The Devil's Lullaby

There’s a demon who won't stop following me.

They sit on my bedside table at night.

They follow me to work

They follow me to school

They sit beside me at the dinner table

On harsh nights they sometimes sit on my chest and I can’t breathe.

After a while when I’ve had enough I turn around and yell and scream and hit the demon over and over until my hands are bruised and my throat is dry. But the demon just smiles and laughs a low rumbling laugh.

“ You can not get rid of me,” said the demon.

“ I will never leave your side.”

“ Who are you and what do you want? “ I said.

I am your pain, your greift your regret. I am your fears, your jealousy and envy.

I have been with you for a long time now no matter how hard you try to pretend to not see me, I am there.

And so he was.

He was there when I met my first love.

When I had got married.

When I bought my first house.

He was there when my husband was sick, and when my husband had died he grown significantly bigger, uglier.

He laughed when I wrote a goodbye letter.

He laughed when I made my way deep into the forest.

He laughed the hardest I've ever heard him when I fastened the rope around my neck. And when I hesitated He gave me the courage to jump off the tree.

His laugh was the last thing I heard before I faded away.