Has anyone ever wondered
why we never bother to stare into the dark shadows of night for too
long? I know sometimes when you do this it can feel like something
is staring back at you. Well this story is about one of those times.
Only this time I'm pretty sure I was able to catch a glimpse of
something - something so terrible that a glimpse was almost too much
to bear.
This all started back
during my last years of middle-school. You see, at that time my
parents moved from a big city to a small rural town - their home town
to be precise. They say it was to raise me in a much more wholesome
environment, but I get the feeling that after their small business
success they just wanted to come back and rub it in everyone's faces
here. You see due to my parents' success, I'm what you might call a
“rich kid”, at least by this small town's standards. And let me
say I don't enjoy it very much.
I was comfortable living in
a big city where I was born and raised. I had a lot of friends and
there was always something to do. I didn't get into any serious
trouble and just had a lot of fun hanging out, but now? Now I'm
stuck in the middle of literally nowhere with no friends and hardly
anything to do, but go hiking or shoot at prairie dogs at night
(which is something the local teens call “spotlighting”).
I honestly don't see what
could be so fun about shooting defenseless creatures at night frozen
in shock after being blinded by a bright floodlight. They say it's a
form of pest control and they may as well have fun while they're at
it. Whatever, I don't want to get too far off topic here. I just
wanted to illustrate how much I don't have in common with the locals
and how board I tend to get here... but now, thinking back on it, I
would take boredom over what I'm currently going through.
Since my parents are
successful they often travel out of town on business trips or
conventions. In the past during my parents absence I would be looked
after by a babysitter or a relative. After I turned 13 my parents
considered me old enough to take care of myself.
Yeah, I've had friends who
were allowed to be home alone far younger than that, but that's how
my parents were. You get the picture. I often felt my parents were
too over protective of me at times. That's probably another reason
we moved to their home town. Less opportunities for me to get into
trouble, I guess.
After my parents told me I
was old enough to look after myself I was overjoyed. When they left
me home alone for the first time I had the whole house all to myself.
For those few days they were away I played loud music, ate junk
food, and rode my skateboard down the halls. Over time I even
figured out the password to unblock the R-rated movie channels I
wasn't allowed to watch so I was free to see all the guns, blood and
brief nudity I wanted. I just had to remember to set the parental
controls and locks each time before they got back.
The first several times
being home alone I relished in my new found freedom. Until one
night... it happened. I tried not to think about it, but it was
always there in the back of my mind... lurking, waiting to strike
when my guard was down. I knew it was only a matter of time. Only a
matter of time when I got so used to the new freedom during my
parents' absence. The one thing that every young teen at that age
dreads and tries to stave off no matter what – boredom.
During one of my parents'
business trips when I was left to my own devises, I was bored once
again. The extra sense of freedom I enjoyed months prior had now
lost it's luster. Being left home alone for a few days at a time was
now just another part of my regular routine.
I grew tired of all the
video games in my collection. I had purchased all the latest
blockbuster movies on cable and watched them a dozen times over. It
was the same with all the recent episodes of my favorite anime I had
downloaded. I wasn't even in the mood for any of the online nudity
and breasts at my fingertips. Nothing to do but wander the house
blasting music on my headphones as I slowly dribbled a basket-ball
down the empty hallways. I was once again a bored rich kid stuck in
a house full of toys. If only I knew what I was about to witness I
would have busied myself with any number of mundane activities
instead of doing what I did.
It was fall at the time, so
that evening the cloudy skies urged the darkness of night to come
much sooner. Before I knew it, I was stranded in pitch darkness
standing inside a lit house among the dark shallow woods.
I guess it was bored
curiosity that beckoned me to look out the patio glass-doors. I
wanted to see just how dark the woods got on a cloudy moonless night.
With the backyard floodlight on, I turned off the dining room light
so my view wouldn't be obstructed by it's reflection.
I stood in the darkened
dining room and gazed out the sliding glass-doors, past the patio,
the backyard and grassy acres into the patchy foliage leading into
the pitch black woods. I couldn't help but marvel at the vast
darkness beyond. It was almost as if they surrounding area not cast
in light didn't exist. All around me was a sea of impenetrable
shadow and the small area covered in light was an island - my little
island of light.
It was then I felt very
alone,but at the same time I felt very grown up. I imagined this was
sort of how it felt to be an adult. To face this type of loneliness
unflinching was part of growing up, wasn't it? I was leaving
middle-school and in a few more years I would graduate high-school.
