Whispers from the Screen

The cartoon started playing by itself at three seventeen a.m. Bright colors flooding my dark

room. Happy music piercing the silence. A smiling character waving directly

at the screen. I reached for my mouse to close it. Nothing moved. My cursor was frozen.

The character's smile began fading. Slowly. Deliberately. Then its eyes shifted.

Not toward the camera. Toward me. Through the screen. The cheerful music reversed into distorted

whispers. It spoke my name. Clear as day. I yanked the power cord from the wall.

The screen went black. Silence returned. Then my phone vibrated on the nightstand.

One new notification glowed in the darkness. Why did you stop watching. No question mark.