"Goodnight" I say to Mum and Dad before they tuck me into bed, "Goodnight James" they both say to me as my dad kisses my forehead. “Mum” I say before they head off to bed themselves. “Yes petal?” “Is it true that other kinds of people are living around us?” She looks at me confused. “Of course, silly! Why do you think there wouldn’t be?”
I try to ask the question again, but phrase it differently. “No, I don’t mean real people, I mean, people or things who are there but can’t be seen.” Suddenly she then understands what I’m referring to. “Oh, you mean ghosts.” I nod. She then looks at me with a face that shows both wisdom and concern and puts a hand on my shoulder. “Look, James, you’ve been getting too many ideas from all those videos on YouTube. Besides, they aren’t real, they’re just videos made by people who know how to trick their audience.”
My Dad decides to chime in with “Yes, and at the expense of a good night’s sleep, because if you keep watching those videos, then you’ll begin to believe it so much you won’t know what’s real and what’s made up.”
My Mum turns to Dad to try and get him to stop. “Please don’t try and put any more ideas into his head, its already late enough!” I look at Dad confused and slightly on edge. “Wait, what! That can’t happen, can it?” Mum turns to look at me again, this time with an instinct of comfort, as all Mums tend to do. “Don’t listen to him, you’re one hundred percent safe. But yes, don’t watch too many of those videos otherwise you’ll be up every night.” She smiles reassuringly at me. I smile back at her, knowing I have a pair of the most protective and loving parents any boy could ask for. “Now” my dad says, “Its time you got to sleep.” “Okay” I say. My Mum kisses me on the forehead. I call out to them “Goodnight” once again. Then they turn out my light and close the door behind them, leaving me to rest well until the morning comes.
Soon, I'm lying under my blanket in the dark, all alone. The shadows cast a strange power around the room as if a dark fog has rolled in with full force and left no light to spare. Outside the moon shines through the window and its blinds, a watchful eye observing the town. But that’s outside, in here it’s much more hidden. It’s as if my room has become a cave, where humans from long ago lived to protect themselves from the outside world, but now that cave is empty and sealed away from any other humans. I’m now lying in that cave all alone. Something doesn't feel right. I can't quite seem to understand it but at this point without the presence of Mum and Dad, I feel much smaller than before. Like an ant moving across the rocks, separated from its colony, completely cut off from contact with its family. “No” I say to myself, “don’t try to think about it, just breathe in and out and get to sleep.”
I try to shake the uneasy feeling off by blocking out all of this nonsense and keeping my mind occupied on more happy thoughts; that's what Dad told me anyway, "Try to make your mind pay attention to something you-", scratch, scratch, what was that? I sit up in bed startled into position. My ears perk up to listen in. Nothing. Silence hangs over the room like a pall of smoke. I think to myself, “Strange, maybe Dad just accidentally tripped over something while walking to bed.”
I try to forget what I heard and turn my head to face my right-side on the pillow of my bed, my preferred way of sleeping. Soon things are silent again, and my eyes begin to droop... scratch, scratch, scratch. There is it again! I sit up in bed. I look around to see if anything, anything at all is somehow watching me, perhaps even spying on me, like a dangerous animal with claws as big as razorblades, observing its prey. I don’t like hostile animals, or ones which are bigger than me! What if it finds a way to break into my house and try to eat me? Oh god, I need to-, “No” I whisper to myself. I shake my head fervently. “Don’t think about it, just clear your head.” I repeat this phrase to myself for what seems like an hour before I begin to feel ever so slightly drowsy. I yawn softly before once again reclining on the mattress and begin to doze off into a nice and peaceful sleep.
“Wake up.” A whispered, hoarse voice rings in my ear like an electric shock. In an instant I’m jolted awake and rise up in bed startled. I look around, nothing. There’s no sign of anything. Who on earth is doing this and why? Is it actually a dangerous or... the realisation then hits me like a blow to the skull. It can’t be a ghost, can it? Oh no! Maybe those videos were true, no they can’t be because the people involved are still alive, I checked this, I know it for a fact! But how is there a ghost inside my room, what will I do? I could go and ask Mum or Dad about this, but it’s no use whatsoever; they’ll just dismiss it as me being too scared and want me to get back to sleep.
