Disturbance in Childhood

Where I'm from, there's a real haunted house.

I mean that.

And I tell my friends at the schoolyard

"I'm gonna go there, watch me!"

And they say "Man, you crazy!

But it's cool if you go with a friend."

So come on, I tell them!

No...

They just sit under the jungle gym

It's time to make some adventures in our lives!

We're young, resilient and young!

They're not having it.

Twiddling their thumbs, shaking their heads...

Alright, I'm on my own. Here goes! I'm off.

"But its cool, if you go with a friend."

It wasn't so bad at first.

But then, there was a movement.

And it was just a cat

On the piano.

I took a few more steps inside-

to the back of the house.

Drapes. Chandeliers. Dust. And smoke.

Smoke?

I walked upstairs -

It was getting hotter, and hotter.

The smoke was getting thicker, and thicker.

Down the hall past the bathroom, past the bedroom -

I wish I had my friend with me.

I opened the last door on the left,

And there was a giant

man

on fire.

But when he touched me, it was cold.

Cold.

I could not explain this.

The fire was hot, raging hot.

But it wasn't bright.

It wasn't hot, it was cold.

I couldn't figure it out.

I asked him, who are you? Who are you...?

There was an evil, tremendous, incomprehensible growl that came from all directions.

That was... that was all he said...

and then I ran