This is a true story. I know because the little boy was me.

It happened one night when I was about 10. My mother, step-father and I lived in a one bedroom apartment in what we used to call a three family house. It was three floors with a different family on each floor. Our apartment was on the top floor. My parents had the bedroom at the front of the apartment. It had windows on three sides. The front windows faced the street and on each side of the room were windows facing the neighboring houses which were only about 15 feet away. The bedroom was fairly large with the head of the bed up against the solid wall and facing the front window. Outside the window was a large Elm tree that was taller than the house. Its branches shaded the house from the sun in the daytime and from the street lights at night.

It was common practice for me to go to bed early in my parents' bed, while they stayed up in the living room. When it was time for them to turn in for the night they would wake me up and walk me to the living room where the couch made into a bed. It was the old pullout hide a bed type. In the morning I never remembered making the trip. I would go to sleep in their bed and wake up in mine with no memory of how I got there.

On this one night I think we must have been listening to some spooky stories on the radio but I don't remember for sure. All I remember is what happened next.

It was time to go to bed and so I changed in the bathroom and said good night to Mom and Pop. I went into the bedroom and saw that Mom had turned down the covers for me. All was ready for a good night's rest. I looked around and then clicking off the light, I jumped into the big double bed and slipped under the covers.

As I lay in the darkened room my eyes adjusted to the small amount of light from the street lights outside. I closed my eyes and tried to go to sleep.

What was that? I heard a noise from across the room. I looked but saw nothing. Must be my imagination. I lay still listening. There it is again! I sat up and looked around in the dark. Nothing. No sound and no movement. I scrunched down in the blankets and lay still. I had to get to sleep. It seemed as if I had been laying there for hours but I am sure it was only minutes. I heard the noise again. Something scurrying over by the window? What could it be? Should I turn on the light? Should I call Mom and Pop? No. I am too old for that. So I just stayed there and listened to the sound trying to imagine what it could be.

Then I saw it. It looked like a head peeking up over the foot of the bed. Who could it be? It was not moving. It was watching me. As I looked at it in the darkness I could make out the head and the shoulders. And yes there was one arm draped over the foot of the bed. The sound had stopped and now as I lay very still, I wondered what it was. It did not move. Who had slipped into my parents' room and was now watching me so silently, waiting for me to go to sleep? I was petrified. But if I called out what would this monster do? Would it kill me before Pop could get there? Maybe it was waiting for me to go to sleep so it could sneak out. I could be imagining this thing. But I could see it. Right there on the bed at my feet. It never moved.