It was a dark and stormy night, but it hadn't started that way. It was the night that signaled the beginning of my sorrow. I listened to the sudden storm beyond the rain-spattered panes. I turned back to my story and read the words I'd been agonizing over for too long. 

Through the rain, a shadow could be seen under the darkness cast by the trees. They were the creature’s favorite refuge. The shadows hid him well, except for his grin, which displayed his cleverness. He utilized slim fingers to perform tasks meant for human hands. Doors and windows, even locked, were not enough to keep him away. He was a creature that hunted for sport, not just for survival. 

A crash from the other room shattered my concentration. I heard no other sounds. I eventually got up to see if Bob, my friend who was visiting for the summer, needed my help. When I reached the kitchen, I found pots scattered across the floor. The shelf they had been on was hanging from a single nail. Bob was nowhere to be seen. 

I gathered up the pots repaired the shelf. I glanced out the window and caught sight of a shape lurking in the rain. A bolt of lightning illuminated a fanged grin. The shape turned away from the window and vanished in the darkness. The encounter reminded me of the feeling I had been attempting to convey with my writing. I rushed back to my room and locked the door. I knew the name of the creature: Oeggre. 

Slowly, I calmed down. Had the monster really been there? Or was I overtired? Was the creature was nothing more than a trick of my imagination? I dared not leave my room to verify the existence of the monster. I was terrified I might see it again. 

I jerked awake late the next morning. I sat up slowly, shivering at the memory of the beast. It had seemed so real, but I had been exhausted. I got to my feet, unlocked my door, and stumbled to the kitchen. I doubted whether I had truly seen a face beyond the window. Bob was at the table, yawning at his morning paper. I took the chair across from him, also yawning. 

 “Did the falling pots disturb you last night?” I asked. 

 “Sorry about that, I accidentally pulled the shelf down as I got up to go to bed last night,” Bob said. “I’d planned on fixing it before you woke up this morning, but it looks like you got to it before I did.” He glanced at me over the top of his newspaper. His expression quickly became one of concern. “You look terrible. Did you sleep at all last night?” 

 “I was up late working on my book. Had a nightmare about what I had written.” 

 “Horror story, eh? Maybe you should put it aside and have your first book be about kittens or something.” We chuckled, and Bob volunteered to make breakfast. 

After breakfast, I reluctantly returned to my writing. I labored until my patience was spent. Exasperated, I turned to gaze out the window and saw a large animal crouched under the tree outside. I leaped from my seat in alarm. The grin was even more terrible than it had been the previous night. Oeggre was truly there. I knew that I couldn’t imagine it that clearly. By the time I had shouted for Bob, Oeggre had vanished. My friend rushed into the room. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, panting. 

“The creature from my nightmare! It was right outside the window!” 

Bob paused a moment before speaking in a calm tone. “Don’t worry, it can’t hurt you. You said your nightmare was from your book, right? Did you write about the thing you saw?” I said yes. Bob suggested that I draw the curtains and take a nap. “Perhaps being more rested will help dispel the apparition you keep seeing.” I agreed, thinking Bob doubted me, but I was certain that I had seen the horrible beast. 

I woke in the afternoon with Oeggre still in my mind. Over a late lunch, Bob asked me about Oeggre. He managed to persuade me to go outside to see if Oeggre had left any trace of itself. We searched around the tree and nearby bushes. We found nothing but the remains of a small animal that a cat had left behind. I told Bob that Oeggre was a clever beast and would not leave any clear evidence of its passing. 

The lower the sun sank, the more nervous I became. 

“Let’s go for a walk. Maybe that’ll clear your head. You can tell me more about this creature on the way,” Bob offered. 

We walked the streets. I spoke of the circumstances surrounding Oeggre’s first appearance. My friend listened politely, but I could tell he still doubted me. Then I saw the hated grin from the space between two dark buildings. 

I pointed at the shadow and shouted, “There it is!” I rushed toward the crouching creature, not caring if it tore me to pieces. I wanted only to prove that I was not going mad.          

“Wait! Come back!” Bob shouted. 

I heard the alarm in his voice, but I paid no heed. I continued my dash toward the beast. As I neared, Oeggre sank deeper into the shadows until all that was left was an aura of fear. Slowly, I came back to where Bob stood, peering into the darkness. 

“You nearly had me believing in that monster, especially when you took off like that.” He sighed with relief, though his eyes darted nervously to the shadows again. “I think now is a good time to head back, don’t you?” He turned and began up the road toward my house. 

I said nothing as I followed. I was quickly becoming desperate to unravel this mystery. 

All the next day, I caught glimpses of Oeggre’s haunting grin. Every time I began to feel secure, Oeggre would appear and cast me back into mental chaos. His appearances were fleeting, and it caused my fear to grow all the more as Oeggre played his game. Was this what it felt like to go mad? Did it begin when a man saw his own demonic nightmare him? I struggled to hold on to my sanity. 

I could tell Bob had noticed the changes I'd gone through since Oeggre first appeared. I ate little, and I was always exhausted, sleeping only an hour or two at a time. Two days after our walk together, Bob suggested we stroll down to the lake for a swim. I agreed, eager for a change of scenery. As I sat on a dock, watching all the people fishing, swimming, and boating, I cast nervous glances over my shoulders toward the trees. 

Bob climbed up onto the dock for what seemed the hundredth time and said, “Are you going to get in?” I shook my head again, and he jumped back in. “Come on! Get in here before I bring the lake to you!” When he actually did splash me, I sputtered, water dripping from my face. He dove away quickly. I grinned, preparing to give him a splash when he resurfaced. I followed his progress as he swam through the weeds near the dock. 

He didn’t surface. I scanned the water and saw him writhing near the lake bottom, ten feet down. I looked closer and could see fingers holding him from within the weeds. The grin shimmering in the depths betrayed its owner at once. In my state of terror, I was unable to do more than scream for help. 

Within a few minutes, a boat arrived with several rescuers. One of them dove into the lake, straight for Bob and Oeggre. I was horrified. I shouted for him to get out of the water or the monster would get him too, but the people only threw me strange glances and carried on. The man in the water shouted for a knife, then dove in again. A minute later, he resurfaced with Bob floating limply in his arms. They hauled Bob into the boat and attempted to resuscitate my friend. Yet they soon stopped and solemnly brought the boat up to the dock. 

The police discovered a spool of fishing line in the weeds. They concluded that Bob had become tangled in it when he tried to kick off of the lake bottom. The broken line had been twisted so tightly around Bob that it prevented him from surfacing for air. 

I pleaded for them to listen to the truth. It wasn’t long before I discovered that by trying to get people to listen to what I had witnessed, they became more doubtful of my sanity. I stopped speaking altogether. 

I sat near the lake, though I couldn’t bear to look at the scene any longer. I couldn’t escape the image of Bob that was seared into my mind. I listened to the conversations of the people behind me, hoping that one of them would find evidence of the Oeggre. I had no such luck. 

The police told me I could leave, but I said I wasn’t ready for such a long walk. The sheriff offered me a ride home, which I numbly accepted. I said nothing on the drive. Once home, I thanked the sheriff and closed the door behind me. The house seemed empty without Bob’s happy energy flowing through it. I collapsed on my bed and didn’t stir for a long while.