The Fog

The fog came in the early evening, and left in the mid-afternoon. The people of the town always went inside once it started to show. No one ever questioned it. It was the thing to do. So, every day, at around 5 PM, the townspeople would leave to the safety of their homes before the fog came in. People would stay inside until 10 AM in the morning — when the fog usually left. Sometimes it took longer. On those type of days, no one would leave their homes for the rest of the day.

Todd often wondered why that was. He’d asked his parents multiple times why he couldn’t go outside. “It’s just fog,” he would complain. “Why can’t I keep playing outside?” His mother — or father — it didn’t matter, would only shake their head, and motion him to come inside. And with a groan, he would.

Once, he had left one of his favorite bouncing balls outside while the fog came in. The next day it was gone. As a kid, he thought some neighbor’s kid had stolen it. But now, now he wasn’t sure.

He was 16 now, and the fog became a normal routine. He no longer questioned it. There was nothing to question about it anymore.

Todd was playing a online game with a few of his friends. They tended to do this a lot lately. It was loads of fun, and with the technology these days, he didn’t have to wait for them to come over. They could just play via online. He thought that was brilliant. He shot Bryan’s character and the screen read: INNOCENT WIN. Todd cheered. He could hear Bryan groaning over their Skype call, and his other friends laughing.

They played a few more games, and each time, the fog would grow. Though, Todd didn’t notice this, until Luis pointed it out. “You guys see the fog today? It’s getting pretty thick.” His friends all agreed over their mics. “I wonder if we’ll have to stay home tomorrow.”

“I hope not,” Todd said. “It’s boring having to stay home all day.”

Their attention went back to the game for another hour. It started to get late, so Todd and his friends decided to end it for the day. He closed his laptop shut and went to get ready for bed. Before sleeping, he had a habit of staring out into the fog. Although he no longer questioned it, he still was curious about it. His eyes widened when he glanced over at his window.

There was a girl. Outside. In the fog.

It looked like it was about to swallow her alive. And she just stood there — still. Todd sprinted downstairs, and out the door. His family was already asleep. He wouldn’t have to worry about the lecturing him about not leaving the house when the fog came. He slammed open the door and dashed towards the girl. “What are you doing!” He hissed. “You need to get inside.”

She turned towards him. Her face was pink and swollen, and there was tears pouring out of them. “It’s no point…” She whispered.

“I don’t care, you need to get back home,” Todd yelled. “Where it’s safe.”

She only shook her head. “You don’t understand…” She started to step into the fog. Todd raised his hand.

“No–” He screamed, but it was too late.

She was gone.

In the morning, there was no trace of the girl. He asked his parents about it, but they knew nothing. No one did.

The only thing he could find that proved she even existed was water stains on the ground, where her tears had dripped. They never dried.