The storm had drowned the city in black rivers. Lightning blinked, revealing empty streets like a dying heartbeat. In the narrowest alley of Old Avenue, a broken umbrella crouched among puddles, its torn fabric whispering names whenever the wind slithered past.
“Eli… Nora… Sam…”
Anna staggered into the alley, sobbing, clothes soaked, mascara bleeding down her cheeks. She kept looking over her shoulder as if someone was following. She pressed herself against the wet bricks, eyes darting.
“Eli… Nora… Sam…”
Her breath caught. She heard it, those whispers drifting from the umbrella ahead. She stepped closer, hypnotized by the sound. Its broken spokes looked like fingers beckoning her.
“Who’s there?” she rasped. The umbrella trembled.
“Anna…” it breathed.
She stumbled back. “What? No. No!”
Lightning flared, and behind her, a silhouette appeared, tall, face hidden in the hood of a black raincoat.
“You found it,” the figure said softly, voice a man’s but almost musical. “That’s good. That means you remember.”
Anna shook her head violently. “I don’t know you!”
“Oh, but you do,” the man said, stepping forward. His face came into view: pale, eyes black and depthless. He looked young, too young. He smiled, revealing teeth sharp as broken glass.
The umbrella hissed louder, its whispers rising into screams. “AnnaAnnaAnnaAnna….”
“What is this?” she cried.
He tilted his head. “A family reunion.”
Lightning again. For a split second, Anna glimpsed the alley differently, its walls made of flesh, pulsing. The puddles glistened dark red. The umbrella no longer looked like an umbrella, but an enormous black mouth sewn from rags and skin, teeth lining its edges.
“I’m your brother, Anna,” the man said, eyes gleaming. “The one you killed before you were even born.”
She backed away, horror clawing up her throat. Memories crashed in: hushed voices, a mother crying, a decision made before she ever took her first breath. Her twin, never born, discarded.
“I… I didn’t…” she whimpered.
“Oh, but you did. And now,” he said, spreading his arms as the umbrella snapped open impossibly wide, “Mother wants you back.”
The umbrella lunged, swallowing Anna whole. The alley rippled, bricks shuddering like ribs. The man stepped calmly to the umbrella, picking it up. He twirled it once, like a dancer, before slinging it over his shoulder.
And as he walked away, the umbrella’s whispers started again, soft as lullabies:
“Anna… Anna… Anna…”
Want to read a bit more? Find some more of my writings here-
Daily Uplift: 101+ Motivational Quotes to Start Your Day Right
Historical Fiction Novels That Will Transport You Through Time
Book Review: Fifty Shades Darker
I hope you liked the content.
To share your views, you can simply send me an email.
Thank you for being keen readers to a small-time writer.
