back as deep as it would go into the
stone wall behind me.
I could see nothing in the darkness but I
could hear the monster getting closer as I cowered into the wall,
trying to scream without success.
Suddenly the creature went silent. I had a
feeling it had intentionally stopped just far enough back so that
the light from the two remaining Snoopy sconces that were still lit
would not illuminate it.
Then the light changed. It didn’t get
brighter or dimmer; it just shifted. I risked diverting my eyes
from the dark depths of the hallway for a quick glance up at the
Snoopy sconce to my left and finally found enough voice to
scream.
The light had changed because Snoopy was no
longer sleeping on his doghouse. His departure from his sleeping
position caused the light to shine differently through the plastic
walls of his doghouse.
Instead of sleeping peacefully on his
doghouse, Snoopy was standing up on it staring at me with eyes that
glowed red like coals. He was shaking a paw at me like an old man
yelling at teenage kids that drive too fast up his street and his
formerly peaceful smile had transformed into a snarl.
I glanced at the sconce on my right and saw
that the Snoopy there was up and about as well, but instead of
standing there shaking his paw at me he was pacing back and forth
on top of his doghouse, evidently looking for an easy way down.
The second Snoopy looked just like the first
Snoopy with the exception of a snarl. Instead of contorting his
mouth into a snarl, he was moving his mouth as if he were trying to
speak. He made no sound.
I watched, horrified, as the second Snoopy
paced to the edge of his dog house and began to climb down from it,
hanging from the peak of the roof.
He hung there for a second and I thought he
was going to drop to the floor, but he didn’t. Instead, he started
swinging back and forth, the lower part of his body disappearing
into the entrance to his doghouse briefly on each forward swing
before swinging back out again on the back swing. Every pendulous
arc caused him to swing further and faster than the previous one,
with more of his body entering his dog house every time.
When more than half his body was entering the
doghouse on each forward swing he let go and disappeared completely
into his house. When I could no longer see Snoopy number two, I
looked frantically back to Snoopy number one and found that had
followed Snoopy two’s lead and was now mouthing silently at me
while swinging from the gable of his house.
Once Snoopy number one let go and flew into
his doghouse I glanced back to Snoopy two’s doghouse. It was still
devoid of demonic cartoon canines so I switched my focus back to
the hall again.
Staring down the hall I thought I saw a
slight motion at the very edge of vision, right where light and
shadow collided. It was just a quick shimmer, like heat rising off
the road in summer—impossible to focus on, yet visible
nonetheless.
The motion happened so fast that I wasn’t
sure I’d really seen it. I stared as hard as I could into the dark,
furrowing my eyebrows as if that would increase my vision, but saw
nothing else. Whatever was down there did not want to be
seen…Yet.
I was so focused on the darkness ahead that I
almost failed to notice the small noises I on either side of me.
The noises went on for several seconds before I finally recognized
that there was something happening that I should pay attention
to.
I looked to the left and saw that Snoopy
number one was now descending from his doghouse on a thin rope,
apparently tied off to something inside the house that hung down
out of the entrance and nearly to the floor. I glanced to my right
and saw Snoopy two doing the same thing.
I was utterly terrified. I had nowhere to go;
the wall was to my back, twelve inch tall demonic beagles were
flanking me on each side, and in front of me was the unseen
terror.
Both Snoopy’s hit the ground simultaneously
and turned towards me. They started walking towards me,
stone wall behind me.
I could see nothing in the darkness but I
could hear the monster getting closer as I cowered into the wall,
trying to scream without success.
Suddenly the creature went silent. I had a
feeling it had intentionally stopped just far enough back so that
the light from the two remaining Snoopy sconces that were still lit
would not illuminate it.
Then the light changed. It didn’t get
brighter or dimmer; it just shifted. I risked diverting my eyes
from the dark depths of the hallway for a quick glance up at the
Snoopy sconce to my left and finally found enough voice to
scream.
The light had changed because Snoopy was no
longer sleeping on his doghouse. His departure from his sleeping
position caused the light to shine differently through the plastic
walls of his doghouse.
Instead of sleeping peacefully on his
doghouse, Snoopy was standing up on it staring at me with eyes that
glowed red like coals. He was shaking a paw at me like an old man
yelling at teenage kids that drive too fast up his street and his
formerly peaceful smile had transformed into a snarl.
I glanced at the sconce on my right and saw
that the Snoopy there was up and about as well, but instead of
standing there shaking his paw at me he was pacing back and forth
on top of his doghouse, evidently looking for an easy way down.
The second Snoopy looked just like the first
Snoopy with the exception of a snarl. Instead of contorting his
mouth into a snarl, he was moving his mouth as if he were trying to
speak. He made no sound.
I watched, horrified, as the second Snoopy
paced to the edge of his dog house and began to climb down from it,
hanging from the peak of the roof.
He hung there for a second and I thought he
was going to drop to the floor, but he didn’t. Instead, he started
swinging back and forth, the lower part of his body disappearing
into the entrance to his doghouse briefly on each forward swing
before swinging back out again on the back swing. Every pendulous
arc caused him to swing further and faster than the previous one,
with more of his body entering his dog house every time.
When more than half his body was entering the
doghouse on each forward swing he let go and disappeared completely
into his house. When I could no longer see Snoopy number two, I
looked frantically back to Snoopy number one and found that had
followed Snoopy two’s lead and was now mouthing silently at me
while swinging from the gable of his house.
Once Snoopy number one let go and flew into
his doghouse I glanced back to Snoopy two’s doghouse. It was still
devoid of demonic cartoon canines so I switched my focus back to
the hall again.
Staring down the hall I thought I saw a
slight motion at the very edge of vision, right where light and
shadow collided. It was just a quick shimmer, like heat rising off
the road in summer—impossible to focus on, yet visible
nonetheless.
The motion happened so fast that I wasn’t
sure I’d really seen it. I stared as hard as I could into the dark,
furrowing my eyebrows as if that would increase my vision, but saw
nothing else. Whatever was down there did not want to be
seen…Yet.
I was so focused on the darkness ahead that I
almost failed to notice the small noises I on either side of me.
The noises went on for several seconds before I finally recognized
that there was something happening that I should pay attention
to.
I looked to the left and saw that Snoopy
number one was now descending from his doghouse on a thin rope,
apparently tied off to something inside the house that hung down
out of the entrance and nearly to the floor. I glanced to my right
and saw Snoopy two doing the same thing.
I was utterly terrified. I had nowhere to go;
the wall was to my back, twelve inch tall demonic beagles were
flanking me on each side, and in front of me was the unseen
terror.
Both Snoopy’s hit the ground simultaneously
and turned towards me. They started walking towards me,
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