I woke up at 2 AM, fully aware of what I was about to witness. My mind rarely allowed me any sleep on these occasions. It had happened too many times for me to fear it. I sat up, having to force myself to look at the window. I was right. He was there. I could sense it with more certainty that anything in that moment. I could sense him, and he could see me.
The silhouette moved slightly. His jaw was opening, and from what I could make out, something moved within it. The thing exited it’s throat, jumped to the ground, and disappeared.
I watched it. I didn’t fear it. I was used to it. It’s heavy distorted breathing, it’s unnaturally silent movements. The subtle, muffled noise resembling rain which accompanied it. It was a part of my life. One that I was obligated to watch. One that I had to be aware of for the sole reason that I always had to. A being that had fused itself to my life and sanity. Only my life.
No one believed me, and no one had to. They had no reason to, and I had no reason to care.
Its silhouette became more defined as it dragged itself closer to the window. Not close enough to see its features, but enough for it to see mine. It stood there, its distorted breathing growing faster, before it receded into the darkness.
January 1st. For me, this marked the beginning of another year. It had been like this for as long as I could remember. When I was younger, I used to call him „Mr. Rain”. I never thought of him as dangerous. Now? I know I should be terrified; but I can never bring myself to be. It never hurt me, and it’s been this way for so long. Like I said, It’s a religion.
It came again the next day. This unusual occurrence is what finally broke my attitude towards it. I woke up at 2 AM once again. This time, it took me a few minutes for me to become fully conscious. I sat up, confused at my awakening. I focused my vision and stared at the time.
2:10
It couldn’t be him again. Why would I even think of something that stupid. He only came on January 1st. At 2 AM. This wasn’t him, and there was no reason for it to be.
But still, that instinctual feeling returned. It resembled his arrival. My sight began to clear, so I slowly forced myself to stand up and look at the window. I stared at the blinds. He wasn’t behind them. I would have been able to sense it by now.
Breathing.
The same distorted breathing I had heard every year for my entire life. It felt different this time. Not the monotonous gargling breaths that I had become indifferent to. He was panting now, growing faster with each breath. I recognized and emotion in him that he had never displayed.
Impatience…
Or desperation.
He wanted me to see him.
I turned towards the door, my mind now filled with a mix of impatience and panic as I began to walk towards it.
The darkness offered a temporary form of comfort. It prevented me from seeing, and for a few seconds, sensing him, but once my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could begin to make out a silhouette behind the blinds, accompanied by breathing and the familiar noise of muffled rain.
I couldn’t bring myself to touch the blinds. Until now, accepting the mans presence had been instinctual, but now that it’s consistency had ended, I no longer felt safe in his presence. This fear didn’t end once the man left my window. I stood there in shock, tuning out everything. I finally realized the true significance of this man’s presence. A fact I had either ignored or repressed. I was in danger.
2:20
A week later, I once again woke up, but this time, it was to a noise. Banging. It was coming from my living room. Of course, this immediately reminded me of the man, as the anxiety of that encounter hadn’t fully faded yet. This time, I left my bedroom immediately. My neighbors kids where infamous for shit like this. Their parents had lost over $200 from smashed windows alone, and I was not about to waste my time suing them.
The banging faded as I ran down the hallway, and cut off as I stepped into the living room. I pulled down the blinds immediately and stared at the window. Nothing. I couldn’t make anything out.
The banging resumed, sounding more distant this time. I could make out the sources silhouette. It was a bird smashing itself against my bedroom window. Why the fuck would a bird be flying at my window intentionally? I stared at it for a few minutes as it continued to smash itself against my window. It eventually stopped and flew in the direction of the living room window, paused, and stared at me. Its eyes unnerved me. It occurred to me that the bird may have been blind. Perhaps that was why it kept flying at my window.
I began to hear breathing.
From inside the apartment.
I couldn’t bring myself to move. My joints lost all articulation. The source of the breathing began to walk towards me, emanating a sound resembling muffled rain. Water began to pool on the ground as he moved closer, passing me and pressing his face against the window.
I had never seen the man’s features before, and even now, he kept his face concealed with only his back showing. He was completely bald, however his neck was covered in hair which seemed to extent to his spine. He wore a white cloak over it, which faded into the source of the noise.
His entire lower body was composed from water droplets, smashing against the floor producing puddles of water. He stood there with his face against the glass as water kept pooling around him, until he finally opened the window, jumped at the bird and swallowed it midair, before evaporating.
I haven’t seen him since, and I still haven’t informed anyone about him. I sincerely hope he never returns, but sometimes, I still wake up hoping to see His Shilhoette outside.