Night Sentinel

I peer out from my sweat-soaked sheets at my snoring twin sister. She doesn’t believe me: no one does. Dad says my imagination is just too good. But I’ve seen what comes out in the dark.

I wait, and they emerge from the shadow-clotted closet. They whisper bad dreams in my sister’s ear…bad dreams that don’t fade when she wakes up. She whimpers. They smile.

All I want to do is sleep. It’s been so long since I slept. I sit up and light the candle that scares them away. It flickers. I watch.

I won’t let it go out.