The Moon Mask

From: Lizzy (thewickedwitch_ofthewest@yahoo.com)
Story type: Ghost
Location: unknown
Source: Form Submission

This may not exactly fall under the category of ghost sightings. The people in this story may be alive and well, for all I know. That is why I am posting it. I need to know. I had a dream. Whether what happened in the dream really happened, I do not know.

I do not know whether or not any of this is true, only that it felt true. It is quite possible that this was just a random collection of memories tossed together by my brain. So what about Tinny? All I do know is that he is, or was, in very serious trouble.

I am lying in my bed. I can see my sister Torrie in the bed in her room. She is asleep. She has a beautiful room, with lots of evening pinks and blues in it. On the self above her bed, along with pictures and random trinkets, is a mask. I knew the mask had been it the family since I was very young, and that Torrie, (now 9 in real life) liked to have it in her room. It was the crescent moon, but with a face in it. It was powdery blue, and looked faded. The blue stuff was peeling in some places and you could see a yellowy stuff underneath. It had happy rounds in it's cheeks, like you get when you smile really big. It had a small pointed nose. It's chin was round and full. It's eyes and mouth where just holes cut in the material.

I had always liked that mask. It made me feel safe. I had used to play with it when I was young. The strange thing is, I never remember ANYONE putting it on! I just liked to look at it, talk to it. I used to imagine it answered back. Now I was older, a preteen perhaps. Maybe even 17, like I am as I write this. But anyway, I had not played with it for a long time.

I am lying in my bed. I am on the edge of sleep, where sound goes away and colors fade, and your dreams start to come into the real world. I was staring at the moon mask and passing through my memories in a way you can only do if your almost unconscious. The moon mask shifted? Something about it changed, because now it was all I could see. I think I said something idiotic to it then, like, "Are you real?", or, "Who/What are you?", or even something truly stupid like, "Pass the ketchup". What I said was not really important, so I started to really let myself fall asleep. As everything faded away the last thing I saw was the moon mask and it winked.

The next scene, I guess. I'm awake, it's in the afternoon. I am in my sisters room. I pick up the moon mask and take into my parents, or maybe my room. I lay it on the pillow and wrap the blankets in a way that it looks like someone is lying in bed with the blanket covering everything accept the mask. That must be what I did as a child. I looked at the moon mask for a moment and then I leaned down and said,

"Hello. I'm Lizzy. Are you alive?"

And that mask just stared right up… and then,

"Hello Lizzy. It's been a long time."

I was taken aback, but not at all scared. In fact I was elated. I had just found a friend I hadn't seen in so long… the mask smiled, and I smiled back.

We talked for ages, but about what I can't tell you for certain. Probably old conversations we had had that I had forgotten. We laughed rich, warm laughs that you only hear when it's between the best of friends. Then two arms sprang out grabbed the blanket around the mask.

"I would really like to come out all the way, if you don't mind." He said, "Could you turn around?"

"I didn't know you had arms!" I replied.

We both laughed like it was the funniest thing we had ever heard, and I turned around, giggling. When I turned back there was a man sitting there, holding the moon mask. He smiled a small, but very warm smile. Either he was tall or I was short. He had large glasses that looked comical on his small face, and bushy eyebrows. He was older, like mid to late forties. He had blonde-red hair, and it may have had some gray in it. It was thin and flopped all over the place. His face was similar to that of the mask. His nose was a bit longer I think, but his cheeks had those round bumps and his chin was a little pointed. He wore a button up shirt, white I think. He wore brown trousers and brown leather loafers. He may have had a ring or a watch, but I don't really think so. His hands where warm and rough.

I think I hugged him, but it gets more and more blurry. I know that we wandered the house, and he was picking up things and looking at them. He looked at family pictures and the primitive crayon pictures I had drawn. He commented on how fast we had all grown. On one crayon drawing there was an orange tabby cat sitting in the background. He made some kind of noise, like 'hmm'.

"I wonder what _____ is up to now." He said, "have you seen her?" He pointed to the cat.

