She was only eight years old with pigtails, bright blue pajamas, and a very active imagination. She would often dream of dragons and griffins, creatures of legend that would come and rescue her from the everyday world. However, on this night, her dreams were different. Vicious animals tore at her from the dark, their sharp teeth cutting deeply as she screamed in agony. She was dripping with sweat, alone and afraid. Looking around, she scanned the room for any signs of danger. Luckily, there didn’t seem to be any signs of a monster. That’s when something caught the corner of her eye. Rushing out of bed, Emily ran towards the window. Squinting, she looked to the end of the property, where a man stood. The man was dark and unknown, and Emily couldn’t help but feel the man was staring back at her. This sent shivers down Emily’s spine, as she quickly dashed out of the room. Screaming for her mother, Emily banged on her parents’ bedroom door. No one answered. “Mommy!” cried Emily, still pounding on the door.
