By: Emily Wan

I jolted awake in my bed, sitting straight. I looked at my alarm clock sitting on the nightstand. It was two in the morning. Pale beams of moonlight filtered through the thin curtains, casting eerie shadows in my room.

As I prepared to settle down and sleep, I heard a noise from the window.

Tap.

I froze, petrified from fear as I stared at the window.

Tap, tap, tap.

I slowly got up from my bed and cautiously approached the window. Steeling myself, I flung open the curtains to the source of the noise.

I screamed as I made eye contact with the monster on the other side. Its face was plastered to the window, with its grotesque and disproportionate features illuminated by the moonlight. Terrified, I scrambled to the door, desperately trying the handle, only to realize it was locked. I searched for anything that could be used as a weapon.

As I rummaged through the drawers, I heard the sound of shattering glass as the monster entered my room. Dozens of shadowy hands clawed their way out of the ground, surrounding me as I screamed for help. My vision clouded as one of the ghastly hands grabbed my ankle and tripped me. I fell to the ground with a thud, with pain shooting through my legs. In desperation, I grabbed a heavy black and gold dictionary from the nearest bookshelf as the monster neared me. Left with no choice, I hurled the book in the monster’s general direction. I missed the abomination by a few feet, the book landing on the blankets. Realizing there was no escape, I surrendered and backed into the corner. Whimpering with fright, I shut my eyes tightly and braced for pain as I felt myself getting dragged into the abyss.

I sit upright in bed with cold sweat on my forehead, breathing heavily. I check the clock. It is 7:03 a.m. I let out a sigh of relief as I realize it was just a nightmare. The vividness of the dream bothers me, but I just brush it off as being paranoid. Preparing to get out of bed, I feel something heavy on the blankets. As I lean over, I finally see it. It is a black and gold dictionary. Upon closer inspection, there were also words scratched into the thick leather cover.

This isn’t the end.