Eyes of the Hollow

Eyes of The Hollow

I love my Mommy, I love my Daddy.

My name is Cody. Mommy says I use my cuteness to make others feel better, it's just my personality, she says, except it's this time of year when everyone is sad. 

I’m sad too because I miss everyone that isn’t here anymore. The thing is every year a bunch of us are here one moment and gone the next or even worse they’re here, but they aren’t here. We call them Hollows because they look familiar, but underneath there’s nothing there Daddy says. 

I’m going to solve the great mystery of the season. You watch, I tell you.

I’m going to surprise everyone! 

That was the last thought I had before mommy helped me fall asleep.

I woke up and Daddy was hollow. Mr. Mahi found him wandering around,  his eyes were so big but so empty. He looked past me. I cried so hard because Daddy didn’t have the underneath anymore. He always told me he loved me so deeply, but now he didn’t have any deep. 

I cried to Mommy and Mommy cried to me.

I decided before my Mommy gets ruined I would find out! 

Mr. Mahi told me to never go back where he found Daddy, but I couldn’t listen, the crime scene was my first clue.  I saw this thing with all these colors and food! Maybe Mr. Mahi left it up there to honor Daddy. I had to get a closer look at that delicious food just there seemingly just for me. 

The Next moment, I felt something pierce my flesh. I was being helplessly dragged through and then completely pulled out of my world. My eyes widened to this new space I’ve never seen before. I tried begging to be let go, but nothing came out as the fire came in from my gasps. Breathing intensified the burning of my sides. The burning grew each time I tried. In an absolute panic I tried wiggling and threw myself about as hard as I could, but each twist made the burning hurt worse. I had no idea what was happening to me or why. Not only that, but I saw this thing laughing at me, then it grabbed me by my lip and my body went limp. I was terrified, looking about desperately looking for anything familiar, anything to see my terror and relieve me from my fright, but I couldn’t move. I felt myself emptying I realized I was hollowing. my cuteness disappearing. As the rest of me was leaving all I could think of was my friends, Mr. Mahi, and most my Mommy. I felt my grip on life let go.  There was this blinding bright flash of light that widened my eyes like Daddy’s. I gave one last effort to throw myself free, and I managed to shake loose!

Plop was the sound my body made when I fell back into the water and just as my fins smacked back into my world. 

I crashed awake and I was back in my actual body. 

I woke up in my bed, body soaking of sweat, as I’m screaming and wailing! 

Daddy and Mommy came rushing into my room, I threw my arms around my Daddy because he looked at me. I could see he saw me. He saw me deep again. He wasn’t empty. Mommy wasn’t crying anymore. I was so relieved. She was holding me and I felt myself filling up because she was soothing me. Daddy smiles at me tells me he loves me from the bottom of his heart. 

Before he left the room and right before he clicks the light he looks back smiling as he often does and tells me gently I need to get some sleep for the big day. Tomorrow is the day of my first fishing trip. All I can think is I don’t want to go, not anymore

I never want to make anyone go hollow or missing.