Bad Moon Rising

         "No!" she screamed, her voice shrill in the silent night. She sprinted towards the house as fast as her legs could carry her, which wasn't very fast at all.
         "Mum!" Jerry started after her, chasing the old lady down. He soon caught up with her and stopped her, his hands grasping the top of her arms with gentle force.
         She stared into his eyes, a deer caught in headlights.
         "Let me go!" she commanded trying to wrench herself free.
"What's wrong?" he asked her, stooping slightly to look into her eyes.
         "The moon...its...." she stared up at the sky, her trail of words lost. The moon was half full, illuminating the sky and the ground below them.
         "Mum," he said gently, "It's just the moon."
         "Yes...the moon," her head bobbed, her voice shaking.
         "Come on, let's get you inside," he led her towards the old porch steps. All three creaked as they ascended together. He urged her forward, following through the screen door.
         He could hear his mum panting wildly. She's terrified.
         "How about you head to bed, and I'll bring you a brew?" he suggested.
         "Yes... yes, that would be nice," she nodded her head and turned to the stairs as Jerry made his way into the kitchen.
         He busied himself, filling the kettle and lighting the stove. He was worried for her: his mum. She had been fine up until a year ago, when his dad died. It was a natural death, he went peacefully, but his mum had never recovered. He had seen a steady decline in her health as well as her memory. Tonight was one such example. The unexplained fear of the moon. He shook his head; What can I do?
         Behind him, the kettle began to whistle.
         As he treaded the worn carpet, making his way upstairs, he remembered all of the times he'd spent in their home, as a boy. He'd had many happy times there, in that huge old farm house, until he moved away to college. And from then he had his own life, and hadn't visited often. He regretted that now, as he thought of his mother, unwell, his father who had passed away alone. Over the past year he'd begun to visit more and more, staying for longer and longer. He always left his wife with Jamie at home. He didn't want his daughter to see her grandma like this. Maybe I'm being selfish?
         When he reached his mum's room he saw the dim light glowing from within. She was in bed when he pushed door over the carpet, feeling it stick in the same place, forcing it open.
         "Oh! Hello dear, where have you been?" she asked, her voice betraying her suprise.
         "Making you tea, mum," he gestured to the cup in his hand as he placed it gently on her bedside table. Even after his father passed, she still slept on her own side of the bed.
         "Oh, that was a good idea," she smiled as she picked up the cup, her hands wrinkled and worn from the years spent supporting her husband in the field.
         With a sign, he left her room, heading back to his own. He made a call back home.
         "Joanna, hey," he spoke softly into the handset, weary with exhaustion. He'd only spent a week with his mum and he was already finding it difficult.
         "Hey Jer, how's things? How's your mum?" her voice was sweet, melodious. He relaxed into the call.
         "She's okay, definately getting worse," he nodded to himself. He was sure of the fact.
         "I'm sorry, honey," she told him, her voice full of sympathy. "How much longer are you staying?"
         He thought for a moment, gazing outside. He hadn't closed the curtains yet and the moon lit his room in a white, garish glow.
         "Maybe a week or so," he answered finally.
         "We're missing you," she sighed. They had only been married two years, pregnant after the first. He found it hard to leave to visit his mum so much, but she needed him.
         "Missing you both too," he thought of his baby daughter who would be fast asleep in her cot. He smiled. "You know, mum did something strange tonight."
         "Yeah?"
         "We were out in the yard after dark and all of a sudden she looked up at the sky, staring at the moon as if she hadn't seen it before in her life. She looked scared."
         "She was scared, of what? The moon?"
         "It looked like that to me," he shook his head as he recalled the look of terror that crossed his mum's face as she stared into the sky.
         "Maybe her memory is worse than we thought, could be dementia," his wife mused.
         "I was thinking that too," Jerry agreed. "The house is in a bad way too, she can't look after herself. I think I'll try and take her to the doctor tomorrow."
         "Okay honey, let me know how it goes. Love you."
         "Love you too." He hung up the phone and found himself suddenly overwhelmed by the silence of the old house. He didn't remember it being that quiet when he was a kid. He remembered the noises it made as it settled at night, creaking and groaning.
         He fell asleep that night with worry on his mind, his dreams restless.
         He woke at dawn, his body lathered in cold beads of sweat. Shoving the covers away in frustration, he hopped from the bed and crept down the hall, jumping into the shower. The water was freezing. He made it quick.
         He managed to do a couple of hours work before he heard the first rustles that indicated his mum was out of bed. He sighed and flipped the laptop lid down, feeling immediately guilty. He popped the kettle on and made a pot of tea.
         "Jerry!" her voice was high-pitched. "What are you doing here?" She crossed the threshold, pulling her pink terry-towelling robe tight around her body. He slippers were matted and dirty. Jerry made a metal note to replace them before he answered.
         "I've been here for a week, mum," he told her, pouring a cup of tea and placing it in front of her as she took a seat across from him at the table.
         "Oh well, it's nice to see you," she smiled brightly. Her eyes didn't register. Her greying hair was pulled into a loose plait at her left, her eyes gleaming. At least she seems happier than last night, Jerry thought to himself.
