Tears stream down my face , as I ’ m laughing so hard . As I try to catch my breath , the figure falls out of focus and I find myself staring at my own reflection : eyes widening , teeth bared as my smile stretches from ear to ear . The wider my eyes get , the more I realise I have no idea what emotion they ’ re filled with . Wide with anger ? Wide with ecstasy ? Or wide with a vacuum of space and nothing to fill it ?
The strings on the corners of my smile are abruptly released , and I ’ m back to staring at the face in my shed . Its smile isn ’ t as wide anymore , and its eyes aren ’ t welcoming . It ’ s unreadable , just like my reflection .
There ’ s a hand pressed against the window now , and its breath is blurring the glass which is the only thing separating it from my house . Its eyes feel like they ’ ve crawled inside my pupils , and like the rest of it will be making its way inside very soon . A wave of fear washes over me again and sweat begins to seep out of the pores of my skin . It takes its grey palm off the glass and the fear fades as quick as it engulfed me . Its menacing grin becomes a friendly smile , and its eyes once again provide light , not from the vacant whites around its pupils , but because they now seem to resemble beautiful pearls , offering the entire ocean .
Like ice melting , I feel my body loosen . It ’ s only now that I ’ m realising that my jaw was hanging open , allowing saliva to creep out as though I was in a deep sleep . My body aches from stiffness and there is now an urgency to get to the shed . When you ’ re around drunks for long enough , you want to understand the buzz that the alcohol gives them , so you have a few sips of your mum ’ s vodka tonic when she isn ’ t looking . After a while you feel warm and fuzzy , like it ’ s Christmas eve and you ’ re watching The Polar Express whilst drinking hot chocolate . You can ’ t forgive your mum for all the times that she was drunk and forgot to pick you up from school , but you can now begin to understand why . That ’ s what staring at this thing in the shed feels like . It scared me at first , then my curiosity peaked and now I want that warm and fuzzy feeling . In fact , I crave it . It ’ s a craving that I know all too well , but I never thought it would be for anything other than cheap booze .
The sun breaks through the blinds , and I realise I ’ ve been stood here all night . But maybe the light from the sun is a sign that I should go inside of the shed . A beacon of possibility . My steps are slow and hesitant at first but the chill from the morning frost on my bare feet makes me quicken to get to the shed door .
The padlock is already unlocked . I open the door , breaking the silence that has sat between us all night with a rusty creak . I step inside and find that there is more space in here than I was expecting .
I ’ m the only living , breathing thing inside of here . Shed 92