Letters, Short Stories, and Poetry

I Am Fear

It is there. Always there. Always watching. It is ever present, remaining at your side.... You are never alone... Let me start from the beginning. Every little child, at one point or another is afraid of the dark. The adults just shrug it off thinking that we probably just saw some movie or had a nightmare or maybe it's just our over imaginative minds, but this fear has never been rationalized. There has never been any proof that any of these reasons are actually legitimate. Haven't you ever wondered why? Have you ever wondered why it is that you this irrational fear of something you can't see, something that has been there since the earth was created? You would think, that after all these years that humans have had to live with the dark and it's more cheery counterpart, that we would've developed some sort of cure or remedy or something. Yet the fact still remains, we are afraid of the dark. Afraid of what we can never comprehend. Afraid of what would happen if we were to try. But enough of the history lesson, let's get back to you. You, the victim of the most chilling fear. The fear of darkness. You know the scenario, you are home alone, or in your room. You have to be alone. It's not scary if you're not alone. That's because it doesn't come out if you're not alone. It's there when others are present, true, but it remains in the shadows. That's because it is yours. You alone can perceive it, you alone can understand it, you alone can fear it. You may be confused when I say understand. I say this because it's a creature of your creating. It feeds off of your fear, your anxiety, your depression. Anyway, as I was saying it only comes out when your alone. Do you ever get that feeling when it's nighttime, the sky is black, you're safe under the covers? Only you aren't. That feeling of security is false in its entirety. When you are alone, you are never safe. Yours is with you. Always. Always in the corner, always hiding away from the light, in the shadows. It was there when you were born, unbeknownst to anyone in the room. It was there when you took your first steps, on your first day of preschool, your first kiss. All of it. It stalks you, with its leathery skin, it's greasy hair, it's chapped lips, it's hungry teeth. You know that sound you hear when the window is loose? The howling sound? That's not your window. That's yours breathing. You see, it has slits in its throat. They come from the things he has swallowed. Do you know that pet you lost but never found? Well..... But there are other things on his diet... Such as... Well the holes aren't made from pets. They are made from fingernails. Human fingernails.... But we won't get into that. He gets angry when you mock him. And you don't want him angry. He belonged to humans before you, you only change his form, his shape, his voice, or his strengths. Since he is yours, he follows you everywhere, he has all your memories, knows all your thoughts. Only, like I said, you don't realize he is there. You don't know him, not like he knows you. When you are younger, you get that feeling, that prickly one, the one that makes your neck hair rise, but as you age your fear diminishes, your childhood fading away and, along with that, your life. You know how when someone dies, they get pale? Well it has nothing to do with blood not circulating or any of that stuff they teach you in school. I mean sure that has some truth to it, but it is not the whole truth... You see... We turn pale in fear. I don't mean fear, like spiders or bugs. Imagine yourself in a room. A dark one. Only you're all alone, with the smell of rotten flesh surrounding you. Slowly going insane, trapped forever with no hope of escape. That's the fear I mean. It's because, in your final moments, you seem him. It's not by chance either. You only see him because he wants you too. You blink, thinking he will be gone, and he is. As you take in your final breathe, he whispers in your ear. You thought he was gone, but he simply moved behind you. Taking the position he is always in. Present but unseen. The words he says never change. The one constant in all his previous owners. Three simple words. "I..... Am..... Fear....." He's not wrong either. He is the physical embodiment of all your terrors, your worst nightmares. Sometimes, though it is rare, he will try to communicate with you. Maybe you realize what this is now. Why I know so much. If people only see him when they die, then you must know by now. I know this because I am yours. I am your horror. I am your nightmare. I..... AM..... FEAR.....