• I hide in the corner. It's dark. The hideous being prowls just beyond my door, I can see its shadow through the crack of the bedroom door. It has over a thousand tentacles and its high pitched scream hurts my ears. I'm alone, in the dark. There is no one. Not my mother or my dad or even my brother. Not a living being in site except for the thing outside my door. There is not even the comforting snoring of my dog on my bed. I am completely alone. The beast outside snorts and lets out its hideous cry. I cover my ears. Then there is silence. I can no longer hear the beast. But I am still afraid. I shiver even though it is a warm summer night. The monster isn’t out there. It is inside me. It's the fear of being alone. Alone, by myself. Not a single living being anywhere. Not a dog or a cat or even a fly to comfort me. This is my fear. I can not hide from it. It haunts me every waking moment, a shadow in the back of mind.
    I slowly get to my feet. I open the door a crack and light pours into my room, blinding me. I squint into the light as a voice calls out to me. “Are coming or not, Sen?” It’s my brother. I poke my head out the door and he’s lounging on the couch in the living room. My mother and father are in their usual recliners. I slowly walk out and sit on the smaller couch. My small dog hops into my lap. I look at her with glazed eyes. “We’re starting the movie.” My brother says before clicking the remote. The movie begins playing, but I stare at it blankly. Soon I begin to emerge from the dark corner of my mind and back into the real world. But the dark shadow still remains and every now and again, I shiver, remembering the terrifying feeling of being alone.