6:00 A.M.

Riiing. The clock on the wooden bedside table began to girate, spewing its sound waves out into the atmosphere. The sound waves crawl through the air, untill they creep into the ears of our pathetic soul. With a huff and a puff, Tim threw his hand ontu the screaming electronic, silencing it with one slap. He wished he could sink back into the pillows, to stay carelessly stuck in slumber. The poor boy honestly would have rather done anything else other than what lay awaiting him today.

As his green eyes opened and scanned the, seeing through a sleepy film, his disorganized bedroom. Adjusting to the darkness, Tim saw the peeling wallpaper in the corner, it had peeled down and was showing the dark wood underneath. From his bed, this dark stain, almost looked like it was moving, somehow alive. As if a hole had opened up, and inside the deep crevice, millions of rotting, flesh-eaten hands were waiting to grab and pull him in. In this moment he didn't know which would be worse.

Today was family day. Every year, on the first day of thanksgiving break, his family decided to go to our cabin for a day of wholesome, family fun! Only not for Tim.

For the sleepy seventeen-year old, almost too big to be in his childhood bed, The cabin had become his own personal nightmare. He pushed the itchy comforter off him, the worn-out fibers grasping to his skin as they pulled away. Every year he had to endure the hell that was family fun day, today would be no different. He had just donned a pair of old Levis and a white tee, when he heard a knock on his bedroom door.

“Tiiiim, are you awake?” the pure voice that rang through on the other side, penetrated Tims clouded mind. Upon opening, he saw his little sister Toni. She was still in her jammies, her brown curls a tangled nest.

“Ye-ess, go get mom to help you get ready.” Tim gently led the 3 year old back down the hall, toward her Cotton-candy colored room. He could hear his parents making coffee, just starting to get up. He wondered if they knew how much he was dreading today, how much he always dreaded today. No, they never would have suspected. Tim went to such great lengths to hide his angst. Hiding his fear behind a thick mask, ridges of shame etched throughout its’ surface. He knew he had no rational reason to detest the family cabin. Not that his mother and father would see. Maybe in an earlier era of his life, Tim could have shared the terror he felt locked inside himself with them, maybe they would have understood, would have provided comfort. Too old for boogeymen hiding in the night, his mother would give him that pained, worried face, his father would try to hide it but his disappointment would be tangible. But the real reason he had kept silent all these years was because he could not bear to unleash the beastly demons that lay harbor in his chest. Would speaking them into the universe make them a reality? No, he didn’t dare drag his innocent parents into the deranged depths of his mind.

Sending his presence, Karen swiveled her body to see which of her children were approaching.

“Good-morning, sunshine.” Tim’s mother sheepishly greeted him. Her brunette hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, a few pieces fell down, surrounding her face. Her face showed few reminders of all the life she had lived in her 47 years. Dad barely glanced from his position at sink, rinsing out a coffee mug.

“Hey champ, you all ready?”

“Ill be down in five…” Tim huffed in their direction as I started to make my way back to my room.

“Shake a leg, dad wants to be leaving Waffle House by eight this year.” Tim gave an eye roll deep enough to see the gray matter of his brain. Every year, Dan tried to make it to the cabin earlier and earlier. Eager as a dog awaiting a bone to create the perfect family day. Tim had no clue whether this insistency for tender moments stemmed from his own rotting childhood, or if he was making up for all the time lost working. While his job as a lineman provided an honest life, sometimes even better, he was away from home often. That’s why the cabin was a treasured tradition for the Beckman family, it was one day every year we were always all together. Unfortunately, one day, no matter how thoroughly planned, was not the same as being there for all the daily routines and inconveniences, he missed so much of life’s perfect imperfections. Dan Beckman, felt in his core, that he was not a player in his family, but a fan watching them from the stands. It was for these sacrifices that his son kept the darkness that surrounded this day from penetrating his fathers bubble of an illusion.

