THOSE FEARFUL NIGHTS

A Black Figure

The next day, we all had dosa and tomato squash for our dinner, and we had a sound sleep. Suddenly I woke up. I was confused about whether it was a dream or not.

I remembered that clocks are not there in dreams. So I looked at the clock. It was quarter past two, and I felt thirsty and looked at my bottle. It was empty. I guessed that I completed it before sleeping. The night lamp was in pale blue with a mixed green gradient.

I called my mom and asked her to fill water for me. But she shouted, why didn't you get it yourself? I sighed and tiptoed in the room to cross my mother, brother and dad. I finally reached the hall. That one minute was like one hour. It was so because I watched a horror movie two days before the incident. I was sweaty, and the fan was running much slower than usual. Or it felt like it. I closed the bedroom door.

I went to switch on the hall light. The light switch felt like a mile away from me. Then I walked towards the kitchen. Again it felt like another mile. I slowly walked, chanting Hare Rama. I reached the kitchen and quickly turned on the light. I went towards the water can and filled my bottle. The sound of pouring water filled the silence. After filling the bottle, I switched off the light and tiptoed to the bedroom. I lied on my bed and covered myself with the thickest blanket. My mom asked whether I drank water or not. Oh, I completely forgot to drink water in fear. I drank the water.

I was trying to sleep, but it was hot and creepy. It must be cold, but I felt the exact opposite of that. I have spent thousands of horrors but, still, I slept with fear. After a thousand hours, I fell asleep. Or it felt like it. Then I woke up again by hearing the noise of some stray dogs barking. I drank water and tried to sleep again. But this time, I didn't get sleep. I started counting imaginary sheep like I always do but, I can't sleep even after counting about five hundred sheep. I started reciting all the elements in the periodic table, as my chemistry sir taught me three years ago.

Even though I tried so hard, I can't remember more than eighty elements. I looked at the clock, and it was half-past three. I thought that time was running real slow. I closed my eyes and opened it again. To my horror, I found a blackish figure in the wall below the hangar. I thought it must be the jeans scaring me again. I closed my eyes. After two minutes, I saw the figure even closer to me, but I noticed some green dots looking like eyes. I looked at the hangar, but the jeans were still there. I thought it must be a pillow because my brother always sleeps in a crazy position. I controlled myself not to look at it again. I closed my eyes, and I felt some footsteps on my bed. I cursed myself that only at night time my senses trigger me so much. I convinced myself that it must be my brother again. I always face the wall and sleep.

So I turned opposite the wall and opened my eyes. I saw the figure lying next to me. I screamed like hell and woke up everyone in the house. Everyone asked me what happened. Still, in a frozen state, I looked at the hanger and the pillow. Both were missing. And the creepy figure suddenly vanished. Everyone tried to console me. Finally, I recovered from that fear after ten long minutes. My mom gave me water, and I lied in my bed. I requested my mom not to switch off the light. She smiled and switched off the light. I didn't sleep for three days after the incident. On the fourth day, as usual, I went to sleep. I heard an evil laugh, and I asked my mom whether she heard that or not. She said no. I went to sleep full of thoughts that the creature will come again or not.