For as long as I can remember, IT has followed me. Always in the corner of my eye, watching over me. IT looked like a dark shadow, vaguely humanoid, but with bright orange eyes. At first, my parents thought IT was just an imaginary friend, like most children have. As I got older, they became worried that something was wrong with my vision. But years upon years of tests showed that there was nothing wrong with my eyes – there was no explanation for what I was seeing. The older I got, the less I talked about IT. My parents seemed more concerned about my mental health than the dark shadow that was always watching me, so I kept IT to myself. I didn’t want people to think I was crazy – I just wanted to know what IT was.

Though I didn’t know what was watching me, it was comforting to know that I could never truly be alone. I used to try to talk to IT when I was younger. Sometimes I would pretend IT talked back. But when my friends started questioning me, I learned not to do that around others. When I would cry or feel terribly lonely, I would talk to IT, try to sneak glances through teary eyes. And though I hate to admit it, when I went to college and had my first away-from-home experience, I talked to IT probably more than I should have.

For my entire life I have never been alone, but not once in my life have I ever felt not lonely.