Memories

The Shadow Man

There he was again. He was always there. Always at the same time. The 5 year old couldn't look away. She wished so much that she believed in hiding under the covers. Wouldn't that be convenient? If hiding under her covers would really shield her from the outside world? From Him? 

He always stood outside her door. It was always at this time. What time was it? She didn't know, but she knew it was always this time. He just stood there, staring at her. At least she thought he was staring. Maybe he wasn't even facing her. After all, he was just a shadow. She tried to tell her parents about him, so they could make him go away. They never listened. They just laughed and told her she was being silly. 

She wondered how she could make them believe her. Every time she tried to show him to them, he disappeared as soon as they turned on the lights. She wondered if maybe he was a ninja. But, if he was a ninja, why would he let her see him. Also, why would a ninja be in her house? She was just a normal child, living with her normal parents. And her normal 2 year old brother. 

She decided to actually focus on him. Maybe she would see him slip up and move. He had never moved before, unless someone turned the lights on. Maybe he only existed in the dark? She pondered this, but then decided it was too silly. Even sillier than hiding under your covers for protection. At least that one she wanted to be true. 

She realized that the only way she could get all of this off her mind and finally prove this to her parents... was to confront him. She had never done anything but sit there and stare. She was too scared to even get up and shut the door. So how in the world was she going to work up the courage to confront him? It didn't seem likely, but she was tired of only falling asleep when she decided to turn her back to him and stop looking. First she decided to try whispering to him. 

"Hey! I see you over there by my doorway!" She waited for him to respond. He didn't. She didn't both calling out again. Instead, she picked up a small toy off of the floor, and threw it at him. She didn't know why. As soon as she did, though, she hid under her covers. Maybe she didn't believe in it, but at least now she didn't have to see his reaction to what she just did.

After a few moments, she peeked her head out and looked towards the man. He was in the same place. The toy was right in front of him. She gulped. That wasn't one of her favorite toys, but she still got the strong urge to get it back. Why had she even thrown it? She slowly lowered herself off the bed and onto the carpeted floor. Tiptoeing over to her doorway took way longer than it should have...

When she finally made it, she was shocked to see something. The shadow man was at least 10 feet tall. She ignored the fact that their ceiling wasn't even 10 feet high up. The man obviously HAD to be. She felt tears rush to her eyes, but knew she couldn't chicken out now. She crouched on the ground and crawled over to the man. She was too frightened to walk. She slowly reached out her hand and...

Grabbed her toy. She froze for a second, before racing back into her room and leaping onto her bed. She was shaking and crying, yes, but she got her toy back! That was the most important part. She cradled the toy to her chest and fell asleep... Well tried to. The man was still there after all. It's not like her bravery made him go away, but she no longer cared as much if her parents believed her. She thought about getting up and closing the door, but decided that she had gotten enough excitement for the night.

Besides, it wasn't as if he could move...