Behind the Shadows I gripped the lantern tightly. As if I was holding onto my life. But the truth is..I am holding onto my mind. Someone is trying to take it away from me. That someone isn’t human. It’s the fear in my eyes. Can you feel it? Your heart beating in the dark. You are blinded by fear. What is false becomes real. Your imagination starts to break your own sanity. My mind is racing. It can’t stop. The nightmarish blanket won’t let me breathe. I close my eyes to make the monsters go away. But it doesn’t work. It wouldn’t work anyways. The monsters are not here in this room. They are here in my mind. “Leave me! I want to sleep in peace.” I couldn’t think clearly. I thought that whatever was lurking in the back of my mind was also lurking in my bedroom. The lantern goes out. I am in total darkness. My heart beats. Oh how it beats. What is going to happen? Is eternal sleep calling my name? Is it real? Is it fake? Am I dreaming? Or am I just awake. Christopher Flores
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