The sun had barely risen. Its dim light streamed through the cracks of thick trees, casting long shadows over snow-covered ground. The forest was quiet except for the shrill snapping of twigs and crunching of snow as a giant, lumbering beast forced its way through the thick brush searching for its breakfast.<\/p>\n
Many of the forest\u2019s residents cowered in hiding places. They didn\u2019t expect to avoid the monster, that was impossible. Instead, they prayed it would eat its fill before finding them. Faster animals ran – frantically trying to escape before it could catch their scent and chase them down.<\/p>\n
But ten-year-old Danny McCallister was safe. Though he was close enough to experience it all, he was only a silent spectator – moving through the trees like the wind.<\/p>\n
\u201cCocoa\u2019s ready.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
A faint voice that Danny easily ignored.<\/p>\n
The monster stopped suddenly, its front leg raised mid-step. There was something close by. It could smell it. The beast slammed its nose into the ground, trying to track the smell. The powdered snow was sucked through its nostrils and deep into its snout before shooting out again with a snort.<\/p>\n
\u201cDanny\u2026\u201d \u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n
Not now. Things were about to get good.<\/p>\n
In an instant, the monster was off, its claws carving deep scars into the snow and ice as it tore through the forest. It crashed through trees, tearing them out of the ground as though they were trying to jump out of the beast\u2019s way.<\/p>\n
It slid to a stop, slamming into a wall at the base of a cliff. Its massive body cracked the stone and rocks tumbled and crashed into the ground around its feet. Undeterred, it sprinted along the wall until it found the entrance to a cave. It pressed its snout against the hole and inhaled the delicious smell inside. It couldn\u2019t fit through the opening but that wouldn\u2019t stop it from getting to its meal.<\/p>\n
The creature lifted its arm and swung at the wall with a roar. Its claws tore through the mountain effortlessly. It tore away fistfull after fistfull of stone until it found its food: a trembling, crying grizzly bear.<\/p>\n
The monster snarled before rearing onto its hind legs and letting out a victorious, blood-curdling howl.<\/p>\n
\u201cDanny McAlister!<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n
Danny\u2019s mother\u2019s booming voice shot through the forest and grabbed him by the collar of his pajama shirt. It dragged him, kicking and screaming, through the snow, until he found himself back in the living room of the cottage his family had rented.<\/p>\n
His nose was pressed firmly against the window. His breath had fogged the glass, obscuring his view of the trees outside.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour cocoa\u2019s getting cold, sweetie.\u201d<\/p>\n
He sighed. \u201cYeah. I\u2019m here now.\u201d<\/p>\n
He accepted the mug from his mother. She sat down next to him with her own steaming mug. Her eyes were dim with worry – a look Danny was becoming all too familiar with.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere were you this time, Dan?\u201d his dad asked from behind the counter. He was washing the dishes left over from breakfast.<\/p>\n
Danny gestured toward the window. \u201cOut there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah?\u201d Dad smiled. \u201cWhat\u2019s out there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome beast,\u201d Danny said. \u201cHe was like a hundred feet tall.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas he…umm\u2026\u201d Mom paused a moment. \u201cA friendly beast?\u201d<\/p>\n
Danny laughed. \u201cOh, no!\u201d he said. \u201cDon\u2019t mess with this guy. He like, ate a bear, you know? And not a baby one. One of those big grizzly bears!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWow!\u201d Dad laughed. \u201cThat\u2019s exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom wasn\u2019t laughing. She took a long sip from her mug.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo they ever scare you, Danny?\u201d she asked. \u201cThese monsters?\u201d<\/p>\n
Danny shook his head. \u201cThey\u2019re my imagination,\u201d he said. \u201cThey only do what I tell them to do. I\u2019m\u2026\u201d he looked at Dad. \u201cI\u2019m in control.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad smiled back. Those were the exact words he\u2019d said to Danny the first time he\u2019d gotten carried off in his own thoughts.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop worrying about the boy, Maureen,\u201d he said. \u201cDan\u2019s got one heck of an imagination. He\u2019s got a bright future ahead of him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom sighed and left the couch. \u201cIf he doesn\u2019t get locked away somewhere first,\u201d she mumbled. She shut herself in the bathroom and turned on the shower.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t mind your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does she mean, \u2018locked away\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe just worries too much,\u201d Dad said. \u201cYou keep doing you, kid.\u201d<\/p>\n
Danny considered that thought for a while as he drank his cocoa.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinish up, Dan,\u201d Dad said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to take a walk through the forest soon. Hope we don\u2019t run into your monster friend.\u201d<\/p>\n
Danny smiled and rushed to get ready.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n —<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n The forest wasn\u2019t as intense as it was in Danny\u2019s imagination. The trees were much more sparse and the area was pleasantly bright. He walked a few steps behind his parents along a man-made trail with benches located sporadically along the sides. There was<\/i> snow, though. So he\u2019d gotten that right.<\/p>\n \u201cNot how you pictured it, huh, Danny?\u201d Mom asked, as though she could read his mind.<\/p>\n Danny shook his head and ignored the glare his dad gave her.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Dad said. \u201cReal life\u2019s rather boring sometimes. That\u2019s why we read, or watch movies, or play video games. It\u2019s fun to escape into a world of imagination.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure,\u201d Mom said, returning the glare. \u201cAs long as we remember that real life is where we live. That\u2019s where the important things are, like our family and friends. It\u2019s a little silly to think a giant beast could hide in here. Eh, Danny?\u201d<\/p>\n Danny didn\u2019t respond. He focused on his boots and the sound the snow made when he walked.<\/p>\n \u201cJesus. Give it a rest, Maureen,\u201d his dad said under his breath.