A strange heat enveloped me, like a warm breeze brushing against my skin, but it wasn't pleasant. It was as if someone were hugging me tightly, but without touching me. I felt pressure on my arm, a dull pain that made me want to move, but I couldn't. I saw blurry images, flashes of a face I knew but couldn't quite identify.
I heard a voice, very faint, like a distant whisper, full of sadness. I didn't understand the words, but I felt the anguish, like a wave of cold running through my body. I felt fear, a fear that had no name, a fear that squeezed my chest and made me tremble. I tried to scream, but my voice stuck in my throat.
The pain in my arm intensified, as if that invisible force were squeezing me tighter and tighter, and then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. I lay still, in a place as empty as the feeling it had caused me, blinked, and was back in my room.
My hands were still shaking from that nightmare, while tears left their mark on my cheeks, finally disappearing into the sheets of my large bed. I sighed exhausted and wiped my face, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to escape. I got out of bed and went to take a shower. The warm water was good for clearing my mind; tears fell again, mixing with the water as I lost myself in my thoughts, when a sudden burning sensation brought me back to reality. I looked at the source of the burning sensation; it was my arm. I guess this is what they call special effects.
I went to the kitchen to have breakfast. "It's strange to see you without Bobi, miss," said Samantha, my maid/nanny, as she served me breakfast... It was true, I had been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't even noticed that Bobi, my teddy bear, wasn't by my side.
"Can you help me look for him, Sam? I don't know where I left him. As far as I remember, I fell asleep playing and magically woke up in my bed," I said with a smile, and Sam agreed to my request.
After breakfast, I set out on my great mission to find the lost treasure in this huge castle, accompanied by my faithful sidekick Samantha.
"Oh no! The evil three-headed dog is guarding the entrance to the tower where your beloved treasure is kept!" exclaimed my sidekick, pointing to a ferocious beast guarding the door that imprisoned my precious treasure.
"I won't let it defeat me!" I said confidently as I drew a sharp sword to fight, but my power was so great that it scared the beast away. I laughed arrogantly and made my way into the lair of the criminal who had stolen my beloved Bobby. Upon entering, my eyes met those of my father, who motioned for me to sit in the armchair next to the door.
The room was huge, with a mahogany table so long it seemed endless. Imposing, serious black leather chairs were lined up along it. The air smelled of polished wood and something metallic, like the smell of a safe. The curtains were closed, creating a gloom that made the room seem even more imposing.
Dad was sitting at the end of the table, a dark, static figure against the gloom. His hands, normally calm, were still on the table, his knuckles white. His face, usually serene and full of an easy smile, was tense, the corners of his lips slightly turned down.
His forehead was wrinkled, and his eyes, normally bright and full of life, were dark and sunken. It was an expression I had never seen on him before, an expression that told me something was very, very wrong.
A heavy silence, as thick as a slab, fell over the room after the handshake. My father, normally so expressive, stood motionless, his face a mask of contained tension. The others withdrew with silent efficiency, leaving behind a void that echoed with the discomfort I felt. I approached him slowly, my voice barely a whisper. "Dad?"
His gaze lifted, meeting mine. The tension in his face softened slightly, but did not disappear. A smile, too broad and a little forced, appeared on his lips.
"Hello, Princess. How did you sleep?" His voice sounded cheerful, but the tone was slightly artificial, like a song out of tune. His hand reached out to caress my cheek, but the gesture was long, nostalgic.
"Very well! I was playing with Sam, looking for Bobby inside a castle guarded by a fierce dog..." My voice, full of enthusiasm, collided with the tense silence that still lingered in the room.
An eyebrow rose, a slight laugh escaped his lips. "Fierce? You mean Chip?" A small white dog, fluffy like a cloud, suddenly appeared, barking happily and throwing himself at my father's legs.
The scene struck me as absurd, a grotesque contrast to the gravity I had felt moments before. "I'm sorry, princess, but Chip is anything but scary and ferocious," said my father, stroking the dog with an intensity that struck me as strange. I frowned. Something wasn't right. Dad never petted Chip; he was allergic to him.
