Shallow Steps

The boy was close to falling asleep in his bed, until noises were heard in the basement near his room. He didn’t think anything of it as the boy tried to fall back asleep, thinking it was most likely just an animal; or anything other than what was truly awaiting him. As the boys eyes grew heavier, the sounds of shallow steps grew louder, piercing his sensitive ears.

His body trembled in immense fear for what was approaching him, yet the boy still couldn’t open his eyes. As the grimacing steps stopped, he got an uneasy feeling of somebody…or something standing right over him…just staring. Although his eyes were purposefully glued shut, he knew deep down he needed to open them to convince himself that there was nothing there, and that it was all in his sleep deprived mind.

With all his might he opened them and…nothing. Nothing but darkness that could go on for miles on end. As he shut his eyes again thanking God nothing was there, he suddenly regained the knowledge that there are usually lights on in the basement…yet everything was just…black.

Again he rushed to open them in awe, finding that he was no longer in his bed…his back laid flat on the ceiling, him facing what used to be a bed, yet now appears to be a pit of black, scowling spiders.

The boy squirmed, trying to get out of his situation yet nothing came of it. No progress was being made and soon the black spiders creeped up the walls on all sides and started covering his whole entire body. He was now drowning in the fowl creatures who then started to enter his mouth blocking his airway; the boy faded in and out of consciousness, not knowing if it was from fear, or lack of oxygen in his system. When the moment approached of him being out for good, he lost what little ounce of courage he had left; and before fading into the afterlife, the spiders disappeared, and he fell into the dark pit where the spiders once were.  

As his courage continued to slowly drip away into the terror, so did he; into what seemed to be a dark abyss. The poor boy panicked, and screamed with all the might his body would allow – screams so loud they could burst the strongest glass into a million pieces, but to him they were silent. How could a scream be so loud, but so quiet at the same time, heard by nobody?

Floating away from the life he once lived – nobody knows, or cares to hear his struggling or screams for dire help. “Will anybody come? Does anybody care about me?” The boy thought with the feelings of deep betrayal now entering his soul. “Am I alone?”

Hope seemed to fade away from his body with the powerless cries for help, and the boy just closed his eyes – falling into nothingness.

Suddenly…he felt the comfort of his bed, in the same side-laying position he was in, the lights were back on in the basement, and he knew this was all just a dream…until those steps appeared once more… His eyes opened wide, and there was a black figure standing in the doorway staring into his soul. He couldn’t fight it, he couldn’t move. Maybe this is a dream? As the boy was trying to find solutions, the shallow steps creeped closer.

Grimacing whispers filled the air, so loud, yet nobody seemed to hear them but him. Nobody came to the poor boys rescue, in his most desperate need for aid.

The boy couldn’t make out what these whispers were saying…as the shadow approached..the whispers grew louder. The boy couldn’t take it so he tried to move, yet his body was permanent. Tears started falling slowly down his cheek, flooding his face, fading into the pillow. He tried moving his mouth to get words out but couldn’t even seem to find the strength to do that, and even if he spoke, would anyone come for him?

The figure was over his body, and the whispers stopped. The shadow reached its hand to wipe the boys’ tears, and a sudden whisper pierced the boys’ eardrums… “don’t cry”. Then silence. All of a sudden the loud whispers filled the room once more; “don’t cry” “don’t cry”.. Then silence.

The boy doesn’t know if he stopped crying because the voices told him too, or because he didn’t have any more tears to shed. After the cries stopped, the shadow vanished. Maybe this was all over? The boy thought…until he felt something creep up his legs…then torso…then nothing…though it felt like something was on the other side of him, lying in the bed. He tried throwing himself off the bed but couldn’t, although even if he could, would he be brave enough to run away?  

His eyes shut in a rush of anxiety, and the faint whispers began again, yet this time it was different. These whispers were only behind him. They were faint, like something was whispering in his ear.

Then something cold as ice began touching his waist… the whispers grew louder and louder as the grasp of this shadow grew stronger and colder… “YOURE ALL MINE”.

The boy opened his eyes and screamed NO with all of the boldness his body could muster. The shadows claws grew deep into the boy and all the boy could hear were screeches. He just kept screaming “NO” over and over again until he woke up screaming the same exact word overcoming his anxiety.

“It was just a dream..” he thought to himself… “just a stupid dream…”

Yet this boy felt a pain on his waist…and he felt colder than usual. He pushed the blanket off of him, pulled up his shirt and there were seven claw marks engraved in his side, like something was holding on to him…and didn’t want to let go.

He feared that it will never – let – go…