Now he started really searching the house, but for what I'm not sure. I was to understand that she was like him, whatever he was, only instead of a mask she was in a cat. He said her name, but I can't remember it. I think they used to be friends. I do not know if he found what he was looking for in my house, but he seemed worried when I said I hadn't seen an orange cat in ages.

We hit the town. The city. Other people could see him, not just me. They thought I was his daughter. We walked hand in hand. He told me things about himself, and I told him things about the world, as I knew it. He smiled and was courteous to everyone. He always had a little smile on his face. Everyone liked him, but I adored him. I clung to his hand like I depended on it.

Amazing things happened that day. I can't remember most of it. He showed me his own skills. He could control other people with his mind, possess them for a short time, but I do not think it was comfortable for either party. He told me that there were others like him. But I just can't remember! At some point I started calling him Tinny. It had something to do with Tin man or the man on the moon, some inside joke of his that I don't understand or remember. That day we had met others of his kind that seemed to get it. They looked like regular people too.

Something worried him. I think it had to do with that cat, because we still had not found her. Maybe he had not gotten the answers he had wanted from the others. I do not think I was privy to most of the conversations. He had a small frown on his face as we walked. All his expressions were small. The sun was setting by now, everything was orange. I held close to his arm.

"Tinny, I'm worried about you". I said. He smiled down in a reassuring way and went back to staring ahead and frowning. I think I tugged on his arm and said, "I don't want to lose you. I want you to stay with me and be safe." He squeezed my hand, but his frown deepened.

We went on in silence till we came to a dump or something. It was filled with mountains of scrap metal. Tinny stiffened up. He looked around. It was getting dark. Tinny let go of my hand and walked forward into a cleared area. There were mounds of metal all around. I was scared. Tinny was walking around, looking every which way. It was too dark. Lets go home. Scared. I heard a car pull up. It was my sister Katie, only now she was older than me rather than younger (like in real life) and her friend Ashley. Where had I been! They had been looking for hours! Come on, let's go home.

Yes, let's go home. It was too dark. I turned around to find Tinny, and he was just standing there staring. I didn't like the look on his face. Something was wrong.

"Tinny, we're going home now." I said. "Tinny please let's go home."

Bad. Bad, bad. I was terrified. My sister said come on and got in the car. She couldn't see how scared I was. I got in the car but I told my sister to wait. I leaned out the window and begged Tinny to get in. Something was moving towards him. A man? Tinny looked angry but calm. I think he expected this. He told me to leave now. The man raised his hand and Tinny was floating in the air. The man was doing this! Tinny was in pain. Tinny was in danger.

"Jesus Christ!" I heard my sister say. Tinny was yelling at me to get out of here. I was screaming. I tried to open the door, but Katie had locked it. She motored that car right out of there. I could still see Tinny floating above that man's outstretched hand. I begged Katie to let us go back. Tinny needed help. She wouldn't do it. She was scared too.

And then I woke up.

I do not know what this dream means. Many element of it came from my own life. But too much was foreign. I have so many questions. What was Tinny? Why was Tinny in the mask? Why did he take me with him that day? Was it to protect me from something? Why is the cat woman so important? I think her disappearance had to do with what happened that night.

So, what did happen that night? Who was that man, and why did he come after Tinny? He didn't seem to notice me or my sister. Oh, God, where is Tinny? I have been awake for several hours now since having the dream, and I still feel love for Tinny. I can't bear thinking that he is hurt.

I don't know what to do. I don't know why I had this dream that felt like a memory. Maybe it is a memory, but it's not one of mine. Maybe it happened yesterday, maybe it happened twenty years ago. I believe that it did happen. Which means Tinny is in trouble, or maybe even dead. But if he is dead, why would I have dreams about it? I'm expected either to help him, or to help someone connected with him. But how? Tinny is the only name I remember, but that is just what I called him. I don't know the date, or even the city. I don't know how to help.

I don't know if displaying this is the wisest choice, but I need answers. I need to find out if anyone knows what is going on. If your reading this, and anything rings a bell, contact me. It's important.