“The truth might not be something you can take,” Matt said, looking out the window. His back was to her, so she couldn’t make out his expressions. And his voice didn’t reveal his emotions.
“Still, lies hurt more,” Amy said with a small smile. She had thought about it and no matter how she looked at the situation, she wanted the truth. Truth would set them free or condemn them for eternity; either way honesty was the only viable path.
“Are you sure about that?” He turned around and looked at her incredulously. “Haven’t you been happy?”
“Yes, but…” she trailed off, understanding his meaning. “You’re right, of course. I’ve been happy without knowing anything.”
“I’ll ask again,” he said, taking a deep breath, “What exactly do you want?”
“The lie will make me happy. Not knowing is better, but… No, no,” she said, shaking her head vehemently, “I still want the truth.”
He sighed. “Well, fine. The truth it is, then.” A slight tremor in his voice betrayed his emotions. But she said nothing because the decision was hers.
#
Amy woke up with a start. Thinking about her strange dream, she rolled over to her side and noticed that Matt wasn’t beside her. She looked at the table clock, it said 3:28 AM. She forced herself to get up.
She felt hungry and decided to fix herself a sandwich. Walking into the kitchen, as she turned on the light and poured herself a glass of water, she heard murmurs. She noticed the basement door, that opened in the kitchen, stood ajar. At first, the fear gnawed at her insides but then, she reminded herself that it could only be her husband.
“Matt?” she called out from the doorway. Getting no response, she walked down the stairs. “Who are you talking to?” she asked, yawning.
She saw Matt standing in the middle of the small room. No one else was there. That’s when the creature turned around. Looking at his hideous face, Amy shrieked and fainted.
“Humans!” Matt grumbled, “Why do they demand the truth when they can’t take it?”
“Well, you lost the bet,” the voice in his head said.
“It’s not funny. You need to stop doing this. Why did you show yourself?”
“Hey, I’m a part of you. How can this woman claim to love you when she can’t accept me?” the voice said, humorlessly. “Don’t worry, let’s just put her back to bed, and in the morning if she asked, you can tell her it was all a dream. Humans are easy to fool.”
© 2020 Fizza Younis. All Rights Reserved.
Between The Pages Of A Book 