After that I would be sent off to a college of my choosing where I
would be well on my way to being my own man setting off alone to
establish my own life. 'Establish my own life', I thought to myself.
I stared into the dark
abyss contemplating that it wasn't much different than trying to see
into my own future. I had my whole life ahead of me and there was so
much I couldn't yet fathom. That, much like the small lit area in my
backyard, there wasn't much I could perceive past my immediate
future. I couldn't wait until I was old enough to make my own
decisions and set foot into the uncertainty that would make up my
adult life. In a matter of years I would begin to do just that.
It was then as my eyes
adjusted to the low light I notice two faint glimmers. I cupped my
hands around my face and pressed against the glass. Off in the
distance at the edge of the woods I could make out a pair of eyes
floating in the dark. I squinted to see if I could make out the form
the eyes were attached to,
A deer or elk perhaps, I
thought to myself. Deer weren't all to uncommon in this area and
from what my father told me elk could be spotted in the woods around
town especially around this time of year.
As I focused harder on
those eyes I noticed a rhythmic bobbing to them. The eyes would rise
very slowly then abruptly jerk down slightly only to rise slowly
again. Whatever animal it could've been was walking toward my house
with a limp.
My boredom was washed away
by this enigma hidden in shadows before me. What poor injured
woodland creature could be hobbling around the edge of my backyard, I
wondered.
Curious, I wanted to get a
closer look. I took a quick survey of the surrounding area, opened
the sliding glass-door and stepped outside with my bare feet.
Leaving the door open I made my way across the patio deck, the cold
wooden surface chilled my feet as I walked. I blew warm air into my
cupped hands and rubbed my forearms nearing the edge of the deck.
The brisk wind of fall
rushed through the tree branches shushing all other sound in the
night as I stood at the edge of the patio looking into the distance.
It was then a nagging feeling of exposure shook my nerves. A sense
of fear and urgency emerged telling me, 'I shouldn't be outside by
myself on a night like this'. At the time I thought it was bravery
that kept me outside. Now I know that I was only being stupid.
Shaking off the urge to run
back inside like a scared child I remained vigilant in an attempt to
see what kind of animal this wounded creature was. As I stood there,
arms crossed tightly against my chest, body shivering, I could see
the pair of reflective glowing eyes as they continued to bob their
way toward me. I squinted and could finally make out the slight
shape of a head. There were no antlers so I began to assume it was a
female deer.
Just as it seemed the
mysterious animal would step into the light and reveal itself, it
stopped. I was slightly annoyed by this. I had invested time and
effort to see what this animal was and just as I was about to find
out, it stopped?! Did it know it was about to step into the light?
Was it trying not to be seen by me? Or did it coincidentally notice
my presence right before stepping into the light?
In either case, I wasn't
going to let this discourage me. I'd come this far so I was
determined to find out what kind of animal was limping around my
backyard.
I cupped my hands around my
eyes again to block out any peripheral light coming from the house.
When my eyes readjusted to the added lack of light... I froze. My
breathe caught in my throat, panic gripped my chest and adrenaline
flooded my system making my ears ring. No longer was I shivering
form the cold - I was quaking in fear.
Heart pounding, I slowly
backed away into the house and shut the glass-door. Once inside, in
a fear induced panic I quickly locked all the doors and windows on
the first floor, set the house alarm, ran upstairs, locked myself in
my room and hid in my closet.
There I sat quivering not
knowing what to do. Moments before I had felt like such a grown-up
having the whole house to myself while my parents were away, but at
that moment I had reverted back to my childhood self hiding in the
closet after seeing something spooky. Only I'm sure what I had seen
wasn't a result of childish imagination.
When I was sure I was safe
enough to organize my thoughts I tried to make sense of what saw.
Whatever it was I'm sure it wasn't a deer or any four legged animal
you would expect to see coming from the woods.
That... thing was human in
shape, but the proportions were all wrong. It's head was long and
narrow. The shoulders were crooked with one sitting much higher than
the other. The arms were different lengths hanging at its sides
almost touching the ground. The whole thing was skin and bones
standing there on what appeared to be frail disjointed legs. The
thing looked fragile and weak, but at the same time it gave off the
impression that it was terribly dangerous. And those eyes. The
image of those eyes and the figure were burned deep into my psyche.
