As I child I had an imaginary friend named James, he lived in my basement and was overall very nice to me. Whenever I was in the basement during the day I’d descend the basement stairs waving and saying “Hi James!”. I did this even as I got older and “outgrew” my imaginary friend. However, I came to realize that James wasn’t the only one who lived in this basement. At night, I was terrified to go into the basement. I could feel this other thing down there and it wanted to hurt me. I felt it at my back as I raced up the stairs towards safety and into the light. I felt its defeat at never being able to catch me on those nights and it scared me. However I was very aware that this wasn’t James.
James was kind and watchful plus the only annoying thing he’d ever make me do is piss my pants or watch me. That’s the other odd thing, every time I stepped foot on the basement floor I always had to pee. It was like a fear response or something but it ALWAYS happened. When I left for college I said goodbye to James and would always make sure to say hi when I was home for break.
Last year I moved into a house that had a basement where our laundry was kept. The first time I went down there it felt different, like it was almost empty. I never felt the need to race up stairs at night or an intense need to pee. All that changed a month ago.
That day I descended the basement stairs, turned on the light and started laundry like usual. But something different happened, I became aware of feeling watched and then I had a very sudden urge to pee. I shrugged it off and went to the bathroom before going back downstairs. I didn’t have to pee anymore but I still felt like I was being watched. I chuckled an absentmindedly muttered “Cut it out James.” I froze, why had I said that name?? I’d never said it at school before nor had I even thought about him in weeks.
Over the next weeks I found myself doing what I did at home and saying “Hi James!”, and waving. The basement felt different too, it didn’t feel empty it felt…lived in I guess. At first I was kinda happy to have James but I soon realized it wasn’t as great as I thought.
Last Friday I went downstairs at night to do laundry, something I did regularly and often. I’d never had a problem before but this was different. It felt dangerous to be down there like it was unsafe. I even found myself darting from light source to light source like I had done as a child. When I had to leave the basement I felt it, the intense need to race up the stairs. I tried to ignore it but a voice at the back of my head whispered “RUN.” So I did just that. I bounded up the steps and turned around at the top seeing the darkness loom just beyond the light. And in that darkness I felt IT watching me and its defeat at having lost again.
It’s night time and I’m in the kitchen right know. I think someone is doing laundry in the basement. I smile, see there’s an upside to living with people, at least now IT has plenty of people to chase.