The shadows did not try to stop them, did not rise up again, they simply retreated to the surrounding woods and watched silently as the boys left, holding onto the memory of the stitch.

The boys returned home with the soup for their mother blissfully unaware that one day they would be fighting for their very own soul, or at least for Noah's. As the days passed by Noah began to change but was so subtle at first and it started to irritate Tommy. Noah was becoming more withdrawn and distant, like his mind was off in another world and Tommy would say things like “ snap out of it” and “stop spacing out”. But as time progressed he began to worry that perhaps his brother was coming down with something. He hasn't been quite himself since their trip to the park but he could not put a finger on what had changed. Noah spent more and more time sitting at his bedroom window staring down the street towards the direction of the park and at night he would turn off all the lights and plant himself at the window and stare intently as if he was focused on something no one else could see or hear. Tommy would sit down beside him and listen but all he could hear was the sounds of the night but inside Noah's head there was the sound of the creaking chains of the swings, shadows morphing and moving that seemed to call to him.

Tommy would try to get him to go outside to play catch, to take a walk to do anything to snap him out of the depressive state his brother now seemed to be in but nothing worked. Something had a hold of his brother and was not letting go despite how much he tried. He also noticed how Noah would touch the knee of his jeans, rubbing his hand against it like it would somehow give him answers which did not make any sense. When Tommy reached out to take his brother's hand, he felt the freezing cold temperature of where his hand was resting which was weird because the rest of his body felt warm to the touch. He places his hand on the frozen patch of material and for an instant he feels like the room around him has disappeared and he is standing in the playground with dark shadows surrounding him. The words “the mistake is erased” and “what is dark remains in the dark” echoes in his head before he is jolted back to reality and yanks his hand back as if it had suddenly been burned. Something is not right and he grabs at the waist of his brother's pants to try and remove them thinking that whatever is connected to the material will shatter by their removal but his brother snaps out of his trance and kicks at him with such force that it sends him across the room. He sits there in shock realizing that whatever has a hold on his brother has gone far beyond possessing just the pants he wore and he was now afraid for his brother's life. He was determined to keep a close watch on him but his eyes grew heavy and he dozed off. When the clock struck midnight, Noah stood up and without making a sound he headed out of the room, down the stairs and out the front door. He is compelled to return to the playground an unseen force pulling him closer and closer.

Tommy suddenly wakes up and realizes his brother is missing and he begins to panic. He rushes out of the bedroom to find that the front door is now wide open and a new fresh terror fills him as he realizes the cold reality of where his brother was headed. He barely gets his shoes on as he is headed out the door, screaming out his brother's name as he rushes into the darkness in the direction of the park. Would he make it on time and what was he going to find when he got there. His heart was hammering inside of his chest, the only sound was the slap of the rubber soles of his shoes hitting against the pavement as he pushed himself to the point he could barely catch his breath. He did not know how long Noah had been gone for and he could only hope that he would make it there in time.

As he neared the park, he could see his brother sitting on one of the swings, the ground beneath him now looked like it had been bathed in black paint, dark shadows loomed over him creating a circle as the tallest one stood in front of him with an outstretched arm. The long frail looking finger was mere inches away from his brother's forehead and he knew that there was nothing physical he could do to stop it from possessing his brother completely. Without thinking he threw himself through the line of shadows towards his brother and grabbed onto his right arm, pulling himself close as he yelled out his name “Noah” his voice was sharp and cut through the buzzing noise that seemed to fill the air. The sound seemed to startle the shadow as it yanked its finger back when it had only been inches from coming in contact with the boy's face. The blank look in his eyes now fractured, bringing to light the dawning horror that now filled them. He slowly blinked and whispered hoarsely “ T-Tommy?” it was all he could manage to get out as he stared at the shadows in front of them who remained. They were not ready to let go as long claws extended out towards both boys but the brothers clung that much tighter to each other and Tommy kept talking about their mother, their home, about anything and everything he could think of to fill his brother's mind with memories of their life.

The moment that Noah's mind flooded back the tether between him and the darkness snapped. The shadows did not just simply recede, they imploded, evaporating into a cloud of black smoke that drifted up into the night sky and disappeared, lifting the weight that had been weighing on both of the boys completely. Both boys found themselves laying on their backs on a patch of green grass staring up at the night sky, coughing a bit as they caught their breath. They both slowly sat up and looked around half expecting to see the shadows still haunting them but there was nothing but stillness. Tentatively they both reached down to the patch on the knee afraid of what they might feel but it was normal well it felt that way but in the glow of the moonlight they could see that where the rip had been, the patched area was now permanently black as a reminder of what they had narrowly escaped. Tommy stood up and took his brother by the hand, pulling him to his feet “Lets go home”.