Midsummer's Eve

*Oh hello there! This story is dedicated to my good friend MusicHigh18. :D

I can feel it.

I shiver under my many blankets. It's Midsummer's Eve and a hot balmy breeze swirls my curtains around. The stars blink mockingly at me through my window. My family sleeps blissfully unaware of what waits outside. I am terrified. There is no sound except for the breeze in the trees.

That's the worst part.

There is no noise.

No crickets.

No night birds.

And now, the breeze has stopped.

The silence is complete. I hate it.

I know that all the animals in the area have fled as far as they can. This is no place for anyone tonight.

Midsummer's Eve. In literature it is always described as a magical time. In Shakespeare's play it is a magical, mischevious time. Everywhere in literature Midsummer's Eve is a harmless night. But for me, its the most terrifying night of my life. Every year, I dread summer, and the night it brings.

It started five years ago. I was in seventh grade at the time. It was a great year. I befriended the most popular girl in my school. I embraced my new-found popularity. I left everything behind that didn't fit my new role as the school's new sweetheart. Sure I lost a friend, but he was a loser, as was I until I became popular. That friend that I left behind was Cody. We were best friends. He always looked after me, since I was pretty insecure about my nerdiness. I had big glasses and braces. Cody on the other hand was kind of cute I have to admit. He could have been popular but he wasn't about to give up his nerdy pursuits. He was so confident and didn't give a damn about what people thought of him. He was a good friend, but I couldn't let him keep me behind. My braces were taken out and I got contacts. I left Cody behind, but you have to pay a price to be popular, right?

I felt bad leaving Cody like that. He tried to convince me to drop the popularity and "be myself". This was me, just the new me. He kept trying though. You had to give it to him for trying. He kept it up even through the summer. As we had done every Midsummer's Eve he invited me to his house to pull the anual all nighter to watch movies and talk. I declined becuase I was going to a party the next afternoon, and couldn't be tired, and, well, because he was a nerd. That night I went to bed at home. I had trouble sleeping becuase it was so hot outside. I got up and stood by my window and tried to catch a breeze.It was a beautiful balmy night. I didn't notice it at first but the noise started to die away. When the breeze stopped I noticed the absolute silent and stillnes. It wasn't a peaceful stillness, it was the uneasy "something is wrong" stillness.

I felt a growing sense of dread. I was glued to the window. I wanted to turn away but something held me there. I stared out into the darkness. I nervously bit my lip. Suddenly I heard a rustling in the woods. I looked to where the sound was coming from. I saw the bushes move and rustle and the icy claw of fear gripped my heart. The bushes kept moving and then they suddenly... the stopped. A cat streaked out of the bush and ran away. I let out a big breath and wiped my brow. I was about to turn away and go back to bed when I gave the bush another glance.

Red eyes stared back at me.

I gasped and clutched the window sill, trying to steady myself. I looked at the bush again and the eyes were still there.

Every year the creature would appear, on Midsummer's Eve. Every year it would get a little bolder. It would move closer to the house. It would growl and scratch. It would do anyhting to terrify me. I rocked in my bed. I could hear it below my window. It grunted and sniffed around as tears slid down my face. I couldn't go to my parents. They would never believe me, and I'm pretty sure the beast would run if my parents came in. I couldn't wake my little brothers, they would be scared themselves. I looked at my phone and went through my contacts. I wanted someone, anyone to comfort me, to help me. All my friends would make fun of my though. Wait! I could call Cody. It would be slightly embarrassing to call him, in the middle of the night, but he is the only person who wouldn't laugh and blow me off. I shrugged and dialed his number and waited for him to pick up.