The Omniscrolls

Christmas was drawing near, and my daughter, Ella, was asking me for a pony. I told her to write to Santa for it, saying that it wasn’t something I could get her. I wished I could, but ever since my husband passed away, I’ve been struggling to cover the expenses as a single parent. Ella had only recently started to regain interest in playing with her toys, so I didn’t want to say no to her directly. I thought I’d leave her a note as Santa, promising to give her a pony when she’s older. One evening, I overheard her talking to two of her favourite animal toys, telling them that she would soon have a pet pony. My heart sank, seeing the joy in her eyes. When Christmas finally dawned, Ella rushed to the living room first thing in the morning, and there, to my disbelief, stood an otherworldly creature that resembled a pony. The animal was relatively larger, but what was strange about it was that its skin was crimson and its eyes glowed as if they were set aflame. There was a letter on the t...

Trigger Warning: Suicide I had barely been at my new school for an hour when I started hearing rumours of “another haunting”. Curious, I asked what had happened from one of my classmates. She said that a couple of girls from another class who tried to bully a girl were pushed down a flight of stairs. Both of them had sustained multiple fractures and were in serious condition. I learned that the hauntings had started three months ago after a girl the same age as me called Karina was found dead in the gymnasium. She had taken her own life. The hauntings had started soon after her death, and every time someone would try and bully another child, they would find themselves either scared away or seriously hurt. It depended on the severity of their actions. Two of the three girls who had bullied Karina had left the school when the hauntings began and they were thrown off the same staircase. One had broken both her legs and the other’s face had been disfigured—same as Karina when they did the ...

My best friend, Ella, has had an imaginary friend since she was five years old. She came from an abusive home where her alcoholic father would constantly beat her mother. Ella’s mother once took Ella and fled their home, but her father found them a few days later and killed her mother. He then kidnapped Ella and was on the run from the police until he eventually died in a shootout with them not long after. Ella was then placed in an orphanage until she was adopted seven years later, but the cycle repeated there as well and she ran away and started living on the streets. That’s where she met me. She and I became best friends, and we kept each other safe. Initially, her imaginary friend didn’t bother me, but over time, it began to irritate me because Ella would insist that I talk to her. Ella said her friend’s name was Anna, and that she was a lot like me. One day, I suggested that maybe she should see a psychiatrist. Ella got offended and stopped talking to me for a few days, but she ev...

My new house came with a robot assistant. The previous owner said the robot, who was simply referred to as “A”, had been there when he bought the house five years ago, and that they were helpful in maintaining the premises and taking care of his daily needs. He said he would have never given up A and this home had it not been for him needing to fly overseas for his dream job. It was just as the previous owner had said: I woke up the next morning to the sweet scent of a freshly cooked meal, and even more amazing was how immaculate the house looked. Every single thing was perfectly aligned, and every corner was spotless. A had even prepared my lunch. When I spoke of this to my closest colleagues, Sasha and Viv, the two of them said they would like to visit my place during the weekend and have a look at A. That Saturday, A gave my friends a warm welcome and presented them with a three-course meal. Sasha and Viv were ecstatic. They asked me if they could borrow A for a couple of upcoming e...

“No, let me sleep in a little longer!” I hated how my mom would wake me up early in the morning even on weekends. Grandpa was a veteran who enforced the same rules on her and Aunt Susan when they were teenagers; Mom was continuing that same routine with me and I was getting sick of it. I couldn’t wait for the three years ahead to pass me by so I could finally move to another city for my higher studies. I refused to get out of bed, but Mom made sure to drive me out of my room by bringing in the vacuum. I hated her for it. Even Dad found it excessive. I just wished I could disappear into a different reality, even if it was for a few days. Aunt Susan had run away for three days when she was my age. I wished I could do the same. When I spoke about the subject with my two best friends, they said they’d love to join me. Both of them were in agreement that even another planet would be more interesting than our boring old city. Another week passed. When the following weekend arrived, however, ...