Chapter 12: Unfriendly Neighbor
Nick managed to appease the tentacle with some food and a good movie, but it was a tiresome day, and he snuck to bed shortly after dark. His sleep was unsteady since he was worried about the tentacle grabbing him by his ankle and dragging him through the house and into the basement while he was asleep.
Eventually, he couldn't stay in bed anymore and woke up with a start in the middle of the night. He was wide awake for some reason, and it didn't feel like he was going to fall back asleep anytime soon.
He sighed and laid his wrist over his forehead as he complained in his heart. The last thing he needed was a bad night's sleep.
But then again, it wasn't like he had work in the morning. Time was an illusion, and since he wasn't tired, he didn't have to stay in bed.
He got up. He glanced out of his bedroom window, but it was pitch dark outside. Naturally, he didn't see anything, especially after he turned on the lights.
He went down the stairs. The tentacle greeted him halfway by swaying in front of him like a strand of seaweed. Nick nodded and yawned while turning on the lights in the living room and kitchen. He glanced at the TV.
He didn't have much else to do, but he didn't feel like watching another movie right now. He was bored but also too restless to sit still and just gaze into the screen.
Instead, he made a cup of tea and sat down on his porch stairs. He looked into the darkness of the Tiabe forest with the steam from his tea rising into his face.
He couldn't see much since it was so dark and he had light coming from behind him. But his mind relaxed just breathing the fresh forest air. He closed his eyes and listened to the forest instead.