Tonight’s like every other night. You lay there, in the dark and silence, alone, with no company other than your own thoughts. You shift and roll throughout your bed, just you and your thoughts. You ponder, you plan, you fantasize; anything to distract you from the ringing silence that surrounds you.
You hear a creak, a common sound to hear on such a still night, but you still recoil when the sound hits your ears. You hear this sound almost every night, but the sheer unexpectedness sets off a trigger in your head as paranoia takes over. The thought that once illuminated your mind is now darkened. What was once pleasure and success has now turned to demons and killers.
The silence that your mind has been distracting you from has now become the focus. You lay there, silent, listening for any obscure sound, hoping that the silence doesn’t leave. Every little noise adds to your paranoia and the silence lingers as you await the next unexpected occurrence. You’re too afraid to open your eyes at the thought of seeing anything your mind can conjure. You lay there alone in fear.
The fear builds up in your mind as you try to find a quick escape from anything it creates. You revert to your childhood solution, hiding under the covers. You pull the blanket over your head and lay in silence. You hear noises, but they don’t seem as scary. You figure if they can’t see you, you’re safe. The heat builds up under your blanket, but you put up with it simply for the comfort it supplies. You begin to calm down and relax and revert to your usual logical self.
It’s just you and your thoughts again, alone, under your blanket. You think of how silly it was to get so scared and worked up over a silly, little noise. Eyes closed, you lift the blanket off of your face as the built-up heat is released. You breathe a sigh of relief and roll over, only to hear a deep, grating voice whisper, “Oh, there you are,” as the sounds of footsteps creep towards your bed.
Original author unknown