The Shadow Beneath the Bed

Eight-year-old Riya loved bedtime stories, but she hated sleeping alone. Every night she insisted that something lived beneath her bed.

Her parents laughed and assured her that monsters were not real.

One evening, a fierce thunderstorm rattled the windows. The lights flickered repeatedly before the entire house went dark.

Riya pulled her blanket over her head.

Then she heard scratching.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

Coming from beneath the bed.

She froze.

The scratching stopped, replaced by soft breathing. It sounded as if someone was lying underneath her mattress.

Gathering her courage, she peeked over the edge.

Nothing.

Relieved, she climbed back into bed.

Moments later, a cold hand touched her ankle.

Riya screamed.

Her parents rushed into the room carrying candles. They searched everywhere but found nothing unusual.

Eventually, they convinced her to sleep.

Around midnight, she woke to the sound of whispering.

A dark shape stood beside her bed.

It was taller than any person she had ever seen. Its body appeared made entirely of shadows.

The figure pointed toward the floor.

Terrified, Riya looked down and noticed a loose wooden plank. The next morning, her father removed it and discovered an old box hidden underneath.

Inside was a diary belonging to the home's previous owner. The final pages described a mysterious shadow creature that haunted the house.

After the diary was removed, the strange events stopped.

Yet years later, Riya still remembers the cold touch on her ankle and wonders whether the shadow truly left.