To further add to my predicament, I then look at my clock, and I realise it’s barely been an hour since I was last awake. I put my head in my hand as I try to figure out some way to escape this unexpected situation. And all the while my surroundings sit still, utterly silenced by nature, as if mocking me. The shadows dance around me like gratuitous eagles. Are they watching me, waiting to strike? At any moment I could be pounced on and be no more than bait for some indescribable monstrosity. I’m beginning to feel something is utterly wrong, but what can I do except wait until my inevitable end. No, I must stay strong. Be brave, James. Remember the words that Dad gave you, its just all in your head; you can do this, you can make it through the night and into morning safe and sound. Be as brave as you c-…. Crash, I hear it right above my head, a thunder crack and a lightning strike, only not from outside but inside, inside the roof. As soon as the reverberation from this shockwave hits me, I am frozen into submission, unable to move even the slightest inch. My room doesn’t feel safe anymore. I feel I must leave this cage and find a reasonable escape. Instantly, I climb out of bed and reach for the door… it won’t open. I’m stuck inside.
I pull ferociously at the handle with all the strength I can muster up in my body, but to no avail. Will this barricade ever break? All the while I’m shouting as loud as possible for the help of my parents. “Mum! Dad! Help! I’m stuck, and I can’t get out!” But all I can hear is a deafening boom of silence. It feels as if my room is chained closed; any way of escaping to safety is blocked to me. I continue to try and pull at the door handle, but it’s no use. In the end I simply collapse onto the floor and begin to cry. I’m locked away, in my own room all by myself with no help in sight, while being watched and preyed upon by a wretched supernatural and incomprehensible force of evil. My tears drop down to the floor. I’m trapped in here until whenever this dreadful night decides to let me go and run back into the warm arms of Mum and Dad. But right now, I’m only able to wait for the cold to subside.
My room feels frozen, both in time and in feeling. Any second from now could be my last, and I... I look up and over to the other end of the room to see it. Not a ghost, but a demon, sitting in a crawling position on the ceiling. I can’t make out its features, as I immediately dash for my bed and hide under the covers with a small barely audible scream. Despite not seeing it clearly, I know that it wasn’t human or animal, but a spawn from a void in hell. A harbinger of merciless horror. Under those covers, I lie stiff and chained in fear. My nightmare knows no bounds to keeping me away from salvation. Above me, I can hear that beast making incomprehensible noises unheard of by the human ear, ones reminiscent of murder. Oh, what must I do to be let go! What about Mum and Dad too? Are they safe, or did the demon get to them first? Oh god, please let this end so I can be at peace! Then all of a sudden, scuttle, scuttle, scuttle… crash. Then, complete silence. I lie there with my breath held, my body tense, still petrified from fear. Is it gone? Has the demon seen pity and let me be, finally can I sleep in peace and quiet? Do I get to leave? Oh, I do hope so, but I’m certain that door is still probably locked. I’m desperate to check, but for fear of a trick from that beast I decide to stay under my sheets for protection. For now, I’ve at least found a way to protect myself from that demon. I now begin to wipe away my tears and try to calm myself down through breathing slowly.
A useful tip which my Mum told me would help ease my fears in scary situations, “counting to ten also helps sometimes, it will give you a chance to focus better.” With that advice in mind, I begin to count. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. My stress begins to lower, ever so slightly. I go again. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. My body begins to ease. It’s actually working! I do it again. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
I continue to repeat this process for another fifteen minutes until eventually all the fear which invaded my body and left me paralysed has gone. I did it! The beast has left me alone, and I can finally rest easy without worry. Oh, thank God it’s over! A warmth then takes over my body, and I feel more relaxed than I think I’ve ever felt! But then I realise, what about the door? Is it open? Can I leave my room now, or is it another one of that beast’s horrible tricks? I decide then to go and check. I slowly remove my bed covers with the utmost caution; I may have defeated the beast, but I still don’t know whether it is truly gone for good and if I’ve been set free. My eyes then peer over the edge of the sheet to find, nothing. There’s nothing there, the beast is truly gone! I sigh a relief knowing that my celebration wasn’t premature.
