Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. Be Afraid of What's in It.

Big Teeth and Snake Neck

I woke up early. I went into the kitchen to make coffee, knowing I wouldn't be able to function properly without it. As usual, my cat, Domino, sat on the counter and stared at me. She would always stare at me, giving me an uncomfortable feeling most of the time. That morning, however, I just stared back and said, "What? Is there something on my face?" After a moment, Domino let out a low, drawn out noise that sounded more like a growl than a meow. She stared at me for a second longer, then jumped off the counter and sprinted into the hallway.

That morning, I got to work early, meaning I could take am early lunch. I went out back and sat on a bench in the park behind my office building. It was a beautiful day, the park full of children and not a cloud in sight. As I was about to start my lunch, I noticed that a small boy was looking at me a giggling. I asked him what was so funny. He pointed behind me, and only then did I realize that he wasn't staring at me, but just behind me. Again, I asked him what was so funny.

He looked up at me and said, "The man! The man with the big teeth and snake neck!" I turned around but there was no one there. I turned back to ask the boy what he was talking about, but he had run off to play on the swing set. I returned to work uneasily, wanting to just go home.

When I returned home, I sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. Domino was on the coffee table, staring at me like usual. A chill ran down my spine. I studied her carefully; her gaze reminded me of the young boy I had encountered earlier. Suddenly, it dawned on me that Domino, like the boy, was not staring at me, but just behind me. I realized she never had been staring at me. Slowly, I turned around, afraid I would find something. Nothing was there. Of course there wasn't. I let out a sigh of relief and turned back to Domino. But she was no longer on the coffee table.

Instead of Domino, there was a man behind the coffee table. I screamed; the man had large, pointed fangs, and a long neck that twisted and turned like a snake's body. Big teeth and snake neck, the little boy had said. I screamed as the monster's teeth sank into my flesh, making the world go black.