The Porch Light Watcher

I was in the sixth grade at Cedar Hills Elementary when this happened, but it’s been twelve years and I still can’t shake it. My family had just moved into this old farmhouse on the edge of town, and my older sister, Maya, was away at a friend’s house for the night. I had the attic bedroom, which I loved because it had this big round window that looked out over the front yard and the long gravel driveway.

That night, my golden retriever, Biscuit, who was usually a bundle of energy, refused to leave the window. He just sat there, staring down at the driveway, his tail giving a weak thump when I called him but he wouldn’t budge. I tried luring him with cheese, his absolute favorite, but he only glanced at me, then back outside. I figured he was probably just watching for Maya’s car or something, but it gave me a weird feeling.

I pulled out my old game console to pass the time, but after a couple of hours, Biscuit suddenly started barking and growling like crazy at the window. It was about 2 AM, and nothing I did could calm him. I grabbed him by the collar to pull him away, and that’s when I saw it.

There was a figure standing at the end of the driveway, right under the old wooden porch light that my dad never fixed. It was this tall, thin shape, too thin, like a scarecrow but moving slightly. It wasn’t coming closer, just swaying in place. Biscuit was going ballistic, and I was frozen, my heart hammering. Then the figure raised one arm, slowly, and pointed directly at my window.

I yanked Biscuit back, closed the blinds, and ran to my parents’ room, but they were both in a deep sleep. I tried to wake them, but they just mumbled and turned over. So I stayed up in the hallway, Biscuit trembling beside me, listening for any sound. After an hour, Biscuit finally relaxed, but I didn’t sleep.

The next morning, I told my parents, but they said I probably saw a deer or my imagination. Maya came home and dismissed it. But that night, Biscuit wouldn’t even go near the window, and I had to lock my door.

Over the next week, every night at 2:00 AM, the porch light would flicker, and Biscuit would run to the window and bark. The figure was always there, always pointing. I started having nightmares, and my grades slipped. My parents took me to a therapist, but I couldn’t explain it.

Then, about a month later, the light burned out. My dad replaced the bulb, but I noticed that every night, the light would turn on by itself, even though the switch was off. And the figure stopped appearing. I thought it was over. But on the last night before we moved away, I peeked out my window one final time. The light was on, and the figure was standing there, but it wasn’t pointing at my window anymore. It was pointing at the ‘For Sale’ sign at the end of the driveway.

I never saw it again, but I still check the window every night, and I always keep a pair of scissors on my nightstand, just in case.