I pull off the covers fully, climb out of bed and on to the cold floors. They sting my feet like rods of sharp needles, a huge contrast to the warm and gentle protection of my bed covers, but I’m too determined to let that hold me back. Eventually I reach the door and extend my hand to the handle. I close my eyes prepared for what could happen, either I’m free or I’m stuck in here forever. I clutch the handle and pull it down. A soft click resonates around the room. It’s open. The door is finally open, I can leave! Finally, I’m actually free and safe from that nightmare. I’m so relieved I could cry from happiness! I can be with my parents again! At last, though I calm down and decide to head back into bed as I don’t want to wake them up from their sleep. Besides, they won’t even know what I’ve been experiencing and even if I tell them, they’ll likely not believe a word I say. That’s the sad part of all this, no matter who tell about tonight’s events, even if it’s someone who trusts me dearly, not a single description is going to convince them that this wasn’t some sort of dream I had. So, with that in mind, I head back into bed, pull up the covers, and try to fall asleep. Eventually I get into a comfortable position, and my body relaxes once more. I then breathe in and out, knowing that I’ve proudly survived the night. My eyes then begin to drop again, and soon I fall fast asleep.
“Wake up!” I hear that deep and sharp whisper again. My eyes bolt open immediately and I rise up again out of bed. I look around and see… nothing. But this time not even a window or a wall is in sight, it’s just an endless black void as far as the eye can see, like an ocean of oil and with no light in sight. My vision is completely gone, and I can’t see a thing, not even my hands.
At this moment I start to panic and at once I try to climb out of bed without falling onto the floor. My foot reaches down to the ground; it feels deathly bitter and frozen. The feeling pierces my feet, like knives and screws, and I almost cry out in pain and recoil back onto the bed; but then I regain my strength and continue walking and finding my way around my surroundings. I’ve always hated when I have been forced into sitting in the dark, it makes my body sick with claustrophobia, and though I have to sleep with the lights off, my room at least has the benefit of the light of moon shining through the window almost every night. But here without a window and absolutely no chance of finding an exit. I feel absolutely petrified like I’ve never felt before. Despite this, I try my best to find my bearings and make sense of where to go.
It takes me what feels like forever to make any sort of movement, but gradually I am able to find a rhythm and move my feet. I trudge along the wasteland and walk slowly but surely; all the while I try to think about why and how I ended up here along with a myriad of other pressing and horrible questions. Did I accidently fall for one of that hound’s tricks without knowing by letting my guard down? What about Mum and Dad, what happened to them? Are they okay, did the foul beast get to them too? Oh God I hope not! Then, even though I should have absolutely realised it the moment I heard that ghastly whisper, it hits me. Not only have I still not managed to escape the beast’s imprisonment, but I’m also stuck in an actual nightmare, likely one of the beast’s own making, a fiendish trap.
Soon I collapse onto the floor in tears yet again, but this time with so much more passion than before and along with it I let out a scream that echoes around the vast desert. In fact, it spreads from all around me and becomes its own force acting against me, my voice’s own betrayal, a taunt from that devil! Soon, it comes closer and closer and closer until the sound of it boxes me into a ball and I yell out “STOP IT!” A final attempted defence act against the forces before they end up tearing me apart and in two; then silence reappears once again. Instantly the sound cuts off without warning, but this brief pause only serves as an achingly short respite as it’s replaced by a deafening sound of distortion that closes me into a ball at lighting speed, the likes of which no one can comprehend. It gives me no time to react as it swallows me whole and its sound cuts off within seconds. And suddenly my eyes open to a familiar sight. I’m under my covers again, I am back in my room once more!
I let out an aching breath, thinking I’ve genuinely made it out of the nightmare until… I see it. It hangs right above my bed, that hound sits above, facing me from the ceiling, hanging there with a wretched smile and a breath made of poison. My devil in the flesh, the one who has haunted me to no end this night has finally revealed its face of terror and come to damn me into an oblivion which no one, no mortal human will know and can even think about. I gasp and put a hand to my mouth in complete and utter terror, one last attempted cry for help from my parents who either sleep soundly or had their lives snuffed out. However, despite my best attempt to fight back, my voice barely reaches beyond the door of my room. And that's the last thing I remember... before the blackout.
Copyright: Joseph Caddell - 2026