Shadow People

Word Count - 547

Oh no! What have you done? You happened across this wayward writing and now you can’t seem to put it down. Am I right? I thought as much. Well since you’re now here, dear reader, I’d like you to know that I was once like you; oblivious to the things in the dark.

As you read this do you happen to notice that light above growing a bit dimmer now? Yes, that happens when you become more aware. Perhaps now there’s a feint ringing in your ears that wasn’t there before I mentioned it. I wonder if you ever shut your eyes when you were alone. Has someone ever tried to sneak up behind you? In that still, silent air, do you notice that ringing in your ear then? I’m certain you do, as you’re more like me than you would think.

Well that ringing you hear now; no, no one is sneaking up behind you, but that doesn’t mean they’re not there. Oh, now you’ve gone and looked about the room… stop it, dear reader, you’re not going to see them – at least not when you look straight at them. They flutter in the far spots of your eyes from time to time. Did you see it just now? It was there in that dark corner of the room, but now it’s gone. You see them when you stare at the ceiling at night, and when you get that cold shiver after your blankets have slipped from your skin. Your eyes open in that moment, but why can’t you move? You try, but you can’t. It just won’t let you. In that dark haze after your eyes awake, you see that little flutter of shadow again. You always shut that closet door, but for some reason, you forgot. Perhaps it was shut when you went to sleep. Why is it open now? Surely, you didn’t open it did you? No you did not.

Oh the things I could tell you of those little flutters, but why spoil the fun? I’d rather you spent your night wakeful and fitful like the borderlands of a terrible dream that wards away sleep. Therein you happen to become more aware. I bet now you just flinched at that tapping and creaking. Is it your house settling? It sure didn’t sound like wood did it? No, it sounded a lot more like a knock or scratching.

Yes, dear reader, they are all around you… all the time. You see them here and there, but you put them out of your mind. We’re always dismissive of things we can’t explain, but does that mean they’re not there? I would think not. It’s so much colder now isn’t it? You didn’t notice it before, but there’s a certain, shall we say, oppression you feel? Don’t worry, I’m sure your blanket will help you, but what if it doesn’t? What will you do then? It is after all, quite dark beneath those sheets.

Now you wish you weren’t alone don’t you? You’re not. Oh… you most certainly are not. Have you ever wondered why your children are so frightened of that closet door? I bet you're running to check on them now. You'd best hurry, dear reader. That door seems to open by itself.