Serenity's Hunger

Night returned slowly. The storm never fully left the city that day. The sky stayed heavy and gray, the rain falling in long steady sheets that drummed against the windows. Tim spent most of the afternoon doing very little. He attempted to play a game for a while, but his focus kept drifting. His eyes kept moving back to the coffee table.

The Ouija board remained there, silent. Pumpkin avoided it completely, choosing instead to sleep on the far end of the couch or near the kitchen where he could watch the room from a safe distance. Tim noticed, but he tried not to think too much about it.

By evening the apartment had grown dim again. The clouds outside blocked most of the remaining daylight, turning the rooms into deep shadows long before night officially arrived. Tim ordered dinner but barely touched it. His mind kept returning to the board's message. When you sleep.

He had laughed at the idea earlier, telling himself it was just part of the game. Something his own imagination had probably created. Still... the anticipation lingered. By midnight the storm had softened to a gentle rain. The apartment was quiet except for the occasional distant roll of thunder.

Tim stretched on the couch and rubbed his eyes.

"Alright," he murmured to Pumpkin. "Let's see if your ghost friend shows up." Pumpkin responded by jumping off the couch and disappearing into the bedroom. Tim chuckled softly. "Traitor."

He turned off the television and stood. The apartment fell into near darkness again, lit only by the faint glow of streetlights bleeding through the rain-streaked windows. Tim walked into the bedroom and changed into a loose T-shirt and sweatpants. Pumpkin sat on the bed watching him carefully, his yellow eyes reflecting the dim light. "Relax," Tim said, climbing under the blankets. "Nothing's going to happen."

The cat remained alert. Tim turned onto his side and closed his eyes. For a while he simply listened to the rain outside. Sleep came slowly.

Eventually his thoughts drifted away and the room faded into darkness.