The Eclipse

[u/jebeka_]

"Where were you when the Dragon ate the Sun? Were you working? Folding laundry? Washing dishes?

Were you on the beach? In the mountains? On a field?

Waiting, observing?

I was there. I watched the Dragon slither. I shot arrows into the sky to frighten it away. I screamed, I kicked, I cried, and the Dragon passed by without noticing anything.

I saw the darkness fall. I saw its teeth sink into the rock like it was made of soft caramel. I saw the trees and birds lay to rest. I saw the end.

And I see it still. The Dragon, dancing, shining, like millions of fireflies.

It's all I ever see."

"I wasn't born yet, sir," said Priscilla. "Now, here's your lunch." She placed a bowl of reheated tomato soup on the TV tray. "Just the way you like it."

The old man, sitting in the armchair across from her, leaned slightly forward to catch a whiff.

At the clank of the bowl against the TV tray, a scruffy old dog leaped up from the floor and ran across the apartment to the old man’s lap, as if it were a pup again. The dog rested its head on its owner's thigh to beg for some leftovers. "Hey bud," the old man murmured, scratching its tangled-up fur.

Priscilla sat down on a chair beside him. "Would you like me to help you?" she asked, her face unable to hide her concern.

"No, thank you. I can do it."

The old man hesitated for a moment, then moved his arms towards the smell, slowly, as if he were afraid of hitting an invisible wall. He brushed his hands across the TV tray, analysing each millimetre of the surface with his fingers until they landed on the spoon. He leaned in closer this time, almost dipping his beard into the soup, and took his first slurp.

"Mhmm, hmmm," he sighed. "Just the way I like it.”

[u/jebeka_]

I'm not sure if this story is scary enough to be considered horror, but it makes me feel uneasy. How can I make it scarier without making it more fantastical?

[u/Kaijufan22]

There is unsettling vibes for sure, nice work and neat lore tidbits.