. But he was eager to visit the playing area.

Jayden was a skinny boy with brown hair and brown eyes. His eyes were full of life. His brother, Braylan who was 6 now was a bit pudgy and had the same hair and same eyes. Braylon was enjoying the rides and he, unlike his brother, had no problem making friends. He started playing with Samuel, a kid who lived next door and who was about his age.

" Just be careful buddies! Don't break your arm or leg." Said Marco, laughing.

"Don't worry dad! I am having fun for a long time. I won't ruin it." Jayden shouted from the other side.

Jayden loved exploring. So he was simply walking near the boundary when someone slapped on his back.

" Heyyy!!" he said turning back. But no one was there and he heard a boy giggle. " That's not funny dude. Show yourself," replied Jayden angrily. But no one showed themselves and his back hurt.

He walked back to his dad.

" I thought you were enjoying here. " Marco said, feeling concerned for his son.

" I hate our new home," Jayden replied angrily.

"Why is that so?"

"Kids are mean here. Some boy hit me on my back and giggled and didn't even show themselves. "

" Sorry, buddy! I will buy you an ice cream on the way home. How is that? Enough to cheer you up?" Marco said smiling.

" Yeah that sounds better," Jayden replied, smiling. He felt his spirits lift up a bit at this idea.

On their way back, the Smiths had a small ice cream treat. Jayden felt that his back was still not okay, but he ignored it.

"Jay! Do you need daddy's help in completing your homework?" Marco asked his son

"Yeah, dad! I need your help," replied Jayden. " I am not able to focus."

"Okay buddy, let's do it."

After completing his homework, Jayden went upstairs to get his race cars. He was obsessed with cars and wouldn't leave them even for a day. When he entered his room, he had this weird feeling that someone is watching him.

"Hello! Is anyone here?" he asked in a small, scared voice. there was no response so he just ran downstairs.

"DAD! DAD! DADDY! SOMEONE'S IN MY ROOM."He shouted while running down the stairs. "DADDY, SOMEONE'S IN THERE!"

"What happened Jay?" Marco asked. He never saw Jayden behave in this way.

"So..so..some...one's...in..my...room.."He replied, clearly out of breath.

"Did you see anyone?" asked Jane. She was changing Braylon into his PJ's

"No,"

"Did you hear anything?" asked Marco

"No, I didn't. But I feel it. You gotta check it, dad." It was the desperation in the kid's voice that made Marco and Jane check the room.

"Nothing's here buddy," Marco said after checking each and every corner of the room. "Tell me, is there anything you are scared of, or anything you saw or heard and hid it from us?' Marco asked the boy kindly. Jayden looked like all the blood from his face was drained. He was shaking slightly and it wasn't even cold. The weather was pleasant and the breeze was gentle.

There was a lot going in Jayden's brain. He wanted to tell his parents about how his back was still hurting. He wanted to tell how he felt when he entered the room. It was like suddenly some wickedness has surrounded the area. He felt like there is something that was hiding in his room. Even though it tried its best to hide, he still felt its presence. He was able to feel the thing's eyes on his back. But there was some sort of force or something he couldn't define, that kept him away from giving this information to his parents. All he could do was shake his head in complete hopelessness.

His parents were a bit concerned for him but he tried to act as normal as he could during the dinner. He ate his mashed potatoes quietly. It was soon bedtime and Jayden was left all alone in his room.

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"Mommy, can I sleep with you guys today?" Jayden asked in a small voice.

"Of course honey, but what's wrong?" Jane asked.

"I don't know. I don't feel good in that room." Jayden replied hugging the pillow he was holding.

"Alright, come in and cuddle up," replied Jane, smiling.

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Jayden was standing on a beach. No one was there except for a boy. He was a small boy. He looked about 8 or 9 years old. He was smiling at Jayden. Then he started waving. But there was something wrong with this boy. He appeared to be made up of smoke. Jayden liked him anyway. The boy had something likable about him. Jayden smiled and waved him too. The boy signed him to come towards him. Jayden started walking towards the boy. But the distance increased. The more Jayden walked, the more the distance increased. Jayden wanted to see this boy and talk to him. He started running towards the boy. He was running, the boy was smiling but the distance wouldn't decrease. Soon Jayden was out of breath and then suddenly another figure appeared. It was really tall. Its eyes were burning red. He was wearing a blood-red cloak that covered it except for eyes. Then a rotten hand appeared from the sleeve and grabbed the boy. Jayden wanted to shout, but his voice was not working. He was glued to the spot he was standing on. Then he heard someone whispering his name.

