It all really began when I was 7, it’s all a bit fuzzy to be honest, but I’ll do my best to give you a small recap and an idea of what’s happening to us here. Well, I say we, I really hope I’m not alone in this.
So, when I was 7, my Dad had tucked me into bed after shutting my curtains as there was a huge storm that night. He’d turned my nightlight on for me that I couldn’t sleep without. I loved it, it plugged into my wall next to the door across from where my bed is facing. It’s a bear shape and it has a blue light in it. My Dad kissed me in the cheek and said ‘sweet dreams cookie beans’ it was stupid, but it was our thing.
I remember struggling to sleep that night, I never normally struggled so long as I had my night light (which I very creatively called Blue). I had tried to sleep for about an hour and it just wasn’t happening. I felt a shiver through my body and instantly felt eerie, worried. I always thought of myself as a brave girl, especially for my age, I’d never had to ask my Dad to check my wardrobe for monsters or get scared about ghosts. But that night, the feeling I had around me, terrified me.
I started shouting my Dad after not being able to sleep and being scared. After the first couple of times of not answering me, I got more scared. I only usually had to shout for him once for him to come to me. So I began shouting louder, still sat on my bed with my purple fluffy blankets, just sat, shouting for my him. I started to realise the louder I was at shouting, the louder the thunderstorm outside was getting, and this was terrifying me even further. I jumped out of my bed and ran to my window to make sure my curtains were fully closed. Once I realised they were, I turned around to face my room, and fell to my rug, crying for my father.
All of a sudden, everything went silent. I thought I had gone deaf until I whispered ‘Suzie’ (my name) to make sure I could here. I was sobbing silently still sat on my floor. And then I heard what sounded like wind, but directly behind me. It made all my body shiver. I got up and sprinted out of my room to try and find my dad but he was nowhere to be seen. I heard the noise just once more behind me and then I woke up in my bed.
My Dad never believed me. It happened to me a couple of times a year and it would always be the same, still, it doesn’t make it any easier to have to go through.
I’m 22 now, single, living on my own in a small one bedrooms flat after finishing university.
Last night, something petrifying happened that hadn’t ever happened before, and I think I finally know what I’m dealing with. I just have no idea how to stop it. To be honest I don’t think it can be stopped.
I was in my living room watching some boring shit on telly. Id just had a full pizza to myself so I was full and ready for bed. It was around 11:30pm, I went to my room and tried to sleep. I knew it was going to happen when I heard the breeze. But like usual, I just wrapped my self up in my blankets and cried hoping it would stop like I do every other time. But this time was different.
Still wrapped up trying to protect myself, all I could hear was the wind had somehow started shouting. That’s the only way I can think to explain it. It was getting louder and louder so I just squeezed my eyes shut waiting for it to be over.
All of a sudden my blanket gets blown off me. I screamed and jumped out of bed putting my back against my wall to get as far away as I could for what I saw in front of me.
It was a black figure. It was copying every move I made, it was me. It had my shape, my hair, my everything that’s black figure could have. I realised this thing was my shadow, but I was still stuck on what it wanted from me. Why it was taunting me and how this was even possible. I only have a couple of answers. Unfortunately.
The shadows face started to stretch and I could see an endless hole where it’s mouth should be. I could feel my soul being ripped out of me as the wind took over my room. I couldn’t breathe and I could feel myself fading.
But then I thought about my Dad, I’m not ready to die, I don’t want him to have to live his last years without his only family. So with every bit of strength I could gather, I screamed from the top of my lungs, and I thought I would die by doing so. But it made my shadows stop.
Then everything went silent again. And in the wind, I heard a small whisper saying ‘tomorrow’.
Tomorrow has come, and I don’t want to be alone tonight.