The winter curse

The neighbours to the right left a week ago. All we knew was that they were going to have a hunting adventure for the winter holiday; as the first layer of snow covered our village, they packed and headed for a road trip, somewhere to the vast forests further to the north. With only an empty warehouse inhabited by a loony still close by, it didn't exactly feel safe. Every night, I stared at the windows of our normal neighbours house. It gave me reassurance, albeit they remained dark and covered. The deer pattern on the curtains was something I knew, something I could count to fall asleep.

But as my eyelids started falling tonight, the light behind suddenly went on.

A silhouette of a body with an elongated jaw and deer antlers appeared and the animalistic bulky hands raised to pull the curtains open.

The being glared at me, blood and pieces of flesh dropping from its monstrous smile.

I woke up, quite certain I have merely dreamt. Even if the open curtains indicated otherwise. An overwhelming hunger pushed me to get out of the bed. Time for some late night snacking! Something surely smelled delicious-

The body parts of my parents were scattered on the floor, huge chunks already missing. A predator must have wandered from the woods to attack us; but I couldn't cry.

My heart felt ice-cold, immobilized. The hunger was taking over every emotion I could have. Hungry, so hungry. And this meat sure looked delicious...

Having devoured enough to cope, I raised my head. From the mirror on the wall, a horrifying creature stared back at me. Blood and pieces of flesh dropping from its monstrous smile.

From the outside, I could hear the lunatic next door scream.

"Wendigo! The winter curse! Beware"