... --- ...

…
I’m sorry Alex, I’m truly fucking sorry for starters.
It’s my fault for bringing you into the forest. I wasn’t thinking properly and I’d forgotten…


I thought it would have been a safe thing for once. My stupid reasoning was that it was a bright blue, cloudless day. I thought only the rain brought bad. Boy was I wrong. And god damn it, I hadn’t expected that.


Oh Alex… Still a writer at heart. I’m sure it took you a good few days to write out everything, shifting through info you thought was needed to be known, and what to /hide/ from everyone else. But that’s okay, I was there and I know what happened already so that’s all that I care about.


I guess since I’m checkin’ in, I might as well explain myself. Again, sorry Alex. Also, it’s been exactly… 11 days now.


Should start with before I left:


Ocotober 28th:
I left to Orlando, Florida. Alex was under house arrest, and though I should have stayed back and clung to her and taken care of her like the sick puppy I can be when it comes to her, I didn’t. I’m not cowardly or anything of the one we saw back there though, I had these tickets and god knows my dad would murder me for him spending money just for me not to go.


And so I went. God knows I regret it though.
He was there.
I’d sat alone in the Monster Café after going through most of the attractions that Halloween Horror Nights had to offer. I’d made sure to stop by Poe’s, and now I was in the very empty Monster Café, most people were already leaving or had already eaten. I’d gotten one of those henna tattoos (Whatever they’re called) of a symbol I’d seen reoccurring in my dreams. The symbol looked cool and familiar, so I thought, “Why not?”


I hadn’t been scared in any of the attractions. After all, I knew they weren’t allowed to even touch you, so what’s to fear? But now, as I sat alone, I felt alert. The hairs on my neck were standing up. I was already sweaty from going around the whole park. In the doorway, for only a moment in time, he stood there.


I screamed. He was gone.


I ran out of that park faster than you could say “Crap.”


October 29th.


I got back from my trip safely. It was Saturday, but I wasn’t allowed to visit Alex. Her parents probably hated me by now. God knows I was glared at the whole time she was getting stitches. Alright, the point is, by now I’d been thinking. Hadn’t slept a wink. But eventually, the events caught up with me and I had to take a nap.


I dreamed. I remembered said dream for once…


I was a little girl, back home. No, not Florida. I was home, home.  Where Gwen and I used to live. There was a swing set and a tree house. It was a backyard I think. A girl (I think this was Gwen) and I were playing back there with beanie baby dolls. A thin, tall humanoid shadow was watching us the whole time. One of the dolls, mine which was more worn out, broke after some rough playing.  I cried. Gwen cried.


Finally, when I got the fuck over it, ran off and came back with a small gardening shovel. My dream self said something, though I didn’t hear it. Instead, the dream continued with little Chelle conducting a funeral for the beanie baby.  She specifically buried it under the tree with the treehouse, Gwen watching.


Afterwards, they ran inside, all smiles and giggles to play another game.


The dream ends there. I woke up, with only one thing on my mind:


Leave now.


---
And so, I left. All the way to home, without telling anyone.  And now that beanie baby is in my possession again.  It has the same symbol on the back as my henna tattoo that’s slowly fading now, abet faded and covered in dirt..


Don’t look for me Alex. I’ll come home soon and tell you everything in time.
Don’t go out alone, don’t go near any woods or trees if you can, stay indoors on rainy days, and please…. Be safe, Ally.


I love you so much Al. Please take care.


P.S: If Gilbert’s still alive, have your sis come to my house and feed him please. Have her feed Bella too. Leave some tuna by the crappy grave marker I made.


-Chelle