One summer, I was over my aunt’s house she herself had bought. I wasn’t expecting something really pleasant looking to have something weird in it.
My aunt lived in a city a couple of hours away from mine. Her house was big, a bit too big, if you ask me, and was separated from the other houses a few meters away, and in front of it was an empty lot. We were greeted by Ana, my aunt’s helper. “Oh, ma’am, you’re here! Everything’s taken care of, and the dinner’s ready. I’ll just re-heat it if you ever get hungry,” she said with a smile.
I looked around the living room, it was very neat. It had tan floor tiles, the window was covered with a curtain a shade of pink, the furniture was arranged at the right angles giving the room a much bigger look, vases on top of the walnut coffee table. The kitchen and every room looked very elegant. Long story made short: it was a very nice-looking place.
“Hey, you alright?” my aunt asked.
“Yeah, just admiring the living room. It looks great. But don't you think the whole place a little too big for only the two of you here? ”
My aunt gave a small chuckle and said, “Oh it's better having it than not need it, than need it and not have it. Besides, Ana and I aren't the only one's staying here." I nodded "C’mon, I’ll show you your room.” I followed her up the long stairs. Walking through the hall, I came across a few rooms with nameplates hanging on them.
“I guess she's right, the whole place’s size is appropriate,” I said to myself.
“Here we are. Come see.” As she opened the door, I found the room very comfortable looking. It had a good sized bed, a stereo (HOT dammit, Thank God for that), a television and its own bathroom. “This will be your room for the meantime. So, make yourself at home. There are movies there that you can watch to keep boredom away, and there are some snacks downstairs in case you wanted to eat. Other than that, knock yourself out,” she told me with a warm smile on her face and I thanked her.
Evening came, my aunt needed to go to her night job. So, I was left with her helper. From time to time, Ana checked on me and asked if I needed anything, to which I politely declined.
An hour later, Ana came to my room and told me she was going home now. I said, “Okay, please take care.”
She replied to me, “YOU should be the one who should take care while alone.” I’m not quite sure what she meant by that, but obviously it meant something bad.
So, I asked her, “What do you mean?”
She looked down to her feet and said while stuttering, “Uh… I-it’s nothing. I just meant, is it okay for you to be alone here?” I told her I was okay with being alone since I’m used to being home alone back at my place and everything, so it’s no biggie.
“Okay, just don’t forget before you sleep, to sprinkle some rock salt on the windows and every door in the house, to… uh… keep anything bad from happening. As well as lock the front door, I’ve locked the ones in the back.”
I replied with a confused look on my face, “Uh… okay.” Then she left. I assumed it was just some sort of provincial superstition my aunt and Ana believed. So I just shrugged it off.
After she left, I got bored with what I was watching and settled on another movie, The Expendables, an action film. Halfway through the movie, I began feeling drowsy. I turned off the device and went to hit the sack and have a good night’s sleep, trying to forget what Ana had told me.
I woke up around midnight for unknown reasons. Sitting up, I felt as though as someone is watching me by the window. I just didn’t care and thought that I may be just sleepy. My mind is playing tricks or something but no, even after I laid back I still have this weird feeling. So, I got up and washed my face in the bathroom, trying to drive away the thoughts.
I laid down in the bed and felt the “being-watched-feeling” becoming stronger. Having enough of this, I looked out the windows and saw a man standing in the middle of the street wearing a long black coat being blown softly by the breeze outside, with his face obscured in the dark. I was petrified and felt numb, I couldn’t move my body away from the windows. Closing my eyes, I prayed softly. Opening them, I saw the man still there with a finger pointing towards me with a pair of red eyes with the look of anger.
Horrified, I remembered what Ana said, to sprinkle salt in the doors and windows. So, I ran down the kitchen and grabbed the jar of salt and sprinkled it everywhere, on the floor, throwing them on the windows, every door I could find, I sprinkled them as well on my bed posts. After finishing, I put the jar of salt on top of the side table by my bed and hid behind the under the blankets.
The next day, my aunt came home and called me. “Adam?” Hearing her, I went downstairs and saw her. “What happened here? Why is there salt all over my floor?”
I gave her a scared look and asked, “Who was that man last night and what does he want?” My aunt looked horrified,
“A-a man…?” She sat down on the sofa and asked me, “The man… what did he look like?”
I told her that, “He wore a long coat, red eyes, can’t see the face.”
She looked even more horrified then said, “I don’t know that man myself, but I do know that where this house is built was where he died a horrible death.”
Hearing these words, I backed away slowly and told her I wanted to go home. On the way, I couldn’t help but remember what I saw. Although one thing’s for sure, whatever that was, it’s not just some presence, it wanted something.
Written by Adamcarl Castillo