This is a story about something that happened to me a long time ago. For context I’d like to keep my identity secret, all you need to know is that I am a white female. This is the first time I’m telling this story to anyone. Not even my parents or the doctors know about it, because I know they would never believe me if I told them what really happened, anyways, on, with the story.

I had an older sister who I will call Hanna. This happened when Hanna was ten, and I was around ten. Hanna was the best older sister I could ask her. She was very responsible, and caring. My parents, and I loved her to bits, and completely trusted her. However one thing about Hanna is that she was a little fat, and kids would often make fun of her for her weight. However she never let their teasing discourage her, and she had many great friends. Hanna was my superhero, and the one person who I knew I could rely on for anything. That’s why I knew, when it came, she would protect me.

One day our parents had to go out to visit family. Even though my Hanna was only ten, my parents trusted her to take care of me by herself. We said goodbye, and they left. After our parents left Hanna and I decided to go outside, and play with a ball in our huge backyard. We kicked it for a while, until I ended up accidentally kicking it into the woods. I offered to go get it, since it didn’t go that far. I went into the woods, and soon found the ball. I was just about to pick it up, when I saw something horrifying. It was a tall gangly creature. It had long arms, a thin body, and sharp claws. It lacked facial features, no eyes, no nose, and no mouth, but it had ears, big ears. I stood frozen for a few seconds, before it turned, and seemed to look in my direction. For a while it just stared, I didn’t know if it saw me or not, but then it walked away. Not wanting to be in those woods any longer, I rushed back home.

“What’s wrong”? Hanna asked when she saw my shocked face.

“N Nothing, can we just go back inside”? I asked. Hanna looked at me confused before nodding, and we went back in. I knew she wouldn’t have believed me if I had told her what I saw. I only wished that our parents had come home, then maybe they would have protected both of us.

After Hanna, and I had eaten the dinner our parents had prepared for us, and got our pajamas on, we sat and watched a movie together. I really enjoyed the time I was having with my big sister. I soon had the urge to get up and go to the bathroom so I did. Once I finished I walked back to Hanna, however I soon noticed something. Our kitchen has a huge sliding back door that looks out into our backyard, and faces the woods. When I walked past the glass door I had the sudden urge to look out of it, and what I saw was horrifying. There was the creature I had seen before, it was in our backyard, and seemed to be sniffing around. I stood there frozen in fear. I don’t know how long I was standing there for when Hanna came up to me.

“What’s wrong”? She asked. I couldn’t answer, I only lifted a shaking finger and pointed out to the backyard. Hanna looked, and gasped when she saw the creature. Being the responsible girl she was Hanna quickly locked the back door, and closed the blinds. She then looked over at me, and told me to go lock the other doors, and close all the blinds of the windows. Without wasting a second I did what I was told to do, and began locking the other doors, and windows. However when I was about to get to the living room Hanna and I both heard a loud crash. We both looked, and saw that the creature was inside our house. I was about to scream, when Hanna shushed me, and told me to head upstairs. I listened to her, and we both quickly moved into her bedroom. Without thinking twice Hanna pushed me into her cupboard, and told me to stay quiet. I was really scared, because the monster was in our house. I tried to get Hanna to hide with me, but she shook her head.

“Don’t worry it will be okay”. She reassured me, but I still wanted her with me.

“No Hanna please come inside, please”. I begged her, but Hanna instead hid under the covers of her bed.

We both listened as we heard the creature moving around downstairs, and then the horrifying sound of it walking up the stairs filled my ears. The cupboard door was cracked open a bit, but it was enough for me to see what was happening. Hanna’s bedroom door swung up, and the creature walked in. It stood around for a bit before it went straight to Hanna’s bed, and lifted the covers off of her. I looked on in horror as the monster picked up my sister. Hanna tried to break free from its grasp, kicking and punching, but the monster's grip was too tight. Then it did something even more horrifying. The creature opened its face into a huge mouth, and then it began eating my sister. I watched as Hanna kicked and screamed, as the monster swallowed her whole. After devouring my sister the monster sat down on her bed with its now bloated belly. I could hear my sister muffled screams, and cries that soon became fainter as it digested her. I sat in the closet, and silently cried. That was when the monster got up. I hoped it would leave, but to my horror it came right up to the Cupboard and swung the door open. In an instant the monster grabbed me. I kicked, and struggled, but its grip was too tight. Then like with Hanna it opened its mouth, and shoved me inside headfirst. I was so scared. I kicked, and screamed trying to get it to spit me out, but nothing worked.

“HELP IT’S EATING ME! HELP ME”! I screamed. With a mighty gulp the monster swallowed me and I slid down its esophagus, and landed in its stomach. Its stomach was wet,and tight. I tried to push on the walls, but I was stuck. Then I saw something that will haunt my dreams forever. There inside the stomach was Hanna’s skull, and all that remind over her.

“LET ME OUT! PLEASE I DON’T WANT THIS PLEASE LET ME OUT”! I cried as the acid began to rise up until I was completely submerged. This couldn’t be happening, both me and my sister dying in the belly of this creature. I cried. I wanted my mom, and dad. Then everything went dark.

I woke up later on in a white room. It took me a while to realize I was in a hospital. My mom came over, and hugged me.

“Mommy, what happened”? I asked.

“Oh my baby we’re so glad you’re okay”. My mom cried. I was confused when my dad came over and explained.

They had returned home, and saw that one of the windows was shattered. They both immediately knew that someone had broken in and rushed inside. They saw that the downstairs had been completely destroyed, and so they rushed to find both me, and my sister, and found me sprawled out on the floor of Hanna’s bedroom unconscious, and bleeding, but they couldn’t find Hanna. They both asked me what happened to Hanna. I knew they wouldn’t believe me about the monster swallowing her, and me So I said that I didn’t know, and that Hanna just told me to hide in her cupboard.

A two week long search took place for Hanna, until finally they found a piece of her clothing in the woods where I had seen the monster. Another month then went by until my parents and the cops accepted that Hanna was dead. My parents were devastated, but they assumed she had died protecting me from some burglars or thieves that had broken into our house. My mother and father had to get me some therapy since I had been clearly traumatized by the events of that night. When the doctor asked me to recount the events of the night, but, I told him the same thing I told my parents since I knew he wouldn’t believe me. To everyone we knew Hanna died a hero, and they were all right. My big sister was a hero.

Fifteen years had passed. I’m twenty now, and I have never stopped blaming myself for what happened that night. I know that if haddend gone after that ball, then my big sister would still be here with us.