Bogleech.com's 2019 Horror Write-off:
Enigma Mundi
Submitted by You
You lie alone in your room, reading. I am here with you. I am always with you.
The door is closed, and locked, and no one is behind it. You locked it for me.
You can't see me. That's the problem. But I'm always here, just behind you. Everywhere you look, I'm behind you.
Pale light filters through the blinds. When will you get out of bed? When you forget about me for a moment.
No matter how many times you tidy up, you can't put me away. I'm not like the shirts on the floor or the paperbacks on the dresser.
You can turn off the lamp and shut the curtains, but the darkness won't hide me. I can see you even in the dark.
Sometimes you think you hear me whispering, or glimpse my shadow out of the corners of your eyes.
But when you look straight at what you thought you saw, nothing is there. And when you listen closely, all you hear is silence.
The odd thing is, you were almost right. But I'm always behind you, and this is the first time we've spoken face-to-face.
You spend your days searching for me in the streets, in the libraries, in the shops, online. But I've been here all this time. I never leave you.
I speak to you from others' mouths. I speak from signposts, from pages, from screens. But I'm there whether you hear me or not.
You can hide from others, but you can't escape me. You can hide me from others, but it won't help. They can't see me, but they can see me seeing you.
Do you know who I am?
Do you know my name?
The door is closed, and locked, and no one is behind it. You locked it for me.
You can't see me. That's the problem. But I'm always here, just behind you. Everywhere you look, I'm behind you.
Pale light filters through the blinds. When will you get out of bed? When you forget about me for a moment.
No matter how many times you tidy up, you can't put me away. I'm not like the shirts on the floor or the paperbacks on the dresser.
You can turn off the lamp and shut the curtains, but the darkness won't hide me. I can see you even in the dark.
Sometimes you think you hear me whispering, or glimpse my shadow out of the corners of your eyes.
But when you look straight at what you thought you saw, nothing is there. And when you listen closely, all you hear is silence.
The odd thing is, you were almost right. But I'm always behind you, and this is the first time we've spoken face-to-face.
You spend your days searching for me in the streets, in the libraries, in the shops, online. But I've been here all this time. I never leave you.
I speak to you from others' mouths. I speak from signposts, from pages, from screens. But I'm there whether you hear me or not.
You can hide from others, but you can't escape me. You can hide me from others, but it won't help. They can't see me, but they can see me seeing you.
Do you know who I am?
Do you know my name?