Katie flake

3:00AM

Every night for the past week, the familiar sound of an owl hooting has woken me up. Living in a densely wooded area, this is a common experience and is often welcome by fellow night owls such as myself. The only strange part being the almost alarm clock precise time of the hooting. For the first few days I would listen to the hooting while reading or watching videos on my phone. By the third day I noticed that the hooting would start at 3:00 AM sharp and the owl would continue it’s hooting until the witching hour had passed. The sound was very relaxing, a soothing low pitch that would continue for a full hour. However, by the fifth day, it became a little unsettling. Barn owls had always been one of my favorite nightly sounds to listen to, next to the cayotes that would often howl at similar times. It wasn’t until that fifth night that I had realized the cayotes haven’t howled once since that owl had started. In fact, there was no other noise during that hour, other than the usual rustling of leaves and snap of twigs. Come the seventh night I decided it was time I look at this owl and see why it was perching on my rooftop and calling at such a strange hour every night. I waited until 2:59 in the morning to open my window and poke my head through the cold night air. I wish I could say the cold breeze is what brought a chill up my spine. Unfortunately, I saw the owl sitting in its typical spot, it’s hooting starting right on time. This is not the part that chilled me down to the bone. After following the owl’s big brown eyes, I noticed what it was hooting at. A large figure was perched directly across from my window, almost completely covered by the surrounding trees and foliage. Its large Orange eyes peered through me, then back at the owl. The owl continued it’s low almost melodic hooting, the creature’s eyes no longer seared through mine. I have heard in many legends and myths of owls being warning signals of sorts, and even spiritual protectors. I now understand why it sits so still, like the gargoyle protecting its home. I closed my window slowly, as softly as I could. I have always been very deeply invested in the supernatural and the occult. No amount of reading or preparing could have helped me understand what I was looking at in that moment. I picked up my phone ready to call for help, when I saw the time was 4:00AM on the dot another chill went down my spine, how had it been an hour already? I looked back out the window and saw the creature was gone, I opened my window just enough to poke my head through. I could hear other animals moving and creating small sounds again. With that thing nowhere in sight I decided to take a chance and look for my new possible savior. The owl had wandered over to its nest which sat a few feet from my window, it’s hooting stopped, its yellow eyes peeking over at me and then looking off into the woods again. I’m not sure if what I saw was real, or if anyone else will believe it but since then I leave bird seed and berries on my roof for that owl. I now refer to him as my gargoyle, for warding off what ever that thing is. Now every night I wait and listen for my small companion, it has been several days since the encounter. I am a bit worried tonight, I looked at his nest this afternoon and couldn’t find him, the berries I had left him in the morning were untouched. The clock just struck 3:03, I haven’t heard him, all I have heard is creaking from the tree across from my window.