Behind the Glass.
Mr. and Mrs. Stantton left me two twenties on the kitchen counter for pizza. As they headed out the door, Mr. Stantton hollered, “Don’t let Max stay up too late watching scary movies and eating candy!” He said the same thing every time I watched Max, which was at least twice a month for the last year. “I promise I will,” I chided back. I heard a chuckle as the door shut behind them.
Max jumped out of the pantry wearing a creepy werewolf mask. I nearly jumped out of my skin. “Shit!” I yelled, glaring down at him. “Gotcha!” he yipped, ripping the mask off with a cheesy grin. “Sure did, kid,” I smiled. “Now, what should we get on our pizza tonight?”
We cozied up on the couch together, eating our half extra cheese and pepperoni and half veggie pizza, watching Rear Window. Though Max was only eight, he had a real love for the old black and white movies, especially the scary ones. He wasn’t one of those kids who watched them and got scared in the middle of the night, though. Not once in my overnights did he ever wake up screaming. So, we made it a ritual that if his parents were away for the night we’d watch a scary movie - of his choosing of course and stuff ourselves silly with pizza.
As the movie ended, I glanced over to see Max sound asleep, mouth open, drooling ever so slightly. He was a cute little shit. His dirty blonde hair was cut short, his eyes a deep chocolate brown and a toothless smile that would stop you in your tracks. Add in his precocious personality and his unwitting charm and he was nothing short of a handful. He looked so sweet and innocent in his Star Wars pjs, his head hanging slightly off the arm of the couch.
Behind him, on the dining room table sat four big, orange pumpkins. Halloween was just a few weeks away. I bent down and gently lifted Max up, draping him over my shoulder. I carried him up the stairs and slipped him into bed. I tucked his Star Wars blanket around him, kissed his soft forehead, switched off the lamp on his bedside table and softly closed the door behind me.
I made my way back down to the kitchen and made myself a cup of chamomile tea. While the water heated up I gathered some newspaper from the recycling bin, a couple of spoons and a big carving knife. I laid everything on the table. I figured we could carve a pumpkin or two in the morning before Mr. and Mrs. Stantton got home. The tea kettle hissed. I turned off the stove, poured my tea, shut off the lights and headed to the guest room.
I woke up to the sound of knocking on glass. Sleepily, I peeled the covers off and made my way to the window. I peered out into the backyard, the full moon casting long, menacing shadows. I shivered as I pulled the curtains closed. All in my head, I thought to myself as I snuggled back up in the comfort of my bed. Just as I closed my eyes I heard it again, louder and more aggressive this time. I threw the covers off and ran to the window. Nothing but the moon and it’s shadow monsters strewn across the lawn.
I stormed out of the room and up the stairs. I was certain Max had to be behind this, trying to scare me. As much as I enjoyed a good jump scare now and then, the middle of the night was not one of those times. “Oh, Max, you’re gonna get it,” I yelled as I made my way up the stairs. I flung the door open to find Max in bed, sprawled out across every inch, drool pooling under his flushed cheeks, dead to the world.
I stopped dead in my tracks, my heart nearly beating right out of my chest. Okay, deep breaths, L. I thought to myself. Nothing to be afraid of. I’m sure it’s just a branch or a bird. A nocturnal bird. I worked to slow my breathing as I made my way back down the stairs. Nothing to be afraid of, I whispered, grabbing the knife off the kitchen table as I made my way back to my room. Nothing at all.
I set the knife on the nightstand. I flipped on the light and grabbed my book. Sleep was long gone by now. As I read, the words started to blur, my eyes fluttering softly. Just as the book fell from my fingers I was awakened by the fierce sound of pounding on glass, the intensity so hard I feared it would shatter. I felt a scream escape my mouth as I jolted out of bed.
I ran to the window to find nothing amiss. No wind blown branches, no nocturnal birds. Nothing. A faint tap, tap, tap came from the corner of the room. My heart stuck in my throat. Again, as I stood frozen at the window, tap, tap, tap, louder this time. I closed my eyes as tight as I could. Louder and louder, tap, tap, tap. I pressed my hands to my ears, trying to stifle the incessant noise. The tapping grew so loud I let out a horrific cry at the top of my lungs. My knees gave way and I hit the floor, completely terrified. Silence.
As I dropped my hands to my knees, trembling, tears streaming down my face, a faint tap, tap, tap once again came from the mirror behind me. I turned slowly, terror gripping every part of my being. The mirror was full fog, dark shadows forming in waves. From inside the mirror a long, shadowy hand grazed it’s long, filthy fingernails gently along the glass. An irritatingly shrill sound filled the room.
Every single part of my body wanted to run as fast as I could. I wanted to grab Max and run out of this house and never look back but I was frozen with fear. Completely unable to move, I watched as the lines formed by the fingernails began to crack. The shadowy figure once again began tapping, faster and faster, the cracks creating intricate spider webs in the surface of the mirror. My mind went blank, my heart thudded against my rib cage, my breath became shallow and quick. In horror I watched as the mirror shattered, glass strewn across every inch of the room. A blood curdling scream escaped my mouth as the long shadowy fingers grabbed me by the throat and pulled me into the mirror.
As the shadowy grip curled tighter around my neck, I glanced over to see Max standing in the doorway, Mr. and Mrs. Statton standing behind him, all eyes trained on me. I tried to yell, my lungs tightening from the lack of air. I flailed about, my hands pounding against the glass from inside the mirror. Time slowed as my eyes darted around the room, realizing the it was now pristine, untouched. The bed was made, the curtains open, the full moon casting shadows across the floor, no shards of glass to be found anywhere.
My eyes trailed back to the doorway, growing heavy as the grip of death tightened around my throat. I saw all six of their eyes gleam red. A slow smile curled at the edges of Max’s mouth as he picked up the knife from the bedside table. The darkness took me in as they turned to leave. Mrs. Stantton flipped off the light, closing the door behind them.
