Beware of What Lurks in Shadows
Well, it was a sort of closet. Actually, it was a tiny hallway that connected three rooms. However, things were stored in there and when all the doors were closed, it was quite dark. We would play in the room, myself, Mike, Danny, and Paul. The hard tiles made marbles exceptionally good fun. Sometimes we would play with a flashlight; shining the light upwards over one’s face could be ever so scary. We would also play dare games, sitting in the dark enclosed space, telling scary stories, daring each other to be the first to open a door and run for it. I was quite good at this game.
I recall one in particular . . .
“Hey, Joe, come and play!” I heard my baby brother Paul call.
Okay, I thought, this will be good. He’s the easiest one to scare. I entered the closet area and closed the door behind me. Surrounded by pitch darkness, I sat down on the floor and faced my brother.
I started, “Booooo! Muhahaha! I’m coming to get you! Muhahaha!”
“I’m not scared,” Paul cried, “now it’s mine turn.”
“I’m coming to get you!” he parroted.
I interrupted, “Oh come on, try something different.”
“Let me finish!” he complained.
“All right, go ahead, give it your best shot.”
“I will, I really will” he responded. His voice had taken on a shrill quality. Hum. He was getting better at this. “I’m coming to get you! I’m not your brother! I’m coming to get you! I’m not your brother.” His speech entered into an up-and-down sing-song kind of pattern. It was really quite unusual. “I’m coming to get you! I’m not your brother! I’m a demon from hell! I’m not your brother!”
He really was getting good at this. The voice he was using was now nothing like it was usually. I tried to interrupt again.
“Uh, that’s pretty good, but it’s my try again,” I said.
Nevertheless, he did not quit. It was as if he no longer heard me.
“Stop it, I said, it is my turn” I argued.
Still he continued in the peculiar rhythmic speech. “I’m not your brother! I’m a demon from hell! I’m coming to get you!”
I could not believe it, I was actually getting scared. He would not stop, that was unlike him. Paul always listened to me. His voice got louder and he began to hold the vowels longer.
“I’m not your brotheeer, Joooooe! I’m a demon from hell! I’m going to get you! I’m right next to you! Ready to grab you! Take you with me to hell! I’m not your brother! I’m a demon from hell! A demon from hell! From Hell!”
I yelled at him to stop but he wouldn’t. I had all I could stand. This was a little too scary and on top of that I had to go to the bathroom. I opened the door. Light poured into the small chamber. I stared at my brother, well I would have, except there was one small problem. He was not there. I had been in the dark space alone. I stared in disbelief and ran to the kitchen where mom was cooking. My brother Paul was eating a cookie. He had been there the whole time. I had been by myself or worse, maybe not? I can still hear the shrill sing-song voice after all these forty plus years, “I’m not your brother! I’m a demon from hell!”
The darkened space was created by the addition of two rooms upon the house. We had neglected to have that section blessed and there were no holy pictures or crosses in the enclosed space. Maybe this oversight was all the thing that I had encountered needed to violate our home. Or, perhaps it was all the overworked imagination of a young boy?
One night not long after, I recall awakening in the middle of the night and putting my hand out into the hallway beyond my bedroom door. Again, in the darkness there was absolutely no light to see. Everyone was in bed asleep except for me. I dared myself to get over the fear I had experienced in the connector space to the new rooms. There is nothing in the dark that is not there in the light, right? I had to prove it to myself. I could not be a coward. I stretched out my hand as far as my arm could reach. Just as I was ready to dismiss my earlier experience, something grabbed at my finger tips and I quickly withdrew my hand. I shook with fear in my bed. The grownups were wrong. There was SOMETHING IN THE DARK that was not there in the light!
Humanity has always feared the unknown and the perilous, associated with the darkness, and has clung to the light. Many of the dying saints have begged to have a lantern or candle burning by their bedsides so that they might not have to die in the darkness. May we take comfort and courage in the true Light of the World who leads us out of the darkness of sin and death.
Hullo!
This was no doubt a very scary experience for you! I am not Christian though I have little problem with the religion. I am a spiritualist but please don’t take the white candles, pentagrams and insence stereotype!
I do do a lot of reading on Chrisitanity as well as many other religions and if I’m not mistaken, demons, indeed the devil himself do not reside in hell. The reside here on earth. In Revelations it says that on the day of reckoning Jesus will throw satan and his angels into the “lake of fire” (also refered to as the lake of sulphur). Many Christian scholars deem this to mean that Satan infact resides upon and in some ways has control over (though the sins of humanity) the earth.
So while I have no problem with the idea that there was something with you in the dark if it did indeed say ‘I am a demon from hell’ I really am doubting that it was (supposing that that very concept is indeed true). I’m not quite sure why it would say that, especially if you take the above quote from Revelations to be an indicator of Satan’s earthen residence. However, in my belief (which I’m not trying to press upon you, I’d just like to express it) I would say that the spirit that contacted you used the pretence of a ‘demon from hell’ to scare you - some seem to like to do that.
Anyway, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter!!
Katherine
omg please stop it your scaring me stop doing this stuff please..