Night (Part 1)

"Miri, I..."

"Go away." said the frosty words.

"I am here to help."

She sighed.

"What is troubling you?"

"Nothing."

The words were mundane, but her voice was definitely not. It wasn't something you would expect from the throat of a 12-year-old. She sat on an oak chair with her back facing me, decorated by her delicate auburn locks. I could make out a woolen jumper and faded jeans on her frame, but the lack of light obstructed any finer details. On the street, she would just have seemed a pretty child. Of course, it wasn't that simple.

I did not see her face. But I heard her voice. I wish I hadn't. It was icy, like the glacial wind. Sad, happy and fearful all at the same time, its origin being far far away. She sounded more like an automaton, a living statue. 

Her mother had called me. For a week now Miri had been letting out piercing screams at night. She thought it was just nightmares. But it soon became apparent it was much more than that. Miri refused to talk or eat. She locked herself away and just stared out of the window. Day and night. Poor mother was worried to death, so she called a doctor. She called me. 

Outside, the sun had lost the battle and darkness had enveloped the sky. It was blemished by a few streaks of moonlight through the big window that Miri faced. I decided to try and talk to her again. I needed to know what was going on.

"What is bothering you, dear? You don't scream for anything. Please, I am here to help. I promise."

She sighed. I shivered.

"You cannot help me. Nobody can. Hell, I do not need your help!"

The room grew colder.

"I am not troubled. I am relieved. I am above it all.

But I know people like you. You would want to 'know it all from the beginning'. So listen."

I've always felt that I never really belonged here. Just fell into this world by mistake. I call the woman downstairs 'mother' because my head passed through her cervix. I made creatures called 'friends' because she wanted me to. They don't like me, I can tell. For everyone, I am a weird person. For me, I am not a person at all.