I looked around my room, it was dark. All sound that could be made was covered up by the loud buzzing of the window set air conditioner. The dark blanket of night had never seemed too creepy to me, but something was off. Then I saw it, my bedroom door was open and the hallway light was on. That struck me as off because the light was motion activated, as if someone went through it, it would have been in the past 5 minutes. Of course, my older brother could have snuck through downstairs for some food or to play games. I went for the flashlight I kept at the side of my bed, but the minute I found it, the AC shut off.

The sound that pierced the night was quiet and now I was scared. I turned the flashlight on and looked up at the old clock that sat in my room. The silly clown clock that once belonged to my great aunt had always seemed so trivial and it made no sense why I held onto it. I mean I am ten years old, I am a big boy. I didn’t need something that childish, but I could never bring myself to pull it off the wall and give it back to my mother. Then the clock stopped and the light in the hallway went out. I wished that was it just a power outage, but then a shadow dashed across the floor. I felt as though death himself pranced through my room. I tried to follow it, but the minute I had a chance to illuminate it, the flashlight went out. I saw it again as it slipped into my closet. I let out a yelp and I felt as though it yelled back in pure silence just as it glanced at me for a second. Those eyes terrified me. They were deep and empty as though nothing lay past them but the darkness of oblivion itself.

I awoke, thank God it was but a dream! I picked up the flashlight and looked at the clock. It was ticking away with that silly little clown inside it turning in circles in perfect rhythm every 5 seconds. It was 1:35AM. I assumed it was morning because I didn’t see anything out the window on the other side of my room. All the doors were shut, and it was the same with the window. I was safe. But then I thought I heard something fall in my closet. “I must have placed something poorly,” I said to myself as I slipped a little farther under the covers. Then I rolled over and  heard the door fly open. The hallway light was on and the door wide open. I felt a chill go down my back. This was like deja vu. Then I saw it for only a second as it dashed to my closet door like a cheetah across the room. It sent me that glance as though death himself looked upon me. It then quietly closed the closet door and I heard it whisper, in a deep, almost soothing voice. It brought both panic and relaxation. The thing simply said one word: “Goodnight.”
With a subtle cry like nails on a chalkboard the thing took shelter in the closet. I slid out of bed, creeping up to the closet like a puma stalking its prey, flashlight in hand. I reached for the doorknob, and felt that it was cold as arctic waters and I almost worried my hand would freeze onto it. With one fast motion I tore the door open with all my strength and pointed the flashlight into the closet. What I saw left me in awe.
Nothing… I saw nothing that wasn’t supposed to be there. The only thing out of place was a glass globe lying shattered on the floor. I fell onto my knees to get a better look at the shattered remnants. Sighing, I got to my feet. I guess it didn’t matter now. I slipped out of my room and snuck to my brother’s room, making sure to turn the hallway lights off manually. As I passed and took a peek into my brother’s room, he wasn’t in there. So I walked back through the hallway and  slipped down the stairs carefully as to not wake my parents, looked through the living room and dining room to see a light from the computer. After what I just saw it was like God's divine light itself. My brother was on the computer. I Breathed a small sigh of relief as I snuck up stairs.I was home free! But when I reached the last stair I heard the things voice again. This time I heard anger in it’s voice and I felt true fear for once in my life. It said, “I told you little one. Goodnight.”