The Dark Shadow

When I went to sleep that night, I had no idea I would encounter a demonic aura plaguing my dreams.

I curled up in bed, holding my stuffed animal to my chest, and fell asleep. I dreamt of different scenarios from my actions that day. Before a shift in my dreams took place.

I'm running to a cabin, in a field, why though? I hear screaming, and then I notice that Shadow in another person's backyard. I feel terror shoot through me, making me get an adrenaline rush.

I start yelling at kids to follow me into the cabin, and somehow, I know exactly where to go. We go to the back, to the office, and I find a lever. I pull it, and a tunnel opens up underneath the desk. I have no idea where it leads to, but from what I can see, it's headed towards the closest neighborhood.

I get all of the children through the tunnel, and as I'm about to enter it, there's fire all around me. I become more panicked, my breathing is heavier and I'm shaking.

I don't move to go through the tunnel quickly enough, as the roof of the cabin is thrown off, for some reason.

I risk a glance out of the nearby window, what I see terrifies me and I'm rooted to the spot in fear.

The Dark Shadow, it doesn't have a face, it's just a blur, and it's tall. It stands higher than the trees that surround it. It has only a distinctive mouth, that is dripping with red.

As I look it up and down, my eyes catch on the little that it's carrying. He's screaming helplessly, and it cries into my heart. 'I wish I could help him. What am I doing, just standing around, while he's-' my thought is cut off as I almost scream. I manage to stifle it, last second.

The Dark Shadow brought the boy to his lips, and decapitated him, only his body lies limp in the shadow's black hands.

The Shadow turns to me, or I assume it does as it seems to pause when it meets my eyes. It smiles cruelly and waves at me before I'm plunged in darkness.

I bolt straight up in bed, I'm a sweaty mess, my blankets are on the floor, and some of my stuffed animals, too. But I look down at my important stuffed animal, a pink rabbit. 'I'm sorry Bunny, that you have to remember that nightmare.' I think to myself as I hug her closer. 'Thanks for being my dream catcher.'

I close my eyes, and focus on things that make me happy. Let's see.

I imagine myself up at the top of my pine tree, the wind blowing in my hair , calming my nerves with each fresh breath.

In the distance, I see a glimpse of a dark shadow, but it disappears just as quickly as it came into view.

I still remember its cruel smile, and its last wave to me before I came back to reality. I had hoped to never dream about it again, or hear about it.

But I ended up having the dream again, except it was slightly different.

My younger sister told me one day that she had a dream that had the same description of the Dark Shadow in my nightmares.

And my father's friend told me that he had similar dreams when he was younger, the same Shadow monster.

I never wrote out this story, because I was terrified of the repercussions. I never want to have the dream again.

I may not have ever written this story before, until now, that is, but I have drawn it.

Sometimes our imaginations can be our strength, but it can also be our weakness. Our subconscious mind can create terrifying monsters that will forever haunt us.