         "Mum?" he ventured.
         "Yes?"
         "I think we should take a trip to the doctors today," he told her, his eyes flicking to the tablecloth.
         "The doctors? Are you sick?" she perked up, her back straightening as she leaned towards him.
         "No mum," he felt awkward. How do I say this? "It's for you."
         "Me?" she gestured to herself, laughing. "I'm fine lad."
         "You don't think your memory is getting bad?"
         "Well, maybe a little," she agreed placidly.
         "It'll just be a quick trip," he promised.
         "Alright then," nodding she took a sip of her tea, slurping the hot liquid through her teeth.
         He couldn't get an appointment that day. The woman on the phone told him to ring the next day, her voice snotty. He slammed the phone down, annoyed.
         The day passed much like the last, looking after his mum, helping her with the chores.
         The farm they lived on was still a working farm. His mum had four men who worked, tending to the crops and animals, Jerry knew them all well. But there were still a few tasks that his mum insisted on doing, such as cooking them all breakfast and feeding the chickens. But she wasn't managing even those small tasks. The previous morning when Jerry joined her in the kitchen she had forgotten how to use the kettle.
         That night his mum stayed indoors while he rounded the chickens up for the night. On his way back in he saw her sitting in her worn rocking chair by the single-glazed window. Her eyes were wide, full of terror as she stared unmoving at the white orb in the sky. Jerry watched her for a few moments. She was frozen to the spot, unblinking. She's terrified.
         He hurried inside and drew the curtains, shrouding the room in darkness. She broke from her trance.
         "Oh! That's better. Jerry! When did you get here?" she chirped, her normal composure regained.
         He took a deep breath before repeating the same things he had for the last week.
         As he went to bed that night he saw her eyes, vacant and terrified as she glared at the moon. He had restless dreams.
         The next night he made a pot of tea, warming some bread under the grill for their supper. It was warm in the huge kitchen, a toasty glow coming from the filaments, but outside the wind was howling. The crops that were grown behind the house billowed in the wind, waving at him happily. The moon was full and bright, a shade of pale yellow. The clouds the surrounded the yellow orb reflected it's glow. The crops looked eerie doused in the odd yellow luminescence.
         I wonder where mum is?
         The sight of the crops basking in the naked light of the moon reminded him of his mum, the way she stared.
         "Hello Jerry, what are you doing?" she appeared from the doorway behind him, dragging her slippered feet across the linoleum flooring. Her hair was swept into it's usual soft plait, bouncing as she moved.
         "I was just wondering where you were. I'm making us tea and toast," he turned to smile at her. He realised how small and frail she looked standing in the artificial light, wearing only her nightdress.
         When did she become so old?
         He remembered her as a strong, robust woman. She'd woken early and worked hard on the farm every day with his father. How did I not realise she'd become so weak?
         "That sounds lovely," she grinned at him as she waltzed forward to stand beside him. Everything was fine and he just began setting out their cups when all of a sudden his mum screamed, piercing the calm of the atmosphere. He jumped and whirled to face her, knocking a cup in the process. It fell to the floor shattering as it crashed. He felt the splinters attack his ankles but ignored it. The only thought racing through his mind was to find out what was wrong.
         "Mum?" he shouted over the din, panic rising. His heart thumped loudly in his chest.
         Her scream stopped but she was frozen in place, her eyes huge, mouth hanging open in a silent scream.
         "Mum!" he shouted again, this time gripped her arms firmly spinning her to face him. Only then did she begin to refocus.
         "The moon..." she whispered. Her lips were dry and cracked.
         He glanced at the moon before turning back to her. "Mum, it's just the moon. It's nothing to be scared of," he forced the panic away and brought out the gentlest voice he could muster, aiming to soothe her. He took a deep breath trying to slow his heartbeat. A thought ran through his mind, scrolling across his eyes: I don't care if there are no appointments tomorrow, she's going to see a doctor.
         "It's the bad moon..." her voice was different, she sounded like a child. Alone and afraid. Her eyes were wild, darting back and forth.
         "Mum, it's just the moon," he reiterated, stooping slightly. Her gaze wouldn't focus, she couldn't meet his eyes.
         "It's yellow!" she shrieked at him, her voice a high-pitched wail. He jumped back, shocked at her sudden outburst. Her cheeks were aflame, her eyes dark.
         "Don't you understand?" she pleaded with him, her wrinkled hands grabbing at the material of his t-shirt, bundling it within her grasp out of sheer desperation. "The bad moon has risen, you are in trouble." Her knobbled finger stabbed towards the moon as if that would explain everything.
         "Mum? What do you mean?" he probed.
         "Out here I have seen the yellow moon, seen what it does to a man. Or a woman."
         "What do you mean?"
         "It changes people. They become different, evil." Her eyes were solemn. She believed what she was telling him.
         "How? I don't understand," he shook his head as he tried to grasp the information she was feeding him.
         "When the moon rises yellow, once a year, it changes people who are caught out in it... to monsters." Her lip quivered as she said that word.
         "But mum..."
         "There was a curse put on this land, by a witch who once wanted your father for her own. Ever since when a yellow moon has risen there has been trouble."
