The leaves were just beginning to change colors in the town of Birk.  The crisp, autumn air stung the little noses of Will and Abby Olson as they raced over the dead, brown grass to their sandbox in their backyard.  Will threw his backpack aside with ease and climbed into the box. Abby was pounding shortly behind him. 

“You only won because you’re older,” panted Abby.  Will smirked, showing his goofy buck-teeth.  His crystal eyes shined with excitement.  The two began to build their elaborate fortresses, working tirelessly as they did every day.  The wind howled above them, causing young Abby to shiver.  The wind shook the ancient oak trees that towered over the children.  The dry bushes rustled, like squirrels were scampering back in forth in the brush.  But there were no squirrels.  Or any animals.  The only sound was the whistling wind shaking the trees that loomed over the Will and Abby. 

Even as darkness approached, Will and Abby were not about to stop building.  Suddenly, a low rumbling sound was heard over the howling.  Will and Abby felt goosebumps on their delicate skin as they heard it.  The sound resembled an earthquake or a waterfall, but it was the growling of a large creature.  They felt it more than they heard it, the hairs raised on their arms.  A wash of cold traveled through Will and Abby.  They sat frozen, gawking in the direction of the source of the sound—the woods.  Suddenly, a single twig snapped in the trees, followed by a raspy groan.  Will sprung to his feet.   

“Common!” He hollered urgently.  He grabbed his sister’s arm and dragged her to her feet.  They bolted inside, leaving their unfinished fortresses behind without a glance back.

The night followed with Will and Abby’s nightly routine:  supper, read a book, brush teeth, feed the dog and, finally, go to bed.  Will and Abby shared a room.  In the room there were two twin-size beds separated by a nightstand.  The head of each bed was against the back wall which was painted a light green.  Across from their beds were two closets, one for each child.  The corner opposite of the door had two windows that faced the back of the house where the sandbox sat.  Will and Abby’s mom opened a window slightly, so a soft breeze would freshen up the room. 

“Goodnight.  Sleep night, we love you two,” whispered their mom as she and their dad walked out, silently closing the door behind them.  Sparky, their beagle, jumped into bed with Will.  Will and Abby fell asleep instantly, and the two of them slept soundly.

Will heard it first.  A bottomless groan that felt like the earth was shaking beneath him, but Will laid still.  The sound erupted into a low snarl resembling a large dog. 

Will heard Abby stir and moan, “Sparky be quiet.”

“It isn’t Sparky,” Will hushed back.  He felt his eyes growing wider with fright.  He looked up to the foot of the bed and realized Sparky was gone.  “Where’s Sparky?”  Will was panicked now.  He listened intently and could make out the quiet whimper from his dog.  Suddenly, Sparky gave a strange yelp that almost sounded like a scream for help.  Abby sat up immediately, her face was blank of emotion.  Her eyes, however, were wide and full of fear.  The unearthly groan grew louder.  She felt her heart flutter as scratchy undertones of the noise sent chills down her back.  Abby realized the snarl was coming from out of the window.  Slowly, she lifted her eyes from Will and gazed into the darkness.  Abby drew in a sharp breath and stared intensely at what she saw, unable to move.  A pair of murderous and unforgiving eyes were watching her and Will.  They were as red as fresh blood in the snow.  It looked at Abby.  She felt as if her worst nightmare had finally come true, and it had.  A shriek escaped from Abby’s lips, splitting the silence.  It was a raw, fearful scream.  When Will realized what she was looking at, he became petrified.  He couldn’t move or speak. 

“What’s going on baby?” Will and Abby’s mom burst into the room filled with panic.  “What’s going on?  What’s wrong?”  She jumped into Abby’s bed and hugged her profusely.  Will shook out of his trance.

“There’s a creature outside the window,” he whispered.  “It was growling.  And staring at us.”  His voice died.  He was still in shock from what he witnessed.  He glanced towards the window and saw that the beast was gone. 

“Oh, you were just having a bad dream,” their mother reassured him.  “I’ll stay with you until you go back to sleep.  Come over here, Will.”  She beckoned for him to get in Abby’s bed.  Abby was silent, her face buried into her mother’s side.  “Lay down,” she said to her children.  “I’m right here.” 

The following day, Abby and Will went straight inside after school.  That night, they refused to go to bed in fear that the beast would return.  Their parents assured them it was just a dream, but they knew it wasn’t.  Nothing so unholy could be dreamt up by two innocent children…

“Momma please stay with me, please stay with me,” Abby cried.  Will was silent.  He sat in his bed covering his ears and shaking his head.

