In the Night

It calls to me each night,

The creature without a face or smile.

Its cold, gray hands inch out from under the bed like clockwork,

Long fingers with pointed nails grazing the covers I hide behind.

It whispers in my ear,

A cold breath that sends a chill down my spine.

I am afraid to move, afraid to see,

Afraid to breathe.

Sometimes, it brings others;

A swirling mass of gray cloaks circling above my head,

Like a sinister hurricane of rattling breath and sly tongues.

They persuade me, these creatures,

Chanting melodies that fill me with dread.

They mock me, with their expressionless voices,

A never-ending litany of which I long to be free.

When it comes alone, it toys with my mind,

Twisting and pulling my dreams like a grotesque artist.

I am paralyzed with fear as the nightmares progress,

And though I wake, I find myself paralyzed.

My eyes roam the dark shadows of the room,

For I know now that it will find me whether or not I close my eyes.

I turn my head, and above me, staring, is the terrifying figure.

I gasp in fear as I realize, it’s nothing more than a mirror image of myself.