Smiles Beyond the Doorway

It's been done.

         I've packed my bags. I've packed away all my belongings. I've packed away my life. All of my belongings belong here, in Mesia. They all belong in my home.
                Now i'll have a new home. It's been decided. It's been done. My parents have arranged for us to move to Nikei: that barren wasteland of a town. I can't even begin to imagine what life will be like there.
         As I stand in my empty room, I remember. I remember everything that happened within these four walls. Funny how leaving can make all the memories surface. I'll leave behind those memories as well.
         The car is packed. My parents are ready, so I walk out of my room and close the door behind me. I'll never forget that ominous click. I should've felt it then. It should have served as the warning I chose not to heed. However, it did not.
         So we left. The little white house on the corner would now and forever be in my past.
         "Goodbye." I whispered as the car turned the corner and the view of the houses white-washed color faded.

         We pulled into the driveway of a bright blue house. It's roof was a simple black. As were all the surrounding roofs. I noticed that every other house was painted a bright color as well, giving the entire neighborhood an overly-friendly look about it. I didn't like it.
         "You have free reign of the house, John." my father said as he stepped out of our golden SUV. "Any room you want is yours."
         I smiled and nodded. No room in this house would satisfy me. I was sure of it. But I wasn't about to let my parents know that.
         When I got in I walked through the halls, examining every room I passed. There were a lot of rooms. The house was small. There were more rooms than seemed possible. Nevertheless, I chose one. One of the few rooms with a window.
         That was all my room contained. No closet. No fan. Just a door and a window. The walls were painted pitch black. When I thought about it, all the rooms I had passed were painted black. In the back of my mind I would faintly hear the conscience telling me that black was the color of death, the color of omens. I would ignore that. I did.
         I could hear my parents downstairs now. They were chatting away about how great the house was, about how lucky they were the get such a great deal on it. I just shook my head. The old house was much better. The old house wasn't creepy and unusual. Neither was the neighborhood.
         I walked over to the window and leaned on the ledge. Outside I noticed not a single house had a tree in it's yard. No house had any vegetation at all. There was only grass and cement. That fact was strange enough,  but seeing the neighbors creeped me out the most.
         Across the street there were two children-two boys. They weren't doing anything. They just stood there and watched their house. They looked like twins, both short and chubby with identical black and white, striped T-shirts and faded jeans. Those kids scared me.
         Suddenly, as if they could hear my thoughts, the two boys turned around and focuesed their gaze directly at my window. I shuddered. Their bright blue eyes were piercing; cold as ice. I could see them so clearly, almost as if they were right in front of me.
         Then they smiled. Their mouths stretched to proportions that didn't seem humanly possible. I ran backwards, hitting the wall. Those smiles, those children were so frightening. My impression of this place was, so far, not a good one. Now I was afraid to go outside.
         I stood with my back to the wall for several minutes until my parents voices reached my ears. They wanted help unloading the SUV. I couldn't very well let them do that on their own. As I left my room I could feel my body shaking.
         "Just ignore them." I told myself. "It's as simple as that."
         I kept that thought in my head as I left the house, the door shut behind me. Yet again, the ominous click of the door echoed with my leave. I should've heard it this time. I should've listened, but I chose to be ignorant.

         Once outside I realized that my parents were getting aquainted with the creepy little children. Their unusually large mouths got bigger every second, as if every word that came out of my parents mouths was so amusing.
         My mother turned at the sound of my footsteps. "Isn't this lovely, dear? There are children your age in this neighborhood!" she exclaimed. I smiled brightly at the two young boys, who smiles widened even further.
         I turned away quickly, grabbing a box and rushing into the house. Those children! I couldn't get those children out of my mind. They gave me the shivers.
         After the initial encounter I chose not to help with any more of the moving. My parents could do it on their own. I chose instead, to watch from the window, from the safety of my room.
         My room.
         That thought didn't settle to well in my mind. Just thinking about being here, about how I already know that we weren't leaving left a note of finality in my mind. It was rather depressing.
         As i stared out the window I noticed that the children were no longer occupying my front yard. They were back by their own house, but this time inside: they were just in their house behind the screen door.

         I watched the children for a long time. I didn't even notice when that the sky had turned a midnight blue. Dusk was upon us.
         My parents were no longer outside. They were downstairs waiting for the pizza delivery man. I hadn't moved since meeting those two, identical children. They still gave me the creeps. And they too were still there.
         Still behind the door.
         My mind was pulled away from it's ominous thoughts by the sound of my mother's shout from the kitchen. The food was ready. I finally slipped away from the window momentarily to fill my empty stomach, but as soon as I was finished, I returned to my position and waited.
         I don't know what I was waiting for. I think I just wanted them to leave. My mind could be a peace knowing they were no longer in sight; knowing they could no longer see me.
         So I waited.
         I didn't have to wait long. The darkness that settled over the neighborhood made their smiles stand out. Bright, luminescent half moons floated just within the house opposite mine. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought the smiles were wider than before; wider and pointier. That was when I happened.
         I started. Before I saw the figure approach I knew who it was. It was my mother. She had baked a plate of cookies, as was customary for her everytime we had new neighbors, and she was walking them over to their house at this time of night. I watched her walk away. The door downstairs shut with yet another ominous click; one that I did not fail to heed.
         I tried to bolt. I tried to shout to her. I tried to call for my father to let him know that something was wrong. But i couldn't move. I could just watch as my mother offered the two children her finely baked goods.
         She reached the door. The smiles widened to an immeasurable length. My mother stopped in her tracks. She appeared to hesitate. The children took advantage of her hesitation and used it against her. They made their strike.
         One mouthful each.
         That was all it took for the children to gobble up my mother. The door had flung open to allow her entry, or to allow them leave, and out they went to eat my mother. Their wide smiles flashed, their pointy teeth gnashed, and then she was gone.
         All that was left was the sound of the door. That ominous click as the children disappeared into the shadows of their home, taking the remnants of my mother with them.