The Hooded Man

It was early evening. But, it seemed like night has unexpectedly descended. The last fragments of sunlight also vanished. Moon, that was shining until now has been eclipsed by the clouds. The temperature dropped suddenly. It was cold. The chill in the air was crawling under the skin. But, the weather department predicted it to be a normal day. I saw through the window. The darkness seems to have engulfed the planet. It was a pitch dark night. The street below seemed deserted. The lone owl was hooting at a distance. Crickets were making their usual noise. I felt uneasy, restless and nervous. I felt a Jitter and got out of the bed.

Slowly I walked towards the door. The door knob was cold as ice. It refused to budge at first. I tried again and the door gave way. It opened with loud creaking noise. I peeked outside my room. The hallway was dark. The kitchen light was glowing. A movement of shadow was visible. I called in low voice- “Mom!!” No response. I called again, louder. Still everything was calm. I turned back to see my deserted room. I came out wondering why mom is not answering. Suddenly the door slammed with a loud bang. I was horrified. I looked around and there was no-one. I called again- “Mom…” Still there was no response.

Slowly I started moving towards the kitchen, with my back to the wall. I was scared. I saw a shadow moving again under the light. “Who is there?” I managed to utter. Then I saw the shadow facing the stove; away from me. I was relieved and walked towards it. I went closer and placed my hand on the shoulders. Suddenly there was silence; an eerie silence. The shadow turned slowly towards me. What I saw, threw me back few paces.

Frozen and paralyzed I tried to recognize any facial features. The hood covering the head was making it difficult to recognize anything. The fiery red eyes were glowing. I kept staring. As if I was hypnotized. The figure started moving towards me. He stretched out his hand. "Come closer," he said in a low voice. I thought my heart was going to come out of my chest, it beat so hard. My legs gave out and I fell to the ground on my knees. I was sweating badly. He continued to come closer; with his hands stretched. I closed my eyes. My tears started rolling. I got my sweaty palms together and began to pray. I prayed and prayed.

He was now standing in front of me. I could feel his presence close to my chest. Suddenly there was silence; an eerie silence. I could hear my heart beating faster and faster. Suddenly I felt the hand on my shoulders. I shrieked loudly and opened my eyes. I was in my bed sweating. The tears were still streaming from my face. I was shaking badly and promised myself again- “I’m not going to watch any horror movies ever!!”