Ava Smiles

Have you ever seen a smile so sinister, so disturbing that it sends a chill racing down your spine? A chill so cold only the bodies resting haplessly in the morgue would be familiar with. I'm sure if you've seen a smile like that, you'd certainly never forget it, or be here to tell us about it, for that matter.

I once knew a little girl with a smile just like that. Her name was Ava. Ava's smile, like most children's, wasn't a sign of happiness. It was rather a precursor to doom. You see, little Ava had a troubled past. Though only 10 years old, she'd already seen more than her fair share of trauma. At 5 years old, she watched helplessly as her grandmother butchered her family with an axe. Painting the kitchen red.

Imagine being a witness to such evil. It would undoubtedly change you. Now imagine watching your grandmother do it with a smile… Now that would transform you.

"Smile for me, Ava, bring light to the shadowy places".

Is what she told her, while a puddle of red formed beneath the still-dripping blade.

Ava did smile, the best she could, out of sheer terror. Ava's painful smile seemed to appease her grandmother as she slowly returned that smile and, in an instant, drove her head into the axe with a force that seems impossible to inflict on oneself. In that moment, it wasn't dread that Ava felt; it was power. A simple smile freed her grandmother of the shadow that possessed her. Her smile brought light and ended the nightmare, just as her grandmother had said. At least that's what little Ava believed and still believes to this day.

Some claim to have seen Ava's smile from afar. They all describe the same twisted look of distorted happiness. The claims also suggest that this fleeting moment of delight has often been directed toward those of the oppressive type. There aren't too many firsthand witness accounts of Ava's smile, as the individuals whom Ava has graced with her pleasantries are no longer with us. It seems that shortly after the gesture is made, the recipient meets an untimely, and often rather gruesome, demise.

At this point, a warning about Ava would be redundant. Just mind your manners if ever in her presence. I'm certain if necessary, she'd be happy to cast the light of her twisted smile onto your shadowy disposition.

Originally posted on my Medium @drwrites