<\/p>\n Danny hated it when they fought. He always felt like it was about him and he wasn\u2019t sure how he could make it better. He couldn\u2019t stop imagining if he wanted to. It just came naturally. Besides, he would feel like he was letting his dad down if he did. But at the same time, continuing to imagine upset his mom and he didn\u2019t want that either.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know I worry,\u201d Mom said. \u201cJules used to tell stories just like his.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDanny\u2019s not like your sister, Maureen. She was schizophrenic and had no control over anything she saw. Danny\u2019s just playing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s ten,\u201d Mom said. \u201cIt\u2019s time for him to break out of this phase before it\u2019s too late.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s only<\/i> ten,\u201d Dad said. \u201cAnd this \u2018phase\u2019 needs to be encouraged.\u201d<\/p>\n Danny couldn\u2019t listen any longer. He blocked out their voices and opened up his mind, allowing the trees to grow and surround them in a thick wall. He smiled as the tension left his shoulders.<\/p>\n To his left, the trees rustled suddenly, before a woman burst through, screaming. Her clothes were torn and blood-stained. She ran past Danny and his family without paying them any notice.<\/p>\n An explosion boomed deep in the forest and a cloud of smoke mushroomed out of the tops of the trees. Danny followed it with his eyes and found the source of the explosion.<\/p>\n A giant UFO hovered silently above them. It was disc-shaped and made of a smooth silver material. Its edges were lined with lights that blinked in unison. Protruding from the centre was a black gun which spun slowly, as if searching for a target.<\/p>\n Danny watched as the tip of the gun started to glow red. The light intensified until it shot from the gun with a pew <\/i>noise that echoed through the air. The laser hit the ground between Danny\u2019s parents with an explosion that left them unaffected. They continued walking and talking about something that Danny still didn\u2019t want to hear.<\/p>\n But when the smoke cleared from the ground, something took its place. It was a dark, human-like figure. It was Danny\u2019s height and looked like a shadow that you couldn\u2019t see through. He\u2019d never imagined something like this before and couldn\u2019t figure out where he\u2019d come up with it. Everything in his imagination had come from something he\u2019d seen on TV or read in a book. This was completely new. The worst part was that the figure was looking directly at him. It was acknowledging him.<\/p>\n \u201cDanny!\u201d<\/p>\n His mom\u2019s voice snapped him back to reality once again. He looked up and the sky was empty. The UFO was gone, the trees had gone back to normal, and the smoke had all cleared.<\/p>\n But the shadow remained.<\/p>\n \u201cDan?\u201d Dad asked. \u201cYou OK, bud?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah\u2026\u201d Danny said. \u201cI\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n But he wasn\u2019t sure he was. He closed his eyes, squeezed them tight and closed off his mind. When he opened them, the shadow had moved closer. It was inches from his face now.<\/p>\n Danny screamed and tried to back away but the shadow grabbed him and held him in place. Its touch was colder than ice and Danny\u2019s skin started tingling. The shadow leaned forward and whispered into his ear.<\/p>\n \u201cThey hate you,\u201d it said. It spoke with Danny\u2019s voice. \u201cYour parents fight because of you. Look at them.\u201d<\/p>\n Danny tried to say something but the shadow cut him off.<\/p>\n \u201cLook at them!\u201d it screamed.<\/p>\n He looked up at his mom. She was crying. His dad was rushing over to him with a look of terror on his face. But everything moved in slow motion and it seemed his father would never get to him.<\/p>\n \u201cLook what you\u2019re doing to them,\u201d the shadow whispered. \u201cYou don\u2019t deserve them.\u201d<\/p>\n The shadow released its hold on Danny and he fell backwards into the snow. Dad was there seconds later, scooping him up into his arms.<\/p>\n \u201cDan? What\u2019s wrong, buddy?\u201d he said frantically.<\/p>\n The shadow was gone.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing,\u201d Danny said. He realized he\u2019d been crying and his cheeks were stained with tears. \u201cI slipped.\u201d<\/p>\n Mom joined them, wiping away her own tears. She looked at Dad with desperation. He nodded before kissing her on her forehead. There was a sad understanding in his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s get back to the resort,\u201d Dad said.<\/p>\n Danny nodded. He searched the forest around them and couldn\u2019t find the shadow anywhere. But he could still feel it sitting in the back of his mind.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The sun had barely risen. Its dim light streamed through the cracks of thick trees, casting long shadows over snow-covered ground. The forest was quiet except for the shrill snapping of twigs and crunching of snow as a giant, lumbering beast forced its way through the thick brush searching for its breakfast.
\n\tMany of the forest\u2019s residents cowered in hiding places. They didn\u2019t expect to avoid the monster, that was impossible. Instead, they prayed it would eat its fill before finding them. Faster animals ran – frantically trying to escape before it could catch their scent and chase them down.
\n\tBut ten-year-old Danny McCallister was safe. Though he was close enough to experience it all, he was only a silent spectator – moving through the trees like the wind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stories","category-thriller"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marklidstone.com\/TheWriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marklidstone.com\/TheWriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marklidstone.com\/TheWriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marklidstone.com\/TheWriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marklidstone.com\/TheWriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=696"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.marklidstone.com\/TheWriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/696\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":697,"href":"https:\/\/www.marklidstone.com\/TheWriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/696\/revisions\/697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marklidstone.com\/TheWriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marklidstone.com\/TheWriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marklidstone.com\/TheWriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}