I hear the newly fallen leaves under my boots crunch to the rhythm of my steps. I hear my brother and next-door neighbor chase each other ahead down the hill to our house. They’re within seeing distance so I decide to just let them be so I can glance at the time on my new watch. Soon after my two younger neighbors run into their houses safely, I take my time walking through the leaves and feeling the occasional sharp breeze.

I’m having fun humming to myself songs we sang in music when I get that feeling. That feeling you get when someone is staring at you. I instinctively look up at the house being built and see a single man in a hard hat staring straight at me. I quickly look back at the ground noticing the feeling is stronger than it was before. That sinking feeling that we’ve all had in our stomachs. That feeling that makes us all nauseous.

I start picking up the pace while avoiding eye contact with the man. I don’t look back until I’m out of breath in the middle of my driveway. I finally get the courage to look back at the malicious man and see in his smile as wide as the Cheshire Cat. He starts walking over to my driveway still smiling and starting to talk to me as if we were friends. “Come over here! I have to show you something!” His voice booms across the neighborhood like a deafening thunderclap. I want to run in my house and collapse into my mother’s affectionate arms. But I can’t move. My feet are stuck to the concrete like super glue.

When the man quickens his pace, that’s when my brain finally wakes up to trigger the flight response and tells my legs to start moving. I dash into my house and lock the door. Once I’ve caught my breath, I look out the window and see the man staring at me through both the screen and glass door. I slowly shiver shakily and run to my mother.

`/\`/\`/\`/\`/\`

Later that night, I awake with a sudden jolt. Did something wake me up? Was I dreaming? I see a light creeping into my blinds and onto my face. I close my eyes and get out of bed praying my worst nightmare didn’t come to life. But there he is. The man with the hard hat waving at me from beneath the rain. Still smiling as wide as before.