Charred Winged Beasts

Butterflies haunted her dreams, and flooded her thoughts. To her, they were not the beautiful creatures of nature; they were bringers of torment, terror. They were scorched winged beasts, pulling her away to a separate world of hidden lies and secrets…a hell only she could imagine.

Leiyah was not crazy, she never was, but these unnatural creatures were after her. Destroying her. Leiyah didn't know why, one day they had just come. An explosion of gray winged monsters swarming around her body; perhaps it was all a nightmare? A hallucination?

But…why?

It was not fear, or past phobias, it just was.

Leiyah tried to get rid of these things, these awful things. Nothing stopped them though, the fluttering beasts always returned as if they had always been there. Were they even truly existent?

She tried to run from them

They followed her.

Perhaps, move away?

They came.

Trap them?

They escaped

Burn them?

They were reborn.

Why wouldn't they go away? Why won't they leave her? What has she done? Leiyah questioned herself over and over, without any reason emerging…only the butterflies came.

Soon, Leiyah began to wonder…what if she was crazy? What if these butterflies were only in her head? What if she was the one tormenting herself? The butterflies remained.

Finally, one day, Leiyah just stopped. She stopped and turned and faced the gray winged beasts and questioned them. Her eyes grew red as tears poured out and secrets were let go. With each word, a butterfly fell to the ground, shriveling up. Each word destroying another monster until there were no more.

Leiyah sighed as a smile grew on her face. She turned back around to continue walking to her destination. Swinging her arms freely with each stride, she closed her eyes, relieved, but taking little notice to the single gray winged butterfly struggling to keep pace behind her, but really staying a step ahead.

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