45 minuets later, the sound of the vans door shattered through him as the not-so gently used family sedan pulled away from the drive. He stared at the modest home he had spent his whole existence in. A home filled with such warm memories that it is defenseless against the black hole that is located within the walls of the cabin. The car being dragged away, tires clawing into the ground, as the winged beasts of hell pulled us until we would be succumbed. They stopped at exactly seven a.m for breakfast, many parts of this day were actually beloved by the whole gang, Tim included, Waffle House Breakfast was one of those parts. An hour or so later Dan plopped into the vehicle with a huff, stomping his Nike New Balances on the brake as he placed it into drive. They were off schedule by 30 or so minutes because Toni spilled her milk completely down the front of her favorite Strawberry Shortcake shirt, Tim’s mom then had to wrestle a very unhappy baby alligator disgued as a child out of the sopping wet shirt and into a clean pink butterfly shirt. Tim sat in the back seat and helped Toni set up a movie on her Barbie portable DVD player. Toni rubbed her puffy baby blue eyes, still slightly traumatized from her recent past. It was a 2 and a half hour drive from their Ohio suburban home to their cabin nestled in a little cove amongst the trees. They were far enough away from society to feel alone, yet close enough to still feel the reassuring hum of life just within reach. It was truly a scene copy and pasted from a children’s storybook. By the time they arrived they had enough time for a quick dip in the lake just a walks away from the cabin, before mom was calling them for lunch. After lunch the rest of the day was sickenly normal, they swam, tossed the football, and ended the day throwing a couple casts while the girls went into the local market and prepared dinner.

Tim juggled with the mask he felt was always surgically attached to his flesh. He felt as if the more he tried to take in some of these little blessing, the more the claws of it dug in. He dealt with these feelings somewhat all the time, but something about this place…this day…called them to the surface, like rotting corpses bursting through moldy wet soil searching for a tasty skull snack. Everything had been seemingly light-hearted and enjoyable, even Toni did not protest when she learned she would not be joining the boys. He knew it wouldn’t be until everyone had retired to their respective quarters for the night…Sure enough, after a delicious home cooked meal and a quick game of Yah-tze, it was time to get ready for bed. The family always stayed the night and drove home early the next morning. Tim played an extra 2 rounds of yah-tze, and volunteered to tuck his sister in. Anything to prolong his imminent torture. Giving a quick good-night to his parents he made his way to his room, praying sleep would find him soon. He slithered under his covers. Ashamed of himself, how could he still be so scared. This cabin. This room. The liquid blackness that swirled around him. It all sent cold shivers, up and down his spine. When the last lights were dimmed, that’s when the silence seeped into the air like a disgusting disease. For Dan, Karen and Toni, this silence did not seem to bother them. But it wrapped itself around him, an invisible smoke, snaking up his body, attempting to enter into his very soul. It creeped into Tim, feeding on his uprooted fears. All Tim could do was wait for sleep to come, but he knew it never would. The healthy 16 year old never once suffered from any sleep disorders, not even occasional anxiety, except for on this coveted annual day of family fun.What creatures known only to him resided in that encompassing black, ravaged over his body as he lay. He felt the crawls of anxiety bubbling over his skin, sending chilly waves through his nervous system. At some point, what felt like an eternity, he finally felt the warmth from the sun, shining from the bedroom window. Tim cautiously pryed open his eyes. Scared that possibly, the light of day had brought to life what hid in the shadows of night. He surveyed the room. Everything was fine. He felt relief flow through him as if someone had just shot it into his veins. He peeked down the hall to find he was the first one out of bed (saying first awake would not be true, as it implies he had been blessed with sleep.) Tim started a pot of coffee for his parents, and went into Toni’s room. He was eager to get this trip over with, paranoia still lurking over him. Toni lay under her pink flannel comforter, tangled all among the sheets. He aroused her and got her started on putting on the outfit mom had laid out for her. His parents awoke shortly and thanked him for his help. They couldn’t fathom the real reason for his assistance.

Within a few hours, the Beckman family was packed back into the family van and were pulling out of the driveway. Tim turned only once to the the cabin getting smaller and smaller. His eyes shifted to his bedroom window. There behind the glass, he could have sworn he could see it in there. The evil being that had to exist within those four walls. Even the distance between them now, he could feel its thick presence.