"Dad, are you okay?" My question came out as a whisper, full of concern. I watched his hands, which were beginning to redden and swell slightly.
His gaze met mine, a momentary look of confusion crossed his face before he nodded. "Why do you ask?" I noticed his voice was a little tense.
I pointed to his hands. "It's just that you never pet Chip, let alone use this room..."
A sad, almost painful smile appeared on his lips. "Just like your mother... they know me so well..." The smile faded, replaced by a deep sigh. "They were just some people who had an offer I couldn't refuse." He took a pill from his pocket and swallowed it with water. It was clear he wasn't telling me everything.
"So you were playing with Samantha?" My father's question sounded too casual, too lighthearted for the tension that still hung in the air. A smile appeared on his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes. It was a smile I knew well, the one he used to hide his concern.
"Well, I'll be the monster who guards your beloved treasure... who knows your greatest weakness..." His words were accompanied by a smile that was not funny, but sinister and malicious.
A chill ran down my spine. Oh, no... was he back? Was the tickle monster back? A silent scream formed in my throat as I saw his head nod slightly, as if he had read my mind.
I started to run, my short legs barely allowing me to run as far as I would have liked, and the image of his evil smile etched in my mind made each step more clumsy than the last. His footsteps behind me, so close, echoed in my ears.
I found temporary refuge in a dark, damp room, the air thick with the smell of old dust and moldy wood. I covered my mouth, holding my breath as I listened to his footsteps recede, and sighed with relief.
On a pile of dishes, illuminated by a ray of sunlight filtering through a crack in the wall, was Bobby. "I finally found you!" I whispered, but my joy was fleeting, ephemeral. Bobby, my teddy bear, seemed to stare in terror at the door, which was slowly beginning to open with a creak that made my blood run cold. Then I knew, with absolute certainty, that my end had come.
Fear paralyzed me, a knot of terror lodged in my throat. In a desperate move, I threw Bobby far away, into the darkness. "Hide, and survive for me!" I shouted, determined to buy as much time as possible for Bobby to escape. As soon as I saw him blocking my only exit, I accepted my fate. Today I would die. The tickling monster would finally achieve his goal.
A nervous, uncontrolled laugh escaped my lips. Then a soft voice cut through the air. "Sir, dinner is ready."
The monster stopped, my father turned, adjusting his clothes, his malicious smile fading, replaced by an expression of calm, almost boredom. He helped me up.
"All right, we'll be right there." His voice was calm, too calm. I had survived, for now. But his words echoed in the silence.
"I'll be back." He put on a pair of dark glasses, a gesture that sealed my fate. The monster hadn't disappeared; it had only hidden itself.
Dinner was Shepherd's pie, its comforting aroma contrasting with the nightmare that still haunted me. Later, curled up in my father's lap, I asked him to tell me the story of how he met my mother, for the thousandth time. His laughter was nostalgic, a sound that tried to erase the tension of the day.
"I met your mother at university..." he began, his voice soft, filled with a tenderness that tried to hide the sadness he felt. He described her beauty, her confidence, her smile, her eyes, her hands, her laughter. Each word was a brushstroke that painted a vivid portrait of the woman I only knew through photos. His story flowed like a torrent of memories that transported me to a past I had never lived. His smile faded, interrupted by the ticking of the wall clock. He sighed, stroking my head. "Little one, I won't be able to finish the story today. I promise I'll do it before you go to sleep."
"Oki doki." I climbed down from her lap, but before I could walk away, she took me in her arms and pressed me against her chest in a hug that was both comforting and terrifying. Her strength was intense, too intense, as if she wanted to convey all her love, all her protection, in a single moment.
"Never forget that I love you, princess," he whispered in my ear, his words bringing a smile to my lips, but before I could respond, a sharp sound alerted me, the sound of glass breaking filling the room.