It had been a long Monday at work, as usual; when you are a teacher, stress, long work hours, and homework (yes, teachers have homework; who else is going to plan tomorrow's lesson?) come with the job description. Not only was there the usual trials and tribulations, but he'd had parent conferences today. The thing about parent conferences was that parents hate being told their kid is doing something wrong. Your job also hangs on making sure the parents do not get angry and complain. Combine that with a large group of "problematic students" (read: juvenile delinquents), and you have a recipe for disaster.
It was also the day before the taxes were due. He had a seven month old daughter, so his wife was taking an extended leave of absence from her job as a nurse at the local hospital. Not only that, but being a teacher pays about as well as a job behind the counter at a grocery store. He had ended up having an argument with his wife on how they could possibly pay in time, which had concluded with his daughter crying and finishing the conversation.
He and his wife had just settled down to sleep at 1:00 AM after finally putting their daughter to sleep, when he heard a noise that sounded a whisper. He turned to his wife, saw that she was fast asleep, and turned to look around the room.
Then, he saw it.
The creature loomed over him, and it made a horribly strange twisting motion. He heard a voice.
“Hello, Mr. Jones.”
The voice was…nightmarish. That was the only word his panicked mind could use to describe it. He heard it again.
“Hello, Mr. Jones. Aren’t you going to greet me? It’s rude not to.”
He quivered in fear, and finally mustering up what little courage he had, he spoke. "He-hello,” he squeaked.
This has to be a dream, he thought to himself.
“Oh, but this is very, very real,” the nightmarish voice said. Every time he heard that awful voice, the creature made that same twisting motion. Was that…how it spoke?
“Yes,” the voice said.
“Wha-what are y-you?” He asked.
“Well, we have already established I am real, yes?” The voice asked.
“N-no,” he responded.
The creature pulled out two long, sharply tapered limbs, and stabbed his arm. Waves upon waves of pain flowed through his body, and with each wave came a new onset of pain. Then, the creature retracted its limbs, and the pain stopped.
“I shall say it again. We have established that I am real, yes?” The creature asked.
“Y-yes, b-b-but tha—that’s impossible!” He replied.
“Oh, but nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it,” the creature said calmly, “but that begs the question. Why would you put your mind into creating something like me?" It asked. It paused, as if expecting a response, and then continued. "Was it the difficulty of raising a child? Or was it the struggle to keep yourself together under the unending stress of everyday life?"
His eyes widened in fear as he made the most frightening realization of his life thus far.
It was right.