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    The Changing
    The Changing
    The Changing
    Ebook73 pages56 minutes

    The Changing

    By J. Nicholls

    ()

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    About this ebook

    On Halloween morning, Matthew puts on the old wolf mask he finds in the attic. He has no idea how fast things are going to start changing. How fast he is going to start changing.

    Can Matthew remove the mask in time, or will he succumb to… The Changing?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJ. Nicholls
    Release dateJul 14, 2015
    ISBN9781516336463
    The Changing

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      Book preview

      The Changing - J. Nicholls

      The Changing

      By J. Nicholls

      The Changing

      Contents

      Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six |

      Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve |

      Chapter Thirteen | Chapter Fourteen | Chapter Fifteen | Chapter Sixteen |

      Copyright

      Chapter One

      Dad loomed above me when he came into the room, cloaked in shadows. I knew it was him and not Mom because of the size of his silhouette. Dad’s a big guy, probably the biggest I’ve ever seen. He played football in college and used to lift weights. To anyone that knew him, he would be hard not to recognize.

      I kept my head on my pillow and squinted up at him in the darkness, pretending to be asleep. He waited, not saying a thing. I didn’t know if he knew I was awake or not. Finally, I decided to speak.

      Dad? I said.

      I’m sorry, he replied. Did I wake you?

      Uh-uh. I shook my head, even though I was pretty sure it was too dark for him to see it.

      You were awake?

      Yeah. Hey, Dad—is something wrong?

      I asked him because he had never done this before that I knew of. Stand in my room at night, I mean.

      No, Matt. Nothing’s wrong.

      Then why are you here?

      He laughed. Straight to the point, eh? There’s no fooling you.

      Well? I gazed up at him expectantly. Why are you here?

      He took a step forward and put a hand on my shoulder, maybe to comfort me. I still couldn’t make out more than his shape.

      I have to go away for a while, son.

      I would have sat bolt-upright if it weren’t for the hand on my shoulder keeping me pinned to the bed.

      Why, Dad? Why do you have to leave? And when will you be back?

      Well, I—I don’t know when I’ll be back. As for why I have to leave, I can’t tell you that. Maybe someday, but not now.

      Is it something bad?

      No, nothing bad. Nothing you have to worry about, anyways.

      You’ll be back?

      I hope so. As soon as I can be.

      What about Mom? Is she going with you?

      I really hoped she wasn’t. Dad leaving would be bad enough, but I wouldn’t know what to do without Mom here.

      No, your mother’s not coming with me. She’ll stay here with you.

      I love you, Dad.

      I love you too, son. You and your mother are the most important things in the world to me. I hope you know that.

      I do.

      Dad nodded and stepped back. He turned, and a sliver of moonlight slanting through the window caught his face, making it glisten in the darkness. There was something off about it that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but I had more important things to worry about because Dad was at the door now, opening it and stepping out into the dark hall.

      Dad! I said, trying to call him back. I wanted to ask him again where he was going and why, but either he didn’t hear me or he couldn’t bring himself to say goodbye again because he closed the door and I was left in the darkness, alone once more.

      Chapter Two

      I woke up early, planning to ask Mom about Dad, but then I remembered that I already had because it had been a dream. Well, Dad leaving hadn’t been a dream; that had happened exactly like I said. It was him leaving last night that was the dream. I always dream about it now, ever since he left. Mom calls it a recurring dream. She tells me it’ll probably stop eventually.

      I got out of bed and dressed. For the first time in months I was excited, because today was Halloween. I love Halloween; it’s my favorite day of the year.

      I went out to the kitchen and found mom standing over the counter, making pumpkin-shaped pancakes. It was a Halloween-week tradition in our house, except this was the first year Dad wasn’t there to help her with them.

      I looked around expectantly, thinking he might jump out and say Boo! before explaining that the whole thing with him leaving had been part of a joke leading up to this. But he wasn’t there; it was just Mom and I in the kitchen.

      Is Dad back yet? I asked Mom. That too has become a tradition. Every morning I ask her if he’s back yet, even though I know he isn’t. Maybe

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