“I’ll stay with you two until you fall asleep.  I promise nothing will get you.”  She gently stroked back Abby’s blond curl and laid her down.  “Will, honey, are you okay?”  Will still had his ears covered, but he looked up when his mother said his name.

“Yes,” he said quickly, and turned around to lay down. 

“Lights out,” Abby and Will’s father said.  He turned them off, left the room, and closed the door.  Will and Abby fell asleep easily with the comfort of their mother. 

A slight nocking noise woke up Will and Abby.  It was as if a cat was gently pawing at their door.  Only, the sound wasn’t coming from the door, it was coming from the window.  Drowsily, neither Abby nor Will thought much of it and they attempted to go back to sleep.  That’s when the growl started again.  The growl ripped from the depths of the creature’s throat.  A peculiar feeling of cold washed over Will and Abby.  They felt pure terror.  The groan grew steadily deeper and more menacing.  Abby was whimpering and shaking with fear.  She was too scared to look up and see what was outside her bedroom window.  Will, on the other hand, glimpsed up.  On the other side of the glass, he saw the same pair of hungry eyes.  The creature opened its mouth and revealed rows of dagger-like teeth.  An ear-piercing whistle aroused from the beast.  It stung like tiny needles were poking their delicate ears.  Will and Abby released a blood-curdling scream because of the pain they felt.  Sparky went crazy.  He snarled and barked furiously at the window, but the beast just glared at them and continued the high-pitched screech. 

The door to the bedroom flung open and the screeching stopped immediately.  Will and Abby continued to cover their ears in pain.  Tears were rolling down their cheeks like waterfalls. 

“What? What’s wrong?” Their parents exclaimed.  Each parent went to comfort a child.

“It was back!  That monster,” sobbed Will.  “It wasn’t a dream, Abby saw it, too.”

“There, there,” said Will’s father.  “You’re safe now.  You guys can come sleep with us if you’re too scared.”  Abby nodded.  She clung to her mother like her life depended on it.  Will and Abby’s parents did not believe there was a monster, but they brought their children to their room anyway.  Their parents knew that it was just another nightmare, and those would pass with time.  For tonight, they decided they would be there for their children.

The following night Will and Abby begged their parents to let them sleep with them.  They were absolutely terrified of being alone.  Their mom and dad told them that they needed to grow up and that they needed to face their fears.  Eventually, their mom said she would stay with them until they fell asleep.

While Will and Abby’s dad were tucking them in, their mom opened their window a little wider because it was a little stuffy in the room.  Their father kissed them goodnight, turned the lights off, and left.  After Will and Abby fell asleep, their mom went to bed as well. 

The children awoke to a soft, pitiful whimper.  Sparky was whining from underneath Abby’s bed, farthest from the window. 

“What’s going on?” asked Abby.

“I don’t know,” replied Will.  He felt so uneasy, like he was being watched.  His heart started to race because he then realized exactly what was going on.  He turned his head towards the window.  His heart stopped when he saw the creature that was standing there.  It was horrendous.  The smell was like rancid old cheese, and it churned Will’s stomach.  His eyes traveled to the creature’s three rows of teeth, each as sharp as a dagger.  It’s nose was the size of a potato and oozed yellow snot.  The creature’s thick, knotted fur was a dark brown, stained black around it’s round, wide mouth.  It’s red eyes, empty and unforgiving, stared down at the helpless dog.  The creature’s head was round and resembled much of a lion, with matted, grainy hair sticking up in every direction.  The beast licked it’s lips hungrily.  Will sat frozen.  He just wanted to wake up from this nightmare.  Abby was hiding under her blankets, but that wouldn’t protect her for long.  The creature slowly climbed through the window into the bedroom.  Will watched petrified.  He felt his chest tighten as the rest of the creature came into view.  It’s gnarled paws were the size of plates, and it’s claws were sharp as knives and caked with blood.  The creature looked directly at Will with its menacing, blood-thirsty eyes.  He wished he could melt away.  Will looked at his sister who was still hiding under her butterfly blanket.  Will couldn’t move.  He couldn’t scream.  He couldn’t breathe.  Everything was still and silent, except for the heavy, raspy breathing of the creature that stood before him.  Will clenched his firsts and squeezed his eyes shut.   

The next morning, Abby and Will’s parents were devastated to find their children missing.  Their grief consumed them, and they couldn’t figure out what or why this happened. Abby and Will disappeared without a trace—expect for a drop of Abby’s blood on the windowsill.  The FBI case went cold after a year and a half with no leads.  Fliers with their pictures are still found everywhere in Birk and surrounding towns.  To this day, no one knows what happened to those children.