Scary Stories Part II: The Final Chapter

It was early in the morning the second time I saw the Shadow person.

My mother was calling up the stairs for me to get out of bed. I ignored her, shutting my eyes to try and eek out ten more minutes of whatever important dream I was having. I am almost positive I was awake; the light in the hallway was on; I could hear my sister and brother moving around downstairs getting ready for school.

I looked into the doorway and immediately pulled the covers back over my head. This was the most terrified I had ever been. Fear literally paralyzed me. My breathing was arrested. I had a weird pulsating sensation in my body, like my heart was trying to grab my intestines and make a break for it straight out of my chest cavity.

I saw the thing standing in the doorway. It was silhouetted against the hall light. It seemed to be wearing some sort of robe and had pointed ears, a protruding beak, and glowing, beady little red eyes...that were staring right at me.

I couldn't move.

I prayed that it would just go away.

I don't really remember what happened next, or how I got out of my room. I just remember seeing the thing briefly and cowering under the covers.

I didn't think of it at the time but now that I reflect on the situation I think it wanted me to be aware that it knew I saw it. Not just standing in the doorway but in and throughout the house. Sliding cereal bowls and walking around with invisible feet. As if to say: "Hey buddy, yeah I see you. And you see me. Go ahead and tell someone. See if they believe you. I'll still be here when they cart you off to the looney bin." It never did anything except scare the living hell out of me. But that was twenty years ago and is one of the most vivid memories I own. Even if it wasn't malignant, it still scarred me for life.

Those were, as far as I can recollect, the only times I honestly saw ghosts in that old house. Who knows, they might not have been ghost's. More than likely they were figments of my over active imagination. Perhaps a spot of mustard or an old potato.

There were many odd noises that always echoed through the house. Many eerie feelings that someone was watching you when no one was around. Many shadows and objects glimpsed form the corner of my eye, but never any other situation that offered equal veracity as those two times with the shadow man...thing.

The other thing that stands out in my mind about that old house was the endless nightmares. Every night in that house was torture. Almost every dream involved me either getting chased by some unseen force (or miniature version of King Kong-yes that would be a normal sized gorilla) through the house or watching my family become possessed. I tell you it was freaky.

I wish I could go back to that house and tour the inside one more time. Would I see anything or get any weird being watched feelings?

The house Pixie and I reside at now is not haunted, thank God...at least not any more. But that is another story.