In our living-room
we have thin light coloured curtains. Which are great because when it's sunny you can shut them to stop the sun shining on the telly, but the room is still light enough to read in. The downside is that there is a street light at the bottom of the back garden.

When I'm last to go to bed, I make sure the doors are locked and turn off the lights. When I do, the shadow of the glazing falls on to the curtain. Still having the same imagination as when I was 6, it creeps me out when I turn that light off, for I fear I may see the shadow of an intruder, murderer or Michael Myers from Halloween. So I avoid looking when I turn the light out, because if you ask any 6 year old, they will tell you that if they can't see the monster it doesn't exist.

Last night I forgot and was looking that way when I turned the light out. There was a shadow about 18 inches high. Someone or something was standing maybe a few feet back from the window and I could see the shoulders and the head. Something wearing what appeared to a cloak. The first thing that entered my mind was this fucking picture, which terrified me as a kid.

www.ufoevolution.com/misc/8newbychurchmonk.jpg

I felt my hair on my arms and the back of my neck stand on end, my heart began pounding and my bollocks climbed up inside me and hid. There was not a chance I was going to stride over and throw the curtains open to look. Or even creep over and peek through one side of the curtain to check.

I bombed upstairs and practically fell into my bedroom. Mrs SLVA asked me what was wrong. I told her I'd tripped on the landing and she laughed at me. Gee, cheers. I casually wandered over to the window, put my head through the curtains and peered out into the garden. There was nothing there.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
"I thought I heard a cat." I lied. I bravely opened the window and looked down. Still nothing. My mettle came back so I made an excuse about wanting a drink and went back downstairs. The shadow was still there, 'eep' was roughly my reaction.

I crept into the dining room and peeked through the curtain there. Nothing. 'Fuck it' I thought, and went back into the living-room and threw open the curtain.

A few feet from the window, in the corner of the garden was one of those 4 feet high tubular framed plastic covered shelf things that serve as a miniature greenhouse, though the plastic was missing. It used to be near the shed and I suspect that somebody's wife had moved it. Probably mine. On the top of this was a stack of plantpots, a trigger gun sprayer thing and some gardening gloves, all of which partly shrouded in half of an old bath towel.

I shut the curtains again, resolved to shift the bastard plantpots in the morning and went to bed. I elected not to tell my wife how much of a big girl's blouse I was being. After all, it's me that evicts spiders and shoos bees and moths out of the house.
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Tue 12 Apr 2011, 9:48, 3 replies)

There is nothing in the dark that isn't there when the lights are on.
told my mate that when he was having a rough time following the death of his dad. said it totally changed his perpective on things.

Try saying that though next time you're shitting yourself scared, it doesnt fucking work lol
(Monkeystrumpet monkey. Monkey, MONKEY!!!, Tue 12 Apr 2011, 10:53, closed)

That picture....
also terrified me as a kid....

There was also a story about The haunting of Calgarth Hall which gave me the fear

www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/index/visiting/windermere/windermerefolklore.htm
(Lip Up Fatty Fatty Reggae still loves BBQ food on, Tue 12 Apr 2011, 11:54, closed)

fuck me, that tizzie wizzie story.....

(Monkeystrumpet monkey. Monkey, MONKEY!!!, Tue 12 Apr 2011, 12:05, closed)