Flashback

The girl awakens in perfect darkness, but she knows where she is. What did she do this time? She cannot remember. She huddles in the corner, thankful for the darkness as the various spiders and insects that inhabit this place are invisible at the moment. She tells herself that if she cannot see them, they cannot see her. This thought is able to comfort her, just like it does when she lies in her bed at night. She closes her eyes before they can betray her by becoming accustomed to the diminishing light of the summer moon.

The girl hears rustling in the opposite corner and the sense of peace that had been building in her is quickly shattered. She slowly opens her eyes but even as they focus in on the corner, she is distracted by a scurrying noise off to her right. Now that her eyes have adjusted to the dim lighting in the room, she is able to make out the shadows of moldy boxes and bags of moth eaten clothing that have been stored here and forgotten over the years. She quickly skims the room for the cause of the sounds, but nothing stirs. Her eyes inadvertently glance upward at the cobwebs hanging over her head, which decorate the rafters as heavily as tinsel on last year's Christmas tree.

The silence is suddenly disturbed by a tapping to her left. She wearily glances in that direction and catches a glimpse of movement from the corner of her eye. Although she is not able to make out the shape of the culprit, she envisions red beady eyes glaring at her, daring her to come close enough for the creature to plant its razor sharp teeth into her arm or leg. She yearns for the sound of her captor unlocking the door in the next room to invite her out into the safety that only the well lighted living areas of the house can bring. Even as the girl makes this wish, she is certain that it won't come true. Surely this time she will be forgotten until the morning comes. As frightening as this thought may be, a darker one tugs at the back of her mind. What if the sun forgets to come up in the morning? What if she is stuck here forever in the darkness with the mysterious creatures that lurk in the shadows?

She sits there, frozen in fear with tears streaming down her face. She draws her knees up to her chin and weeps silently until she realizes that crying only manages to blur her vision. For the first time, she is aware that the childlike mentality of what you can't see, can't possibly harm you, doesn't make much sense. After all, each time she heard a frightening noise tonight, she has been looking the other way. Maybe if she stays alert she can identify the source of any further disturbances. With this goal in mind, the girl begins scanning the room.