The First Time I Saw It
I have had quite a few paranormal encounters. They don't happen often anymore, but when I was younger, it was a common occurrence. And it wasn't just me seeing these things, it was my whole family.
The first time I really encountered it, I was twelve and home alone. My mother was out of state, watching my older brother play for his college lacrosse team, my oldest brother was deployed, and my dad had taken my sister to soccer practice. He would only be gone for a little over an hour, so it wasn't that big of a deal. I was a good kid, never answered the door, always kept the doors locked, and didn't do things I wasn't supposed to.
I was in the kitchen, playing on the family computer. From upstairs, I could hear footsteps walking from my room, across the banister, to my parents room. Again, I was twelve, so, naturally, I put my phone down and asked who was there.
The only response I got was my parents room door slamming shut. My two dogs and cat came flying down the stairs and into the kitchen. Rex, our oldest dog (RIP), stood in front of me, growling into the hallway. Rambo, our other dog (also RIP), was whining by the back door, shaking with Gumby, my cat, standing beside him. Gumby's hair was sticking up and he was hissing. By that point, I'm freaking out, unable to breathe and unsure of what to do.
My parents room was right above the kitchen, so I could hear this thing walk around above me. Honestly, it sounded like someone was throwing shit across the room, breaking stuff. Kind of like a rage room.
I ran out to the back door and hid behind the couch on the deck with my dogs and cat. I called my dad and told him that there was someone in the house and that he needed to come home. Over the phone, I could literally hear him speeding. He was only two minutes away, so it didn't take long before he had come barreling into the house through the kitchen door.
I came inside and my dad told us to wait outside while he looked around. Me and my sister, being young and stupid af, decided to follow him anyway. We watched from the bottom of the stairs as he checked upstairs. When he came back down, he was confused. Nothing was out of place and there wasn't anything to suggest a break in.
I ran upstairs and into my parents room, and he was right, not a single thing was out of place.
But, when I turned around, there was something standing at the end of the hallway. It's head was turned painfully to the side as it dragged across the ceiling. It was basically a shadow, and it had these bright, yellow eyes and a black top hat. It's arms reached down to it's knees and it smiled at me. I couldn't see any teeth and it was all just blacked out, but I swear it smiled.
I couldn't move and I honestly couldn't breathe. I was so scared and I just watched it. I looked away for a second when my sister called my name and when I looked back, it was gone.
I had more encounters with this thing after that. Sometimes, I could see it, other times, I couldn't. And I swear to God it's a true story. It still freaks me out, and it's encounters like this that are the reason I'm so scared of the dark.