I couldn't think. I didn't
know what to do. Was it still out there? Would it break into the
house? Did it know where I was hiding? What would it do if it found
me?
Not wanting to find out I
came to the decision to call 9-1-1. I would've used my cell phone,
but I had left it downstairs on the dining table right before I had
gone outside to investigate. In my fear induced panic I neglected to
pick it back up in my rush to lock down and secure the first floor
before rushing upstairs to hide. There was no way I was going
downstairs again, not when that creature was lurking around.
The closest phone was in my
parent's room on their nightstand. This meant I would have to leave
the safety of my closet, exit my room, go down the hallway and into
my parents bedroom. This simple trek now seemed like a daunting
journey when faced with the potential threat that lurked somewhere
outside. I had no idea where the creature was or any idea of it's
intentions but I didn't want to risk finding out simply by doing
nothing.
In the darkness of my
hiding spot I gathered what little courage I had and quietly opened
the closet door. Slowly I left the closet being mindful not to look
toward the window. I didn't want to risk catching site of the window
only to see that thing staring back at me. With that in mind I tried
to stay concealed from the window as much as possible so I stayed
low, choosing to belly crawl until I reached my bedroom door. I
unlocked it and turned the latch with great care not making a sound.
In the hall I was a little
more confident as there were no windows in sight from where I stood.
I crept my way down the hall and into my parents room listening to
the wind outside as it grew more intense. I forced myself to think
that each groan and creak the house made was a result of the wind,
but in the back of my mind I couldn't help but imagine the sounds
were being made by the creature as it looked for a way inside.
In my parents bedroom I
quickly reserved myself to crawling on my belly again attempting to
stay hidden from the windows and keeping them out of my line of
sight. As I crawled the sound of wind was now accompanied by
raindrops beginning to tap against the window pain. At least that's
what I tried to tell myself. I couldn't help but imagine the
creature peering in through the window as it tapped against the glass
with gnarled claws trying to get my attention. My skin crawled and
my stomach tightened as this mental image played in my head.
In the darkness I finally
made it to the nightstand, reached my hand out and removed the
cordless phone form it's cradle. I dialed the numbers 9-1-1 and
before I could press the SEND button, I heard a noise coming from
downstairs. I froze as I heard a slight clattering. Could it really
be...?
Before I could finish the
thought I heard the front door chime and the familiar voices of my
parents. They were home early!
I was so relieved as I
cleared the numbers on the phone and ran down stairs to greet them.
I eagerly hugged both my parents which is something completely out of
character for me as I didn't feel it was very manly to hug my parents
upon their return from each trip. I just wanted to make sure they
were real and not part of the nightmare I was living just moments
ago.
Feverishly I tried to relay
to them everything I had experienced. My mother consoled me as best
as she could while my father, obviously tired from his trip,
dismissed my story as an overactive imagination. Still though, in an
attempt to placate my fears he retrieved his handheld spotlight from
the garage and took a quick look around our property.
When he came back he said
he didn't see anything and that what I probably saw was a deer
seeking shelter from the rain. I did my best to explain that it
wasn't. I told them that when I had first seen those reflective eyes
in the darkness I rationally assumed it was a deer up until I got a
closer look. Tried as I might I couldn't convince them of what I had
seen.
This all happened a couple
of years ago. Life still goes on, but every now and then I catch
site of that hideous looking creature when I'm home alone at night.
I've never seen it clearly and I don't want to, but I'll get a
glimpse of a pair of reflective eyes in the distant dark woods and
instantly know it's the creature.
One thing I've noticed
about it is that it never strays out into the light. It always stays
just beyond lights reach and waits. I've often wondered, what is it
waiting for? Is it waiting for the lights to go out? If there where
no backyard lights and motion sensing floodlights, would the creature
come even closer? I was never brave enough to test this theory.
I've long since stopped
raising the alarm when I see it, because after the first few attempts
to point it out it always disappears. My parents grew tired of these
efforts and when talks began of taking me to a therapist I
immediately stopped. I'm not crazy. I know what I saw and still see
to this day.
When I'm old enough, maybe
I can escape by moving back to the city. Live in a well lit and well
populated area. Will I still see it there? Will it somehow follow
me? I hope not.
Until then I continue to
live my life as best I can. But in my spare time when I'm alone, I
sit and stare into the darkness. I watch the creature as it watches
me. During these nights I pray the lights don't go out because who
knows what lurks in the dark shadows of night, just beyond the edge
of light.
