The Dark Presence

by Libby Addington
(Abilene, Texas)

It was around midnight when I had woken up to a noise I had never heard before. I went out the door of my bedroom and walked slowly down the stairs. They creaked at every step. When I reached the bottom of the steps, I looked around and everything looked pretty normal, from what I could see at least, as I hadn't given my eyes much time to adjust to the darkness.

As I stumbled through the living room slowly making my way to the kitchen, I began to see a dark figure. Of course in the dark it looked like my mother, and I asked, "Hey Madre. What are you doing up so late?" It didn't answer. I took another step toward the figure and the house creaked, making the figure turn around. It had dark red eyes, and was black as though it could be a person in the night.

I took a step back falling to the ground. I crawled backward, digging my nails into the hardwood floors. Trying to get away from the presence, but it only gave me an evil grin as it began to follow me, which only made me attempt to crawl faster.

I hit the back of my head on a table because I wasn't looking around to see where I was going. The presence got right in my face, and I screamed. Just as the presence went to touch me my madre came running down the stairs.

"Libby, baby it's ok." She attempted to calm me down.

"Yeah, um actually no. Do you not see that?" I asked, looking around for the figure in the dark but it was long gone by now. My madre took me to bed anywhere I stayed the rest of the night.

I very rarely see the presence now, for I don't go downstairs by myself or in the dark. But every night I do hear it walking around, and to this day I haven't told my parents. It would make them think I'm crazy.

And from that day, on I finally believed in ghosts.