I’ve always been fascinated by stories of shapeshifters and skinwalkers. Growing up on a Navajo reservation, I heard countless tales of creatures that could transform themselves into animals, or even take on the form of a human. But I never truly believed in these stories - not until I encountered one for myself.
It happened one night, as I was walking home from a friend’s house. The moon was full and bright, casting an eerie glow over the landscape. As I made my way through the woods, I heard a rustling in the bushes. At first, I thought it was just a deer or a raccoon, but then I saw it.
A figure emerged from the shadows, its form indistinct and shrouded in darkness. But as it drew closer, I could see that it was no ordinary creature. Its eyes gleamed like amber, and its body rippled with muscles that seemed almost too large for its frame. I froze, unsure of what to do. But the creature didn’t seem to notice me. It padded past me, its footsteps silent on the forest floor. And then, in an instant, it was gone.
I stood there for what felt like hours, unable to move. The encounter had shaken me to my core, leaving me with a sense of dread that I couldn’t shake. But little did I know that it was only the beginning.
Over the next few weeks, strange things began to happen. I would wake up in the middle of the night to find scratches on my window, as if something had tried to claw its way inside. I would hear footsteps outside my door, but when I opened it, no one was there.
And then came the dreams. In them, I was pursued by the same creature I had seen in the woods. It would chase me through dark forests, across barren wastelands, and through twisting corridors. And each time, it would get closer and closer, until I could feel its hot breath on my neck. I tried to tell my family and friends about what was happening, but they just laughed it off. They said I was being paranoid, that I was imagining things. But I knew what I had seen, and what I was experiencing was all too real.
And then, one night, the creature came for me. I awoke to find it standing at the foot of my bed, its eyes glowing with an otherworldly light. It began to shift and contort, its body twisting and writhing until it took on the form of a human.
It spoke to me, its voice low and guttural. It told me that it had been watching me, studying me, waiting for the right moment to strike. It said that it had chosen me, that I was to be its vessel, its conduit into the world of the living.
I tried to run, but the creature was too fast. It pursued me through the house, its body changing shape with each passing moment. One moment it was a wolf, the next a bird, and the next a snake. It seemed to revel in its power, taking pleasure in my fear and confusion.
In the end, I was trapped. The creature had me cornered, its jaws snapping inches from my face. And then, in a moment of clarity, I remembered a story my grandfather had told me about shapeshifters.
He had said that the only way to defeat them was to call them by their true name. And so, with a trembling voice, I whispered the creature’s name.
It let out a howl of pain, its body writhing and convulsing.
I think it is over.