Trudging up the stairs, a new tiredness washed over me as I thought of my warm bed. Walking into the bathroom, I started the usual bedtime routine. As I lethargically finished drying my hands, I reached over the counter to get some lotion.
The weathers the coldest this year, and the middle of winter is brutally drying the skin on my hands. I curiously gaze at the blurred, tainted glass of the window while rubbing my hands together, noticing a strange movement behind it.
I was wondering to myself how I was able to see branches so close, since the trees were further away from the window than it looked. Out of pure curiosity, I decided to look at it. I unlatched the window, not taking my eyes off of the branches. Slowly turning the handle, the window crept open from left to right, revealing more of my blackened backyard as it moved.
Nope. No trees here. Lost in thought, I began to wonder. Perhaps it was the moon, casting a silhouette of a further placed tree? Maybe, something was moving somehow in the bathroom? I stood perfectly still, and looked around the room. Still waving. As I started turning back to the window, a sudden scraping noise quickly stopped me. My eyes widened. It was probably nothing.
Stop being a wuss, I told myself. I turned fully towards the window and wrapped my fingers on the handle.
At the very top of my peripheral, I noticed something. It wasn’t bright, or big. It was just… not there before. Panning my head up was the first mistake. Whatever I had just looked up at was staring back down at me. Or at least.. it knew I was there. It definitely knew I was there. My eyes widened and I noticed myself shaking. The hair on the back of my neck stood erect like a statue. I was looking at what I can only describe as… a monster. An unknown being, not meant to be seen with our mortal eyes.
Whatever was staring down at me from the side of my window frame, was something far from human comprehension. It’s face was wrinkled. As if an old mans rotting skin was scrunched into an ovular shape. There were no eyes. No mouth. Only wrinkles. So many wrinkles. It was so tall, so slim. I had hardly noticed my breathing stop, as I snapped back into lucidity. I no longer felt tired. My body was still as stiff as stone when I noticed the dozens of darkened, swaying tendrils that were flowing behind it.
It leaned closer to the window, emitting a clicking noise, before tilting its head.
What the hell do you want? was the thought going through my mind. What came out of my mouth was nothing short of a whimper. What jolted me back to consciousness was when it put up a 2 fingered inky hand onto the screen of the window, as if it was testing its strength.
I quickly turned the handle as fast as i could spin it, slamming the latch closed. I bolted out of the bathroom and down the stairs, to the safety of the middle of my household, not doing so much as even a peek at if it was still there.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. It paused. Clicklicklicklicklicklikikik Crunch. Crunch.
As the clicking of the beast, as well as the low rumbling steps slowly grew quieter and quieter, the thumping in my chest began to slow.
Whatever that was, I never saw it again. I don’t know if I was hallucinating, or just tired. I never told anyone about it. They would call me crazy. No one would believe me.
If you ever see what looks to be a single swaying branch outside your window: think again before looking. You may never. Ever. Feel safe again.