"It." by Michal Erin SchererBerry

One night, I had a dream

(It was actually more of a nightmare)

Where in my room was this thing

That could only be called

It

It was kind of like a human

Only taller,

Skinnier,

And more horrifying

It seemed to have no bones

For It could bend any which way

Yet It could stand up straight

If It so pleased

It wore torn clothing

That didn't reach Its elbows or knees

It had a bald head

But the rest of Its body was covered in what seemed like hair

Its eyes were wide open

For It had no eyelids

They were red surrounded by white

With no pupils

It had claws that could tear through steel

And teeth that could grind bone into powder

It fed on fear

It was standing by my bed

Doing nothing but staring at me

Waiting to feed on my fear

I knew that the more afraid I was,

The angrier It became

If I screamed,

It would kill me

But I did not scream

I just lay there in fear

Knowing It was still there

In the dark

I decided it had been long enough

So I reached over and turned on my bedside lamp

And looked at where It used to be

But nothing was there.