In the dark

It’s dark, but not quiet.

Neighbors voices muffled through the walls.

Cars with accentuated mufflers rumble down the street.

The soft hoot of an owl, the bark of a dog.

These are not noises that awake me.

The relentless hum of the fan circulating the air on this chilly night.

The brisk breeze drifting through the window.

The blanket warm and soft wrapped around me.

The pillow cradling my head moistened with my tears.

Temperature changes and the comforts of home, yet I still do not stir.

There’s a different darkness, a shadow of a person that finds me in my unconscious mind.

It makes no sound or sudden movements, it simply hovers watching. Watching yet with no discernible eyes or facial features.

I cannot move, my tongue is like a stone in my mouth. Overwhelmed by fear, a tear rolls down my cheek.

This entity of evil reaches for me taking the shape of a long thin arm with a claw like hand. It’s digits aiming for my throat.

A scream escapes my lips and startles me awake. Gasping for air, my mind tries to reconcile that it was but a dream.

In the dark, chilly room my arm stretches out, reaching for you. My safe place, the only man who I feel protected by, seen and loved.

In the darkness, I reach for you.