Hell on Earth

His right hand took the new bulb and reached up to the new socket. He turned it clockwise, but the threading wouldn’t catch. He tried turning it again, and then reached up with his left hand.

Mr. Anderson’s eyes shot open and the warmth drained from him. His eyes darted around the dark room, and his body became colder than ever. "Go back to sleep," he heard the woman tell him sleepily. "Just the stupid cat…" The words passed him by without registering. His attention was focused straight ahead of him, on two crisp, bright lights against the wall at the foot of his bed.

They seemed to be staring at him, and his entire body began to shiver from both fear and the sharp cold. "Baby…" he whispered to the woman hoarsely, but she did not move. Nothing moved. Time was stopped, and the two lights stared at him as if he were an animal in a cage.

As he stared back, he began to sense warmth emanating from them, and he longed for that warmth. As thoughts of comfort began to enter his mind, the lights began to climb the wall in front of him. They rose to the ceiling directly over his bed, and he felt the warmth slipping away. As he gaped straight above him, eyes wide and mouth slightly cracked, the two lights withdrew to a safe-haven far beyond Mr. Anderson’s reach. The two, mother and son, took one final glance at the wide-eyed man below, and turned their gaze above.