I pushed myself up from the bed, gasping for breath. Sweat rolled down my head as I tried to block my mind’s eye. Can’t I just have one peaceful night of sleep? I thought. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to see something else. Blocking it out only seemed to make it worse, though. So, I kicked the blankets off and walked into the kitchen. It was dimly lit with the stove light. The red digits on the oven clock read 2:15 AM. I went over to the sink to wash my face. As I turned on the water, I looked outside to the backyard.

It was pitch black out there, and it gave off a chilling vibe. I looked away from the window quickly. Then I finished washing my face and went back to my room. This time, when I crawled into bed, I fell asleep immediately. But it didn’t last long. Creak. I jerked awake. There was a sound outside. It startled me, but I brushed it off. Closing my eyes, I was about to fall asleep when I heard it again. Creak. Creak.

Something was swinging back and forward slowly. Curiously, I opened my eyes. Nothing was in front of me. Then I realized it was coming from outside my window. Getting up, I carefully opened the curtains. I couldn’t see anything at first because it was too dark. Then my eyes adjusted and widened. Gasping in fear, I closed the curtains swiftly. This can’t be real, I kept saying to myself, covering my ears to block out the noise outside. Then, a stream of moonlight came in through my window, and I saw it more clearly. It was dark, outlined shadow against the pale pink of my curtains of a man swinging back and forth, slowly and gracefully by his neck in front of my window. Creak. Creak.

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