I saw him standing at the foot of my bed, looming over as his shadow sat across my blanket. I couldn’t move, I could only stare. His skin was as pale as a ghost, yet still, his face gleamed with life. He smiled a wide, open grin with rows of sharpened teeth gleaming from the light of the moon.
“Who…” I tried to speak, but my lips sealed shut, as if I weren’t in control.
The man’s bloodshot eyes bolted from my head towards my toes and back. Studying me. Watching me. He tilted his head, as if he were curious. I could see his eyes quickly glance up as I managed to speak once again.
“Are..” I managed to stutter, and yet again, my mouth sealed shut. The man’s arm lifted upwards as he brought his elongated finger towards his lips. A hissing shush erupted from within. The smile upon his face remained.
Within the hall, familiar voices began to pass by my room. With each passing step getting louder, I considered alerting them. However, with the threat of the man, I kept quiet and let them pass by. Now, with my parents presumably off to sleep, I was truly alone with this… thing.
He began to move towards my head, keeping eye contact as he did so. His finger stayed upon his lips, not ever moving from its position. With every movement he made, a little cracking noise could be heard. Standing beside of my head, I felt him remove his hand from his face and place it on my scalp, rubbing my hair. “Good.” A raspy voice whispered. “Good indeed.” He confirmed.
With a few pats of my hair, a gust of wind filled the room. Feeling the life return to my body, I quickly sat upright and, while shaking, examined the room around me. The man was nowhere to be seen as I flialed my hands through my hair. Terrified, I’d notice a small gap in the window that I’d typically kept close. I quickly sprinted towards it, closed the window and hopped back into bed.
I didn’t sleep for the rest of the night, terrified of the creature returning. I tossed and turned, keeping an eye on my entire room. When the morning began to set, I heard the call of my mother from within the kitchen. Rushing into the room, I grabbed a plate of food that she’d prepared. I must’ve looked tired, as my mother gave me an odd stare. Sitting down at the dining table, she seemed dreary. “Sorry that the tooth fairy didn’t come last night, dear. I know how much you were looking forward to getting some money for that tooth.”
I shuddered, and slowly began eating the breakfast she’d made, with images of that rotten man flooding my mind. His smile. His sharpened teeth. The crackling of his bones. Considering that was my last baby tooth, I should be thankful. But now all I can think about is dreading the day that I lose my adult teeth.