It Claimed Her

She turned around and there it was. It was staring at her. It was laughing at the tears pouring down her face. She couldn't believe it was still there after all this time, so many years in cruel, persistent laughter. She wondered if it would ever stop hovering right around the corner, stalking her, berating her. And as she wondered, it continued to laugh, as if to say, "You wish me gone and yet I am still here, still watching, still marveling at the depth of your sadness." She decided to try and ignore it and pretend she was alone. It laughed harder, yelled louder, and crawled into her mind. "You are alone and that's the problem. We both know you want me here." She knew she wanted it gone but now it was controlling her thoughts. She tried to remember the happier times but it had blocked them and created new thoughts of failure and brokenness. She considered her options but could only think of one. She hated that option. She pushed it and struggled with it but it was attached to her despair. It wouldn't move. It wouldn't let go, let up, or give in. It was shaking now with the laughter that gave her chills. It was winning. She knew what she had to do. It knew that she would. She stopped crying and stopped rationalizing. She left reality and assumed the fetal position. She would leave the way she came. It laughed. It was enjoying this scene. Her end did not take long to come. She was so close already. And then she was gone. It only stayed a little while longer. It nudged her lifeless body to be sure it's work was done, and then it moved on, searching for sadness, despair, and broken hearts, laughing the whole time.