Jaayyydeeenn! Jaaayydeenn! It was like a snake speaking. It was a hiss and suddenly more of the cloaked figure started appearing. They were popping out from the thin air. He wasn't able to see the boy now. The cloaked figures were standing in between them. They were floating. They wanted to reach Jayden and harm him. One was really close to him.

They are coming for me. I can't protect myself. Thought Jayden.

"Jayden! Jayden! Wake up!! What's the matter?? Wake up Jay!" Marco was trying to hold and wake a twitching Jayden. Jayden's eyes fluttered and he opened them slowly. His dad's visage was pale and sweaty. The sheets underneath him were crumpled, his mom was standing on the other side of the bed and Braylon was still asleep.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Jane asked. Jayden was covered in sweat and he was still shaking from the dream he had. He didn't know if he could answer her mother. He just nodded in reply. He felt like his throat was on fire. He could still smell that rancid smell of the cloaked figures. One of them was about to grab him when his dad woke him up. He was shouting in his dream and the cloaked figures were coming closer and closer. He knew what they wanted. They wanted to rip his soul. They weren't going to harm his physical being. They wanted his soul to bleed, his soul to suffer and ultimately, his soul to leave his body so that his body is just an empty apartment. An apartment in which any one could live. He was scared of them and had a weird feeling that they were somehow real and were around him, in the real world and not in his dream.

Maybe I saw the reality when I was asleep. He thought to himself.

" Do want water or something?" Jane's voice brought him back to the reality. He nodded in reply and she handed him the water bottle.

"Let me help you with it." Jane said taking the bottle out if his hands as his hands were shaking.

"Could you tell mommy and daddy what you saw?" Marco asked and Jayden nodded his head.

"Go ahead, honey, we are listening!"

" I was standing on a beach. I was all alone except for a boy. He looked like he was made up of smoke...." Jayden described his dream and by the time he started speaking of the cloaked figures, he was sobbing so hard that it was difficult for him to get a word out of his mouth. His mom was hugging him and comforting him. She was gently stroking his hair and patting him on his back. It was a warm hug and it did made him feel a bit safe. After sometime, he felt calm.

" They wanted to harm my soul, dad." He said in a calmer voice.

" What do you mean by your soul?" his dad asked, his eyebrow raised in alarm at this sudden confession.

" I know it sounds crazy, but I felt it." Jayden said, sobbing once again.

" It's okay honey, we will talk about this later." Jane said hugging the boy tightly and giving a stern look which indicated that Marco should not ask the boy another word, until he himself speaks about it.

The night somehow passed and by the morning, Jayden was completely normal except for his back pain and a weird feeling at the back of his head. As he was normal, his parents didn't think it was appropriate for them to speak about the nightmare.

Jayden ate his cereals and packed his bag. He picked his lunch from the kitchen counter, hugged his mom and said his good bye to his dad. The school bus was already at the door so he ran outside.

Everything was perfectly fine. He went to school, attended all his classes and answered the questions. Soon it was time for lunch and Jayden wanted to use the restroom. He was walking towards it when he felt that someone was following him. He turned back but nothing was out of ordinary. A bunch of kids were talking, laughing and playing in the corridor and no one seemed to notice him. He started walking quickly. He heard someone whisper something. It wasn't clear what the speaker said, but it was pretty audible.

" Sorry, what did you just say?" Jayden said turning to a boy who was right behind him.

"I didn't say anything." The boy replied looking alarmed.

"Did you hear someone or something?" He asked again and the boy shook his head in reply. Jayden was scared. This was the third time in past two days. He was really scared but he didn't want to talk about it. He remembered how his dad was alarmed when he said about the soul. He quickly finished his job in the restroom and started walking towards the cafeteria. He didn't feel any spooky thing on his way back and was glad that it was over and it was just his imagination.