The first time something happened

March 1, 2025

by Adrian

When we moved into our new house, I thought things would finally calm down. It was a quiet place, just one hallway leading to all the rooms, and I never got that uneasy feeling like something was watching me. At first, everything seemed normal. Peaceful, even. But it didn’t take long before the shadows found me again.

The first time something happened was about a month after we settled in. Our bed is against the wall, and I sleep on the outer side. There’s a small lamp on the nightstand, round in shape, glowing softly at night. One night, around three in the morning, I woke up and noticed something moving near the lamp. My eyes adjusted to the dim light, and I saw it—a long, slithering shape coiled around the base of the lamp. It looked like a snake, slowly slipping out of sight. Just as its tail vanished behind the lamp, I bolted upright and switched on the light. Nothing. The nightstand was empty. But the image was so clear, so real, that I stayed awake for hours, heart racing.

A few weeks later, something else happened. I woke up in the middle of the night to my bed trembling. At first, I thought I was dreaming. But then I heard voices—two men talking in low, hushed tones outside my bedroom door. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but it felt like they knew I was awake. The moment I turned on the light, the voices stopped. My husband was fast asleep beside me, and no one else lived in the house.

Then came the bug. It was summer, so when I woke up and saw a massive wasp bumping against the ceiling, I wasn’t surprised at first. But something about the way it moved felt…off. I watched it hover and bounce, then quickly switched on the light, ready to run. But as soon as the room lit up, it was gone. I searched everywhere—under the bed, in the corners, near the windows. Nothing. It had just vanished.

The most recent encounter was the worst. I woke up and saw something at the closet doors. A snake. But it wasn’t on the floor. It was somehow stuck between the two sliding doors, floating in the air, its body stretched out, moving unnaturally. It hissed, its head twisting as if it was watching me. My mind couldn’t even process what I was seeing. My body froze, but my hand moved instinctively to the light switch. And just like that, it was gone.

I don’t know if these things are dreams bleeding into reality or if something is truly following me. Maybe it knows what I fear most. Maybe it feeds on that fear. Whatever it is, it hasn’t stopped. And I don’t think it ever will.

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