The Man With the Red Eyes | Teen Ink

The Man With the Red Eyes

July 5, 2021
By Crazywolfiegirl2 PLATINUM, Kington, Other
Crazywolfiegirl2 PLATINUM, Kington, Other
26 articles 3 photos 284 comments

Favorite Quote:
There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature—the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter. —Rachel Carson


She had always been scared of the dark, of the creatures that may lurk out of sight, ready to pounce. She had slept with a night light on her beside table from a very young age, with her covers pulled right up. Strange, that her bed had been her one safe place, that little halo of light illuminating the room.

She was eight when she had first seen him. "The man with red eyes". From then on, nowhere was safe, not if it was dark. She would beg her parents to leave the landing lights on, and to not come into her room and turn off her little lamp. Her parents soon became worried, as she would draw pictures of a creature and beg them to get rid of it. "He came from outside," she would cry. Her parents noticed one thing about the drawings; they were always completely different, apart from the red eyes.  The eyes that chilled her parents so much.

One night they had left her to go to dinner. They had hired a babysitter, telling her that she had to always keep the lights on (for the respect they had of their daughter's seemingly irrational fear). But the babysitter spent the night watching horror movies with her boyfirend, having sent the girl up to her room after a hasty tea. 

The powercut that followed was completely unexpected. Irritated that they couldn't watch the horror movie, the babysitter persuaded her grudging boyfriend tha they should quickly check on the girl.

But her room was empty, the bedsheets lying on the floor next to the upturned bed. They stared in horror at the abondoned, ramsacked room. Their immidiate thoughts were robbers, until they saw what was daubed on the wall in dripping red paint. You should have listened. Now you're next.


The author's comments:

People think that the fear of the dark is irrational. But so many people are scared. That is what inspired this, the idea that fears could be rational.


Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 6 comments.


on Jul. 21 2021 at 3:22 pm
CrazyCatLady6 GOLD, New Radnor, Other
16 articles 0 photos 102 comments

Favorite Quote:
"There would be no shadows if the sun were not shining"

@Vanita0614 I totally agree! This is really incredible, and I really loved how it was written! :))

on Jul. 21 2021 at 11:57 am
Crazywolfiegirl2 PLATINUM, Kington, Other
26 articles 3 photos 284 comments

Favorite Quote:
There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature—the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter. —Rachel Carson

Whoops, somehow my comment came out twice. Oh well!

on Jul. 21 2021 at 11:56 am
Crazywolfiegirl2 PLATINUM, Kington, Other
26 articles 3 photos 284 comments

Favorite Quote:
There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature—the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter. —Rachel Carson

@Vanita0614 thanks, it's not one of my best but it's still nice to have nice comments 🙂

on Jul. 21 2021 at 11:56 am
Crazywolfiegirl2 PLATINUM, Kington, Other
26 articles 3 photos 284 comments

Favorite Quote:
There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature—the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter. —Rachel Carson

@Vanita0614 thanks, it's not one of my best but it's still nice to have nice comments 🙂

on Jul. 21 2021 at 11:51 am
VeeKitty0614 BRONZE, Taichung, Other
2 articles 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
"We are the contributors to our own misery"

I loved it

on Jul. 20 2021 at 6:14 am
Crazywolfiegirl2 PLATINUM, Kington, Other
26 articles 3 photos 284 comments

Favorite Quote:
There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature—the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter. —Rachel Carson

I forgot to read through it once I had finished, I just read through now and noticed three spelling mistakes. Please ignore them 😅 (I can't believe I spelt boyfriend, that and immediate wrong, I was writing pretty quickly though without autocorrect so that might explain it.)