I go down stairs and into the kitchen. Mom and Dad are sitting at the table. Mom looks up from her phone when I enter, "Hey, Oliver. Last night, why did Kaylie run to the bathroom down here and grab the band-aids?"
I think about what to say and go with the truth, well, partly the truth. " Oh, I cut my arm. No big deal, we got it handled."
"Okay then," Mom replies, sounding unsure. I force a little smile and she does the same back. Mom looks away from me and towards Dad. "Have they found anything about where Maria could be?"
Dad shakes his head, "No, there's nothing new." We sit in silence for a moment. "Is there something you would like to do this weekend, Oli?"
"I would like to just stay here," I answer.
"Yeah, me too."

•••••

Later, Mom has left for work, and Dad is downstairs watching TV. I go back into Maria's room. I will get you back. I will get you back. I will get you back. I repeat this in my head like a chant.
I walk to the box off her things and peek in through the semi-open flaps. I will get you back.
I grab the first thing near the top, a butterfly plush that glows, Maria always kept it close a night due to her fear of the dark.
I will get you back. The room spins and then goes pitch black. The light returns just as fast. I see that I am standing in woods-like area. This is mini forest in my back yard.
Everything looks faded and worn-out, like the world lost a bit of its color. I see something move out of the corner of my eye.
I spin around to see something running in the other direction. I case after it. The figure stops in the middle of the bumpy dirt path and turns to face me. I stop my self and stare.
"Oliver!" Maria squeals. She runs to me and hugs me around the waist. Suddenly, her smile fades and she looks scared. "I told you not to be here." I look at her, confused, "But, I'm here to get you out. So we can all go back home."
Her eyes light up, "Like home, home or here, home?" I look down at her, her eyes have dark bags under them and she looks too thin. It makes me sad to see her like this, she's my little sister, and I have to protect her.
"Well here, home. Mom and Dad sold the old house." The light in her eyes winks out and she looks scared again, "But-but, we can't stay here. There are bad things."
"What do you mean." Her eyes grow with fear, "Like the Shadow Man. He won't let me leave." I think back to the shadowy figure that I fought back in the house.
"Well I won't let him stop us, okay? I will get you out of here," I say, trying to reassure myself as much as Maria. "Do you have any idea where we can get out?"
Asking the last part makes my heart hurt. I just promised to help and now I'm putting the task on her.
"No," she says, " How did you get here?"
"I just grabbed one of your toys and I came here. I don't really know how that happened though."
"Let's try to go inside, maybe you can bring us both back," Maria says.
I take her hand in mine and we set off for our house. Once we make it out of the woods, I see something run by. Maria must have seen it, too. "We should run," she tells me.
I pick her up, one arm on her back the other holding her legs. I sprint to the house and up the stairs. The thing runs by again. Maria whimpers.
Through the front door open and up the stairs. The thing blurs by us again and this time stops in front of us, blocking the way to Maria's room.
I am out of breath, the room begins to spin slowly. No, I scream inside my head, I will not leave my sister. I set Maria down on the wooden floor of the hall.
"What are you doing? Oliver!" I ignore her and stare and the Shadow Man. "You... can't have... my sister!" I scream between breaths.
The Shadow Man runs towards me. I run at him. We collide in the middle of the hall, Maria screeches in the background.
I will get you back. I struggle against the shadow's power.
I will get you back. With my good arm, I start to throw punches, not sure if it will have any affect.
I will get you back. The Shadow Man does not back down.
I have a sudden moment of realization. Shadows are darkness, light gets rid of both.
Where do I get the light though? This works is so dark and dismal, I begging thinking my plan will fail
Then I remember, back when we still lived in the old house. I remember putting Maria to bed and handing her the blue teddy bear and a plush, glowing butterfly.
I punch and kick the shadow with all my might. Maria continues to yell behind me.
The Shadow Man's grip somehom loosens. I don't let it surprise me, I can't.
I push away and run to Maria's room. I slide in and accidentally tip over some boxes. I grab the butterfly and run back into the hall.
The Shadow Man stands a few feet from the door, watching. Maria, stands in the corner by the stairs, her back against the wall.
I run at the The Shadow Man. He swats me from is path as though I'm a bug.
I scoot up onto my knees, a hand clutching my side, pain shooting through it.
Coughing, I use my free hand to grab the butterfly that landed a foot from me.
I hit the plush butterfly with all the strength left in my.
And it glows.
Light fills the hall. The faded world brightens and losses the washed out affect.
The Shadow Man screeches and fades into the color. On the floor, the shape of a man stains the floor. A disembodied shadow.
I reach out and Maria's hand. "Come on," I say to her. "Let's go."
We step inside what would have been (and now will be) Maria's bedroom.
I look down and her, "How did you get here?" She points to the closet, "When we were playing hide and seek, I hid in there. Then something grabbed me and pulled me through the wall. I came out of the closet and was here."
"Then that's where we go."
We climb into the closet. Let's go home. I grab my sister and lean back against the wall. I fall threw it and am surrounded by darkness.