I would try to escape it, but I couldn’t. They always came out and found me. I remember reaching on my tippy toes for the lightswitch and bolting up the stairs as fast as a cheetah trying to catch its prey.

 I shut my bedroom door and leaped onto my bed, grabbed the covers, and pulled the sheets over my head. My heart felt as if it was going to explode into a million tiny pieces. They always found me in the dark. No matter where I went or how many times I tried to prevent it, they always came for me. They circulated around me, casting shadows on the wall. All I wanted to do was scream, but  no words came out. I hid in silence as my eyelids folded on top of each other. 

I tried counting sheep, imagining morning, but it felt so far out of reach. The shadows swarmed around me, laughing as noises came from the wall. 

I slowly lifted my head over my gigantic pink comforter, as if they went away and did not want to mess with me any more. But once I put my guard down, they always came searching back. They never left me alone. 

I feared them all night, but why? I don't know, but I didn't want to find out. Their laughs flowed through my ear and played over and over again like a stereo. I jolted all night and dreamt of the sun rising and light radiating into my room. I hated the dark.