         "I've never seen..."
         "Why aren't you listening to me?" she screeched, startling him. "I'm an old woman but I'm not stupid or senile. You have to believe me." It was her turn to grip his arm, pleading with him.
         "But I..."
         "Stay indoors!" she instructed, her voice snapping. "It's me she wants."
         With a snarl of frustration she fled from the room, her feet picking up speed as she moved.
         She was gone before he knew it, leaving Jerry in a state of shock. What the?
         He shook himself and took off after her, racing through the rooms, calling her name. It was with a dark feeling of dread that he noticed the front door had been flung open. Outside he could see nothing but the black night, blinking stars spattering the sky. From the passage where he paused he felt the brittle cold seeping into him. The hairs on his arms rose.
         I have to find her. He rushed outside, clearing the creaky old steps with a lunge. He landed on the dirt path looking this way and that, trying to spot movement. He saw nothing but the rhythmic sway of the trees, leaves fluttering to the ground in the unseasonably cold autumn.
         "Mum!" he hollered into the night. His voice fell dead as the wind carried it away. "Fuck!" he screamed at nobody, frustrated.
         He began searching around the front, searching around the barn, by his truck. There was nothing. He called out her name again, cupping his hands around his mouth to try and prevent his efforts from failing, but the wind prevailed. Where could she have gone?
         Panic rising in his chest he jogged around to the back of the house, searching in every direction as he went. She was nowhere to be found. He ran his hands through his thick, black hair, feeling it flop back into place.
         Where is she?
         He scanned the area at the back of the house. He saw the yellow moon glowing brightly upon the crops in the field, they looked golden. The back porch was dark, the screen door slamming in the wind.
         From his right he heard a quiet little giggle, melodious and playful. He frowned. "Mum?" He took a step forward gingerly, cocking his head as he strained to hear.
         There it is again!
         He heard it, this time closer. The crops at the front of the field shuddered, moving in a mexican wave of stalks as something brushed past.
         "Mum?" he called a little louder, taking another step. Was she speaking the truth?
         This time the laughter was louder, carrying across the wind to him. How can that be? The crops ruffled violently. He knew it wasn't the wind, his mum was in there.
         "I'm coming in to get you," he shouted in the loudest voice he could muster before plunging into the eight foot high crops.
         He was immediately surrounded by the tall crops. He felt overwhelmed as he realised they towered above him. He forced the feeling away, he had to find her.
         "Mum?" he began to call as he made headway through the forest of stalks, brushing them aside as he passed. At first he was met with a silence so thick and foreboding he almost turned back. But his mum needed him and he went on, vowing to find her.
         As he trudged, pushing the thick canes from his path, he heard the laughter again. It was different, not so childish. It made him shudder, a chill runnning down his spine. He began to hope it wasn't his mum making those sounds. Maybe I should turn back.
         He stopped as the laughter moved, rolling from his left to his right, crops flying wildly with the voice.
         "Mum, stop it!" he knew he was on the verge of hysteria. He felt claustrophobic. His field of vision consisted of the surrounding stalks of corn and the yellow sickly moon. The darkness was pressing in.
         From nowhere a heavy weight was flung onto him. He staggered backwards falling to the dirt on his ass. He flattened what he imagined to be a body-shaped amount of corn. As he lay there panting, unable to catch his breath he opened his eyes.
         His mum straddled him, full weight pressed down on his chest. Her nightdress was open wide at the collar and rucked up around her hips, exposing her.
         In an automatic reaction he tried to pull it down in haste, grasping at the bottom of the flimsy material. She batted his hands away with unfamiliar speed and strength.
         That was when he first really looked at her. It was when he realised that the person sitting on top of him wasn't his mum. Her eyes were emblazoned pits of coal, blacker than the night. The confusion he was so used to seeing was gone, replaced by a grim malevolence. Her normally cheerful smile was transformed into an ugly sneer that disfigured her face.
         She grinned down at him, baring her stained yellow teeth.
         As the panic overtook he began to buck his hips, trying to throw her small frame. But she didn't budge. She caught his flailing arms and pinned them to his sides. She was powerful. He was unable to move.
         She ducked her head and licked him with a different sort of lust, dragging her tongue across his cheek, raking his stubble. He squirmed, trying to pull out of her inhuman grasp.
         For one last second she paused and gazed down at him with what Jerry recognised as sympathy.
         "I told you the moon was bad," a low voice hissed in his ear. It wasn't his mother. She was long gone.
         Suddenly her mouth moved lower, her blunt teeth tearing into the soft flesh of his neck. He screamed. He felt his blood streaming down the side of his neck, pooling at his shoulder. He felt her hungry mouth, sucking at the wound, drawing blood and swallowing with relish. With her hand she shoved her fingers into his gut, through the skin of his belly, playing with the organs she found inside.
         Blood pooled in his mouth, spilling from his lips in garish red drool.
         "W...Why?" he stuttered, forcing the words from his lungs. Blood sprayed from his lips.
         "The curse. I knew it would claim me, eventually. You should have listened to mother when she told you to stay inside."
         She paused to giggle manically before going down for more.



Word Count: 3214