Hand in hand, Marie and I walked toward the thing. We stared hard at the monster, daring it to come towards us but knowing that we would be helpless if it did. It did not move.

“Stay,” it rumbled. “Where you are.”

We stopped. It spoke further.

“Who knows how you got here, and who knows if you will ever escape. I know what I know is simple. The images that flash before you in death must be heeded, must be examined carefully. You cannot live on by moving only backwards and forwards along the path provided. You must, for life to go on living, start from a new beginning.”

The monster turned sharply and scurried away from us, disappearing into the darkness of the night and leaving us alone by the jungle gym.

“It’s moving again,” Marie was shaking my arm. “Time is moving!”

I checked my phone. It was, somehow 11:52. The date was still December 31st, 2020.

“We should go back,” I said. “Check on the others.”

We started running back towards the house.