The Midnight Hour & Other Scary Stories

The Tall Man

Collin had spent most of his days in and out of therapy. His parents were very worried about him. Unlike most children, who drew animals or other people, Collin would draw monsters. These weren't your simple doodles, either. Collin drew horrible monsters and they were often doing horrible things. When his parents asked him why he drew them, Collin would say, "Because I see them."

That made them worry more. The therapist told Collin that the monsters weren't real. But Collin knew better. The therapist had a monster too. It would be perched behind him, on the chair. It would tell him what to say to Collin. As it talked, the monster's tail curled around the therapist's throat.

Collin warned the Therapist that the monster would kill him, but no one listened to him. The next time Collin went to therapy, there was a new therapist.

"Where is Mr. Holber?" He asked the new therapist.

"I'm very sorry, but Mr. Holber won't be helping you anymore, Collin." The therapist said. "He thought that I would be better off helping you."

"Did he tell you that before he died?" Collin asked.

But the therapist said nothing. She could only stare at him in disbelief.

She had a monster too.

Everyone did. Even his mom and dad. Collin didn't know why he could see the monsters, but he could. They came in all shapes and sizes. And what's more, they could see him.

The monsters didn't like Collin. Maybe that was because he didn't have a monster of his own. Or, perhaps monsters didn't care for children. Most let him be, but there were some that threatened to hurt him if he said anything about them, so Collin would be quiet. Those were the worst. They always killed the people they were attached to and there was nothing he could do about it.

Still, they didn't scare him like the bells.

All other monsters had a person they tormented, but not the bells. They belonged to a carriage that would ride up and down the street, driven by invisible horses. When Collin heard them coming, the other monsters would leave their people and slither into the dark. The street lamps would dim and go out. Then, the carriage would stop and the Tall Man, wearing a midnight black cloak and wide-brimmed hat, would emerge. The Tall Man's face was always hidden and he carried with him an old-timey lantern filled with green light. The carriage always stopped at a different house and the Tall Man would always walk through the front door. What happened after that, Collin could only guess, though he knew that it was anything but good. The lights in the house would fall dark, and the Tall Man would then leave, his lantern just a bit brighter.

But one time, he stopped and looked at Collin.

Collin had been home, staring at the Tall Man through the window. It was a late, rainy night. When the Tall Man looked his way, the window frosted over. Collin hadn't seen his face, but the Tall Man's icy gaze chilled him to the bone.

The Tall Man then left the way he had come, along with the carriage bells. Light returned to the street.

But not the house he had been in.

In fact, every house the Tall Man visited was eventually abandoned. Collin never saw the people emerge again. What's worse; no one seemed to pay it any mind. Out of all the monsters Collin drew, he drew the Tall Man the most.

"What is that, Collin?" His therapist would ask. "A carriage?"

Collin would nod.

"You're a very good artist." The therapist said. "That's a very tall man. Is he holding a lantern?"

Another nod.

"What's in the lantern?"

But Collin didn't know.

"He takes light from people, I think." Collin said slowly.

"Their light?" The therapist asked.

"Yes." Collin looked up at her. Her monster didn't like the drawing. "Some people have more light than others. It's what lets them see the monsters."

"I don't see any monsters." The therapist said.

But Collin shook his head. "Well of course you don't. You're safe. Adults don't usually have the light anymore. He doesn't care about you."

The therapist had no idea what he meant. "Are you saying I can't see the Tall Man, Collin?"

Collin paused. "No. At least not what he really looks like."

Some monsters, after all, liked to wear people's skin as a disguise. Only he could tell what they truly were.

As they spoke that day, he swore he heard the bells outside.

In fact, every time the bells rang after that, he would run and hide. They were coming around more and more. The Tall Man knew who he was. He knew he had the light.

The more terrified Collin became, the more his parents tried to help. They tried medication, longer therapy, everything and anything you can think of. None of it worked. He wouldn't go to school or even leave the house.

Finally, in an act of love and desperation, they decided to call for a doctor to take Collin away.

"It's for your own good sweetie." They said. "This doctor comes highly recommended."

But Collin knew who they had called, even before the knock on the door. He heard bells, clear as a cloudless sky.

Collin tried to run, but his parents forced him towards the door. And, as it opened, there stood the Tall Man with his wide-brimmed hat and midnight black cloak. But that's not what his parents saw. And though their eyes were filled with tears, Collin's were filled with light.

And the Tall Man would take that away.