The Shadow in My Room Feels Real Now

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I’ve always feared the dark. Not a typical fear, but fear of one thing: a figure.

It started as a kid. I’d wake in the night, and in the corner of my room—always there—a shadow. It didn’t move, didn’t do anything, just stood. I’d tell myself it was a trick of the light, and pull my pillow over my head. But each night, it returned.

And then it changed.

The shadow became clearer. It looked like a person now—tall, hunched. And it moved. Not like a person, just slow shifts, as though testing its form.

I still convinced myself it was nothing. But I couldn’t stop looking at it. It felt... wrong.

One night, I woke to a sensation—something cold against my leg. I froze. The shadow had moved. It stood close. And then, it reached out.

The touch was cold. Too cold. Like ice, but also not solid. My body locked up. I couldn’t move, couldn’t scream. The shadow retreated, returning to the corner as if nothing had happened. I couldn’t sleep after that.

The next day, I brushed it off as a nightmare. But something changed.

The shadow didn’t stop.

It followed me. Always near, just at the edge of my vision. I’d feel it brushing against me. The cold touch returned. But now, it wasn’t just at night. It was always there.

One morning, I passed a mirror. In it, I saw the shadow. It stood behind me, clear and defined, its eyes locked onto mine.

I couldn’t escape it. It followed me through the house, always lingering. It was in every reflection, every dark corner. I tried to lock myself away in my room, but it found me.

And then one day, in front of a mirror, I felt it again—this time, surrounding me. Its cold presence thickened the air. It touched my arms, back, and neck, and I could feel it. I knew it was there without having to look. It was unavoidable.

I realized then: the shadow was no longer just a shadow. It was real.

The touch, the whispers—it wasn’t in my head. I could feel it, see it. It had crossed over, become part of the world, part of me.

And it whispered: "You can’t run from yourself."

I don’t understand what that means, but I know this now: the shadow isn’t leaving. It’s with me. It’s inside me.

And I’ll never be alone again.

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