Cover art by Ahaana Makkar, IX-F

There is nothing scarier

Than a house that is haunted,

With dingy, dark corridors

And ghosts unwanted.

There’s nothing scarier

Than the outline of a black shadow,

Lurking gratuitously

In the darkness by the window.

There’s nothing scarier

Than losing a loved one,

Making you aware of

All that can’t be undone.

But the scariest of them all

Isn’t the monster under the bed.

It isn’t the list creature that

Rises from the dead.

All that pales in comparison,

Even blood flowing red,

To the demons that live

Inside our heads.

Trusting someone too much

Is the one that wins the race.

There is nothing more terrifying

Than the mind behind the face.

No one quite knows anyone else,

And even the best aren’t always faithful-

Because the Devil himself

Was once God’s favorite angel.