The Locust

Your grandmother recently passed away, leaving you a small house on the outskirts of town. Having obtained all the necessary documents, you began moving. Finally, having moved the last of your belongings into the house, you decided to explore your new home more thoroughly.

Listening to music, you sang along softly and sorted through boxes of old things. Suddenly, a small box in the far corner of the dank room caught your eye. Picking it up and opening it, you saw many old cassette tapes. Each one was labeled: "Summer 1989," "Sister's Wedding," "Birth of a Granddaughter." One of the tapes caught your eye. Compared to the others, it looked fairly new, as if it had been used only a few times since you bought it and then forgotten. Taped to the end was a piece of paper with the words "The Locust." Somewhat confused, you tossed the tape aside and returned the box to its place.

You only remembered this strange tape that evening, when you walked into the living room and saw an old, bulbous television and a cassette player. Returning to the basement and picking up the black, cheap plastic rectangle, you returned to the living room and threw it on the couch, then went into the kitchen. You returned soon after, holding a cup of tea. Having quickly sorted out the tape, you inserted it into the player and settled down on the couch, picking up the TV remote.

Finally, an image appeared on the screen. It was a thin, slightly eerie figure standing in a room with old, yellowed wallpaper. The creature on the screen had black skin, thin arms, and empty black eyes, its face resembling a poorly made mask. Almost immediately, the creature began wheezing and making strange sounds, as if trying to say something: "Hello... I'm very hungry... Can you help me?" With its right hand, the creature began slowly pounding the screen, as if trying to escape or do something. The creature continued to wheeze: "It's so cramped in here... I can barely move... Please, help me..." The creature moved unnaturally, like a doll, and this was, to say the least, uncomfortable.