The Shadow in the Trees

     In the well lit confines of my room, my imagination is soaring. New horrors seem to jump at every turn in my thought-filled mind. The walls are ever so small in this plain,ordinary room, yet closing in to envelope a feeling of dread as if sealed in a coffin. In this anxiety I avert my eyes to the outside of my window in an attempt to calm this feeling of dread and danger lurking just beneath the surface of my mind. As I gaze into the darkness of the late night sky I see a treeline, just a horizon of neighboring trees that begin to blend with that very night sky and the darkness it is holding tight.

Almost instantly I see it.

A shadow bounced from the treeline down into the darkness. I admit this must have been a mixture of my poor sight, the darkness and the tricks of the mind. As I self assure myself, I see the bounce again in a slightly clearer definition. The thought that I am seeing this recur is an obscure feeling upon the frantic mind. The third time the shadow moves I am at a loss for the description for the urge to discover what I am seeing. Turning off my lamp, once again I gaze into the outside of my safe room to see if I can clearly determine the cause of this shadow moving into and above the trees.

The darkness adjusts to my poor sight only to reveal a branch close to my window.
With a relief that washes over me, I breathe the heavy sigh of a panic that is passing. In that breath, my eyes catch it landing on the ground with an unnatural grace

There was a reason to be fearful. It can jump at least 30 feet for it to clear those trees. It is staring back at me, because I’ve been looking upon it this whole time. It sees me far better than I can see it. As it jumps, it points a finger at me. Dear god it’s getting closer now.