There once was a boy named Jacob. He was a pleasant and enjoyable person who never appeared to be the least bit bothered by anything. Contrary to what they believed, Jacob held a secret that had been haunting him for years.
His night started and ended the same. He would get into bed and close his eyes, wishing with every ounce of hope that his sleep would be enjoyable.
At first the night would start out fairly well, and Jacob would be nearly certain that nothing wrong could happen. And then he would feel an uncomfortable presence chilling the air in his room.
Jacob gasped as if the air had been sucked right out of his lungs. Shortly after, a black and cloudy mass appeared. Even though it never made a threatening movement or noise, Jacob's skin prickled in its presence.
"Why does it always appear in my room at night?" Jacob would ask himself. "What do I do?"
He hid his head under the covers after it came and went, trembling pathetically before finally falling asleep.
Not wanting his parents to think he was crazy, Jacob kept the black mass to himself and talked to no one about it.
A year had passed and his fear of the mass decreased. Like many boys growing up, Jacob had discovered a newfound courage and believed it would allow him to confront it.
One night, a much older Jacob prepared himself for bed just like any other night. This time he made sure to keep the light switch on. It was such a simple solution, and yet it had taken him years to think of it. Before going straight to bed, Jacob casually glanced out the window. There was something odd outside that he mistook for a window smudge at first.
He leaned in and squinted his eyes. The little smudge turned out to be the one thing that Jacob feared most. The black mass was outside, having grown to more than twice its size.
Like a balloon released from its string, the black mass floated towards of Jacob's bedroom. Every part of his body shook fervently as the ever-growing mass drew nearer and nearer before disappearing in front of the window. Whether or not the lights actually scared it off was unknown to Jacob, for he was much too frightened to think.
From that day on, Jacob's fear worsen. It seemed like nothing would ever stop the black mass from scaring him senseless each night. His fear became so great that he couldn't even look at his room without shivering.
Naturally, Jacob's parents looked on with concern as their son displayed rather unusual behaviors every time he looked at or passed his room.
"Maybe we should have a talk with Jacob about this fear of his," said his mother. "I don't want this getting any worse than it already is."
Shortly after, Jacob made an agreement with his parents to have a talk in his room.
Unfortunately for Jacob's parents, Jacob himself never showed up for the meeting as promised. This was because Jacob spotted something rather unusual as he approached the staircase.
It only appeared for a brief second in the corner of Jacob's eye, but there was no denying what he had just seen.
Not wanting to miss the opportunity, Jacob turned around and dashed into the nearest room, believing that what he'd seen had retreated from him in there.
The nearest room also happened to be the library, a large room filled with bookshelves and couches. Walking around the room, Jacob felt that there was something lurking around a corner, waiting for the chance to terrify him once more. He was beginning to regret his decision and turned to leave when it blocked his path.
The black mass had grown, taking up a fourth of the room. Its inside was a deep black hole leading to nowhere, while distorted sounds of terror, anguish, and depression resonating throughout. Jacob tried to ignore the sounds escaping from it, but the more he resisted the harder it became to do anything. His body continued to weaken, along with his willpower. The black mass surrounded his body entirely like a thick fog and blocked all sense of self, reasoning, and hope.
Jacob's parents found him later that night lying facedown on the floor. His skin had been completely drained, leaving behind a sickly gray hue. His healthy body had looked emaciated, and the worst sight of all had to be his face.
Looking at them through lifeless glazed eyes, Jacob's expression was that of someone begging to be free, knowing fully well that the freedom he longed for would never come.
This image haunted Jacob's parents for the rest of their lives.
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