A Blinding Light

By: Hugo Placer

A blinding light hits my closed eyes. I pull the blanket over my head to block as much of it as

possible. My ear catches the noise of an irrhythmic tapping coming from the hallway in front of my

room. The noise is moving, as the sound seems to be migrating closer to my bedroom by the second.

I lift the blanket off my face and quickly glance at the digital clock asleep on the top of my cabinet,

noticing it is two in the morning. I readjust my blanket so that my feet aren't exposed to the open air.

Suddenly, a loud knocking hits my locked bedroom door. I jolt in fear and freeze. The handle begins

to violently rattle. Someone, or something, wants in. Badly. The door gives in, ripping off the hinges,

and now, consequently, my room is exposed to the horrors waiting outside. It's silent for a moment.

Maybe for like 30 seconds.

"Hey kid, you forgot to feed me dinner." A demanding, booming voice exclaims. I hide under

my covers once again. It sounds like a 40-year-old man. Which 40-year-old man did I forget to feed?

Don't recall working for a nursing home or a soup kitchen.

"Am I dead?!" I shout, on the verge of tears. The voice quickly responds.

"Yeah, you are dead. I am THE Judger. Your fate rests on my shoulders. Heaven or Hell.

Right now, it's not looking too good." The room fills with silence once again. This time, maybe for

like 40 seconds. I reveal myself from the blanket. Slowly, I open my eyes and look towards the

doorway. To my surprise, there is no 40-year-old man in my room. There is no human in my room. It

is Jonathan Stoll. My pet giraffe. She's staring at me with eyes ready to kill anyone or anything that

gets in her way.

"Oh. It's you. How'd you fit inside the house?" I respond.
 "Not sure. Maybe it's because your house is unusually large. Isn't the ceiling 35 feet from the

ground?" Jonathan replies.

"Oh yeah, forgot about that. Anyways, you mentioned earlier that I forgot to feed you? I

deeply apologize. I'll feed you tomorrow." I say, with sorrow and regret clearly present in my voice.

Confused. Hurt. Enraged. Powerless. Hungry. These are the emotions Jonathan Stoll is

feeling at the current moment. She's speechless! How could you not feed your own pet? Silence

envelops the area once again. For 50 seconds this time.

"Wait, what do giraffes even eat anyway? Haven't I been feeding you chamomile tea bags

from the supermarket?" I comment, breaking the silence.

"Are you serious?! Maybe that's why my doctor said I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome!",

Jonathan replies in an angered tone.

"Huh? What even is Irritable Bowel Syndrome? Probably not even that serious. Stop being a

whiny baby." I respond.

"Uh. . .what?! Yes IBS is serious! It puts me in so much pain! Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a

condition that impacts the large intestine. The symptoms are horrible. Like bloating, cramping,

vomiting, uncontrollable bowel movements and gas! My terrible diet must have affected the

microorganisms living in my intestines and given me IBS. This is all your fault! You should be

ashamed of yourself!" She responds, very intelligently.

"So, does Irritable Bowel Syndrome affect any other parts of your body?" I question.

"Yes. IBS is known to cause mood swings and can make someone very upset and grumpy. It

can trigger mental disorders such as depression and anxiety which will further worsen your

condition. IBS will lower the quality of your life and make you miserable!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"Do you just have to eat better? 'Cause I can like. . . fix that. Just tell me what giraffes should

eat." I respond.
 "Oh my God! How do you own a giraffe but not know what giraffes eat? Ugh. Whatever.

Giraffes enjoy feasting on the leaves of the Acacia tree, found in the Americas, Australia, and Africa.

They also enjoy mimosa trees, apricot, and various other fruits," She replied.

"Okay. I'll go buy fruits at the supermarket."

"Wow, seriously? I bet you those are like non-organic and filled with chemicals or

something," Jonathan exclaims.

"Whatever." It's silent for a moment. Not sure for how long. I jolt in shock and freeze.

Randomly, Jonathan, my poor poor giraffe starts crying and shouting in fear.

"Hey! What are you doing? What's going on?" I shout. She melts in front of my eyes and the

walls begin closing in. It's like a horror movie! My bed rumbles and shakes and rumbles and shakes—

until suddenly— I become emerged in a vast body of water. I can't breathe. There is nobody, nothing.

A dark, bold blue for miles on end. I panic and attempt to swim up to the surface, but it is nowhere to

be seen! My lungs beg for air while filling up with cold, relentless water. My eyes involuntarily

droop down towards a close. Unexpectedly, my ear catches the noise of a muffled tapping, seemingly

migrating closer to my location by the second. The noise stopped. It's silent for a moment, maybe for

like 30 seconds. Then, a blinding light hits my closed eyes.

"We're leaving at six thirty today. So get ready quickly! I've gotta go to work AND drop y'all

off at school."