It started with just tapping. Like a game. For a few nights it would go on tapping, and I’d sit upright in my bed, knife in hand. Watching.
Until a few nights ago, when it evolved from tapping to laughter. I’m woken up at around 2am by tapping on my window. Same routine, I get up, grab my knife, and sit back down to watch.
The tapping grows more rapid, louder with each passing second. “Hello?” I say, my blood running cold.
“Hello…?” My own voice croaks back. Wait a minute, my voice?
At this point, I’m a little fed up with the games, so i say “Who’s out there messing with me?”, thinking it’s my sister or my dad just trying to scare me. My sister happens to mock my voice pretty well.
“Who’s out there messing with me?” More laughter
What…the…fuck…that was definitely my fucking voice
I stand up, and walk slowly over to my window to investigate.
“Who’s out there messing with me?”
My feet stuck in place, my blood cold, and my breath unsteady, I wait. For anything. A noise, a voice, that same piercing laughter.
Anything
All of a sudden, someone knocks on the window. Three, light taps. “Hello? Who’s out there messing with me?”
Three more taps, “Who’s out there messing with me?”
“W-who are you?” I manage to say
“Who are you?” Three light taps
“Who’s out there messing with me”…silence
I don’t know what came over me, but in a moment of courage I grip my pocket knife and throw the curtains open.
What I saw, I can’t ever forget
It stood straight up, it didn’t have eyes but I knew it was staring at me, as I was staring at it. I couldn’t see it’s mouth, but somehow it cackled. Like a broken record, the same laughter over and over and over again like it had a recording of itself laughing and just played it on loop.
It drilled it’s way into my skull, I could still hear it even after it stopped and my curtains were closed.
“Please… leave me alone” I started to sob, as I slid down the wall opposite of my window.
“Please just leave…”
Silence
Somehow, even more chilling than the laughter.
My breath started to shallow. “Hello…?”
Nothing
I wait
1 minute
Then 2
5 minutes go by
5 more
Absolutely nothing
Did it leave…?
I stand up, wiping the tears from my cheek and neck, and side step over to my bed. Knife gripped tightly in my right hand, I sat still, eyes locked on my window.
At some point, i guess I’d fallen asleep, because at 9:30 in the morning, my mom comes in, asking me if I want pancakes. I look around, confused at how I’d just time traveled. Was it all a dream?
I pat around me to find my knife, to no avail. I can’t seem to find it.
“[Name], do you want pancakes?”
I snap back into reality, “Sure”
“Are you alright? You look sick..”
“Im okay, just tired.” I give a slight smile
“Alright, I’ll call you out when your pancakes are done.”
She leaves, shutting my door behind her.
It must have been a dream.. I found the fact comforting, that none of it was real. Everybody wants to believe their nightmares are just nightmares and nothing more.
Since then, I haven’t heard the cackling, however this morning while my family was eating breakfast, my sister complained that there were birds tapping on her window all night