THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FOG

The sky was just beginning to lighten over Bogotá, but the morning chill felt denser and heavier than usual. Valeria waited on the sidewalk in front of her house, surrounded by a fog so thick it seemed to wrap everything in its white cloak, as if hiding a secret in the streets. She checked her watch: 4:48 a.m. The school bus should have arrived any moment, but the street was empty, with only the streetlight beside her still glowing.

As she waited, the deep silence struck her as odd; by this time, there should already be the noise of cars, doors opening and closing, people talking on the phone or listening to music. But Valeria heard nothing but her own thoughts. Suddenly, she felt something move and looked up, scanning the area. The lamp overhead flickered in a way that seemed intentional, making her shadow twist on the pavement. The feeling that something else was with her began to settle in her mind, like a whisper sneaking in little by little.

Then, she heard the grinding of teeth. A soft screech, as if something was smiling, eager and almost waiting. Valeria looked around, trying to see beyond the fog, but all she could make out were the faint outlines of small trees and posts along the street, blurred and strangely still. Something about that stillness made her even more nervous, feeling as if she wasn’t alone and that she was being watched from different points.

Suddenly, she noticed a presence on the other side of the street. She couldn’t see it clearly, but the fog swirled in front of her, just a few feet away, drawing a silhouette a little darker than the fog itself. The lamp flickered again, and in its brief light, she thought she saw a figure raising its hands. Valeria’s breath hitched and her heart pounded harder, her throat drying up.

She tried to calm herself by breathing deeply, but the intense cold made her back and arms tense, as if the very atmosphere conspired against her. The fog didn’t dissipate; on the contrary, it grew thicker and more oppressive. The wind blew fiercely, and the whistling sound it made seemed like a murmur, as though someone was trying to tell her something she couldn’t quite understand. A shiver ran down her neck as she looked at her watch again: 4:49. Valeria’s eyes widened in surprise; time wasn’t moving forward, and the lights from the bus were nowhere to be seen.

The figure across the street became clearer, though the fog kept trying to hide it. Its shape seemed to grow larger, darkening the surroundings. Suddenly, the figure’s arm reached across, almost covering the streetlight above Valeria’s head, casting an immense shadow. With wide eyes, she watched as the smoky, darkened hand moved its fingers over her. She wanted to scream, but something stopped her, as if the sound had knotted itself in her throat, preventing her from breathing.

The hand closed, extinguishing the lamp. The cold intensified, and the street was plunged into total darkness. What was once a white veil turned black in an instant, as if the silhouette had enveloped her completely. Valeria felt a light brush on her arm, a cold breeze that carried more than just air. She swallowed hard and, resigned, took a step back, groping for the wall behind her, searching for support.

Then, she heard the muffled sound of a laugh. Valeria looked straight ahead, distinguishing, in the dim light, two bright points—eyes floating, watching her with a twisted emotion. The girl clung to the wall more tightly, sweat running down her forehead and back, soaking her uniform shirt. The wind howled with more fury, and the cold air made her skin tremble. The dry breeze scratched her throat, making her cough and clear her throat.

The bright eyes came closer, and beneath them, a sharp grin spread, like the teeth of a saw. Valeria tried to move, but she didn’t know where to run. She couldn’t take her eyes off that disturbing face, its twisted grimace becoming clearer.

The creature lurking nearby opened its mouth wide, as if it wanted to devour her in a single bite. Valeria closed her eyes, resigned to her fate, feeling the foul breath of the presence. But… nothing happened. Her breathing began to slow, and her heart regained its rhythm. She opened her eyes, expecting to see the figure in front of her. The light returned suddenly, and the white fog veil was back. However, Valeria still felt that something was watching her from afar. She looked at her watch again: only a minute had passed. She relaxed her body and let her hands drop to her sides.

«Maybe it was just my imagination.» Valeria thought, yawning before smiling. «Or just a dream.»

That’s when the fear hit her again: an icy hand intertwined its fingers with hers. Valeria slowly looked to one side and saw a black mane peeking out. A smaller body clung to her arm. The figure exuded an innocence that was as unsettling as it was disturbing. Her face, from what little could be seen, was as angelic as that of a small child, but marked by scars and fresh wounds.

—Just walk. —Said the little girl who clung to Valeria, pulling her toward the street—. Don’t look back or it will devour you.

Valeria didn’t say a word; her eyes seemed to have lost their brightness, and she began walking alongside the girl, as if sleepwalking or possessed. She didn’t resist; she just moved forward in silence, not asking questions.

The little girl pulled hard on her arm, dragging her more and more toward the center of the street. Valeria felt her body grow heavy, her movements slower, as if the fog was trapping her. Each time she tried to stop, the girl pulled harder, insisting that she keep moving. Her small fingers gripped Valeria’s tighter, as if she didn’t want to let her go or have her turn back.

Valeria’s eyes began to cloud over more and more. Everything around her blurred, and for a moment, the sensation of walking down the street vanished, as if reality itself had dissolved. The silhouettes of the trees and posts faded away. The cold enveloped her like a cloak, and with each step, the fog devoured her more.