After putting on some warm clothes, going on my computer for a bit, and getting a snack, I was ready to sneak out. My dad took my phone the day before, but didn’t take my car keys, assuming I had no where to go if I had no phone. Tip-toeing towards the front door, I remembered that my keys were on my dresser in my room. I sighed, turned, and headed upstairs. I carefully avoided the spots on my floor where I knew if I stepped, would let out a creak. I walked down my dark and quiet hallway, the distant hum of the air-conditioner providing a white noise for my mind to focus on. As I approached my room, I felt a strange presence, and I suddenly became uneasy. I paused in my open doorway, breathing softly, in fear my dad would discover that I was planning on going out (seeing that my shoes were on). I waited for a moment, and flipped my light switch. I quickly snatched my keys up off of my dresser, and faced the doorway, still feeling the presence. My stomach stirred and gave me a ticklish feeling in my throat. I began to let my mind play with me, thinking of creatures or killers that may lay around the corner of the dark hallway that lay in front of me. I swallowed my fear and quickly exited my room, switching the light off, and rounding the corner. I was cautious as I approached the corner that intersected the staircase, my dad’s room, and the guest bedroom. I kept my eyes on the stairs, and descended quicker than I had came up. A little spooked, I got out of the house as fast as I could, and into the cool summer night.

The moon was at its first quarter, and my yard was slightly illuminated. All the neighbor’s houses were dark, and slightly outlined by the moonlight. I quietly slipped into my car and shut the door as softly as I could while still securely shutting it. After the feeling I got inside, I couldn’t help but to look in the back seat as soon as I entered. To avoid detection, I kept my lights off, and shifted the car into reverse. My driveway is very long and on a slight incline, so I began to roll slowly down. As I did this, I looked for a good radio station, and my attention was deterred to the radio. After finding a decent station with tolerable reception, I looked back up to the dashboard, and slammed on my brakes. The light in my room was on. The entire house was dark except for that room in the upper-left hand corner. I shifted the car into park and sat there tense and nervous. What worried me is that there were no other lights on in the house. If my dad had gone into my room, it would make sense that he would turn his light on, and the hallway light as well, in order to see where he was going. I sat there for a few moments, my eyes locked on the two windows that exposed my room, until I saw a shadow. It was partial and large, against the left wall. It was still, and I thought it was my lamp or something, until it moved away. My eyes stayed fixed on the spot where the shadow was, until I saw movement in the right window. Slowly walking into view, a large, burly figure centered himself in the right window. I inhaled sharply, and my heart fluttered as the figure stopped, facing adjacent to me, towards my door. Time froze, and it slowly turned to face the window. Its clothes were indistinguishable from its hair, which reached down several feet, blending into the matte, dark color of its clothes. Its hair was scraggly and disheveled, and its figure was wide and tall. It stood there, its face hidden by the hair; a silhouette in my window.

I was frozen in horror. I had no idea what to do but to sit there, hoping it was a joke my dad was pulling on me. Could my dad be playing a joke on me? No. There was no way. I had never seen anything like it before, and I felt as if I was dreaming. I started to become lightheaded as I trembled and began to hyperventilate. I sat erect, eyes fixed on the figure that stood as still as a statue, staring out the window. My jaw trembled, and goosebumps covered my arms, legs, and neck. I opened the door of my car and got out, exposed to the silence of the night that was broken only slightly by the faint sounds of a radio advertisement, and my panicked breathing. I slowly approached the house, keeping my eyes on the window, with no particular plan in mind. I looked forward at the front door, and then back up to my room. I stopped in my tracks as I saw the figure slowly exit my room. Instantly after it disappeared out the doorway, I thought it could only be going one place; my dad’s room. A sudden boost of adrenaline shot through my body, as I ran to the front door, and burst through screaming as loud as I could. I shouted unintelligibly as I leaped up the stairs, skipping 3 at a time. I reached the landing on the second floor, and turned to my dad’s door. Surprisingly, it was closed. I placed my hand on the doorknob, and burst into the room with the mental image of the figure following close behind me. My dad was sitting up in bed, yelling at me in confusion to ask what was going on. I felt relief wash over my body, along with a burst of fear, thinking that it had not yet reached the room. I continued forward as I turned my body to face the door. I backed up and fell onto my dad’s bed, my eyes fixed on the doorway. My dad continued to question me in a concerned and bewildered manner. I told him to be quiet and that something was in the house. “Something?” He questioned as he took a baseball bat out from under his bed. I could sense the fear in his voice. I heard the floor creak downstairs, followed by the sound of plastic shattering and banging. I sprung to my feet, and looked to my dad, who was already up and walking towards the door, bat in hand. He told me to follow behind him, which I did hesitantly. I followed him into the hallway, and down the stairs, turning on lights behind me. I felt comforted by the lights and my dad’s presence, but was still waiting to see the figure at any moment. After entering the kitchen, our eyes were drawn to our screen door, which was now a mangled plastic frame on the ground. “What the hell?” My dad said, completely confound at the events that had just played out. He shut the sliding glass door and proceeded to question me. I told him my plans to sneak out and what had happened. He was just happy that we were okay, and continued to call the police. I knew it was gone, but I still decided to turn all the lights on downstairs. My heart continued to pound, and I sat on the couch to relax as I waited for police to arrive- I was safe now.

The figure never returned since this happened (It was a year from today), but the memory still haunts me. I feel uneasy being alone in my house, or in my neighborhood; even during the day. I always have the feeling that it’s there, wanting to come inside to watch me. I’ll never know what it was or why it fled when I came inside. I’ll never know why it was in my room, or if it was human. Since then I’ve just been trying to convince myself that it never happened.