The Obstruction

by Spencer Blair

I awoke in my bed, suspended in the ethereal blue light of the moon hanging mute in the sky. I inhaled deeply as I looked to the left and saw my curtains lilting in a cool, fall breeze that sent a chill down my spine. I looked to the right and saw my alarm clock quickly shift to 3:03 AM. And then I heard what roused me. 

A shuffling outside my door. 

Slow, soft footsteps. 

Creeeeaaaak.

I laid in bed, thinking, “This is just a dream. You’ll try to grab it in the morning and it will fall through your fingers like water.”

Silence.

I breathed relief into the cold air. 

“It’s just this old house settling in the cold. Nothing to worry about.” 

Creeeeaaaak.

There it was again. A footstep in the hallway. 

“But I should check… just in case.” 

I rose, went to the door, and began to turn the knob.

The door opened slowly and I heard nothing as I walked down the hall searching for the cause of my disturbance. 

I turned a corner and my jaw dropped in a silent scream of horror as I saw a ghastly wraith standing before me. With its head almost touching the ceiling, the specter stooped to watch me with its black eyes sunken deep into its pale, white visage. Its gaunt arms grabbed the walls to pull it forward, with long, filthy fingernails scraping the wall as it groped its way toward me. With each step, I heard the same noise that brought me to it.

Creeeeaaaak.

As the phantasm stood before me, its gruesome maw began to split and the rancid smell of worms and rotting wood issued forth. It grasped the walls on either side of me, put its mouth to my ear, and in a low, raspy voice whispered, “Ope, lemme just scooch on right past ya there.”