When No One's Watching

It was just a game Krissy had made.

Looking back, I wish I never went into her basement, wish I never saw that painting on the wall.

Looking back, I wish I never played her game at all.

But Mom and Dad had a work party to go to, so last Friday night they walked me next door to Krissy’s house.

I remember it being cold outside, so cold, I ran back into my house to grab a warmer coat. It was dark too, and only the streetlamps dotting the sidewalk offered any kind of light. The space between my house and Krissy’s was long enough to make me think twice.

I didn’t like going over to Krissy’s house, not then, not ever, because each time I went, Krissy wouldn't talk to me or play with me. She’d disappear somewhere and leave me in the living room. Maybe Krissy was just shy. But all the same, it never felt right.

As we neared Krissy’s house, I had this awful feeling in my stomach. I turned to Mom, telling her I didn’t feel well, and she laughed. She ran her hand through my hair and told me to be her brave little girl. And, that she and Dad would be back in just two hours.

Just two hours.

What Mom didn’t know is evil, awful happenings can take place in just two hours.

We stood in front of Krissy’s house and Dad rang the doorbell. We waited. No answer. Dad knocked on the front door. We waited. No answer. I was beginning to think I’d run into a bit of luck, that maybe Krissy’s mother had forgotten about me, and I wouldn’t have to stay here with this strange girl.

Then the porch light flickered on, and the front door creaked open just ajar. A pair of dark brown eyes peered through, and a small timid voice accompanied them.

“Yes?”

Dad leaned forward. “Hi, Helen? It’s Greg, we’re here to drop off Nicole? I just want to thank you again for watching her.”

The door opened just a bit more. The small timid voice continued, “Hi Mr. Keller, my mother is asleep right now, she had a long shift, but I can go wake her if you want.”

Dad shook his head. “No, that won’t be necessary. Nic, call us if you need anything, we’ll be back soon.”

Dad was already bounding down the front porch steps, but Mom turned to me, knelt down, and gave me a hug. “Just two hours, pumpkin. Hang in there.”

And then she turned too, leaving me alone at the mouth of a house I did not want to enter.

Once my parents were out of sight, Krissy opened the door all the way, and I got to finally see her. She hadn’t changed much.

Krissy was a tall, thin, pale girl, with long, stringy black hair that ran into her eyes. Her eyes, which were very dark, looked almost black sometimes. And Krissy never showed skin; she always wore long sleeves and torn jeans. Without saying a word, she stepped aside, motioning for me to come in.

The inside of her house was very dark and had a suffocating feel. I walked past shadows and silhouettes, following Krissy deeper into the house. I thought it was odd that not a single light was on, but then again, Krissy did say her mother was asleep.

After a few more steps forward, I could see a light, a thin line of light appear at the bottom of the door just ahead. When we reached it, Krissy turned to me and pressed a finger to her lips. I stayed very quiet as she opened the door.

Before me lay a long, wooden staircase, with a rickety railing that dipped straight down. This must be her basement. Krissy started making her way down the stairs two at a time, but I stopped, not going any further. This didn’t feel right. Krissy turned back towards me.

“Come on. We have to be down here, my mother’s asleep on the couch.”

I didn’t question Krissy. I didn’t think quickly enough to ask why we couldn’t be in her bedroom. I just followed her, not wanting to start any trouble, and descended the wooden staircase. With each step, I lowered further and further into the ground, getting a better view of the surrounding basement. It was huge.

Faceless figures of all sizes cloaked in sheets lined the walls, taking up much of the space. Knick-knacks and bric-a-bracs were thrown about, littering the floor. Dust hung heavy in the air, and I stifled a sneeze, not wanting to make any sound.

The only thing that stood out amongst the clutter was a painting that hung on the wall, a rather large painting. It was a picture of a sun, and it looked as though a kid had drawn it. The sun was painted a bright red, and had a large, round face, with rosy cheeks and a big toothy grin stretching far too wide. But it was its eyes, painted a dark blue, that unsettled me. Even from my spot midway down the staircase those eyes stared at me, looked at me, followed me. Or at least that’s what it seemed like.

When I reached the bottom of the staircase, I noticed a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling above my head, with a pull string dangling next to it. This light, this one source of light was barely bright enough to illuminate the staircase, let alone the entire room. 

Krissy took my hand and led me to the center of the room, right in front of the sun painting.

“Well, what do you think?” she asked.

I swallowed, not sure what to say, so I smiled instead. Krissy grinned.

“I come down here a lot, almost every day. It’s my favorite place. I wanted to show it to you before, but I wasn’t ready.”

I wondered what she meant by that. Krissy giggled and I eyed the sun painting, which seemed to eye me right back. I wanted very badly to be anywhere but here.

“How about a game? I have one this time. I think you’ll like it.”

I nodded, murmured ‘sure,’ and asked what kind of game. Krissy grinned even wider.

“It’s called, When No One’s Watching, I made it up myself. Here, I'll show you how to play.”

Krissy left me standing in the middle of the room and walked back to the foot of the stairs, where the single light bulb hung. She lifted her hand and reached up to grab the pull string.

“On the count of three, I’m going to turn off the light, and you have to move into a different position by the time I turn it on. You should try to scare me or make me laugh. But you can only move in the dark. You can only move when no one is watching. Got it?”

I shook my head, staring at Krissy. She wanted to turn the lights off. Down here? But before I could get a word out, she whispered, “One, two, three!” I heard the click of the switch, and the room went dark. I stood there, frozen, too scared to move in the absolute dark.

After a few seconds, the light went back on and Krissy was standing there, frowning. She didn’t speak for quite some time, just stood there glaring at me. Her gaze made me so uncomfortable, I shifted my feet and crossed my arms. Finally, she broke the silence.

“Nicole, you have to move. Or at least make a face or something. Look, I’ll show you. It’s my turn now.”

Krissy motioned for me to switch places with her. I did, glad to. I held onto the pull string with two hands and watched as Krissy moved to the far side of the room. When she got to the far wall, she said, “Oh, and Nicole, you can turn the light on and off a few times. It’s more fun this way.”

I nodded, thinking this couldn't possibly be fun any way.

I looked over at the sun painting, its mouth stretched in a wide grin, its eyes on me. I swallowed, then said in a shaky voice, “Ready?”

Krissy nodded. I whispered, “One, two, three,” then pulled the string down. I didn’t like being in the darkness for long, so after a second, I switched it back on. When I did, I could see Krissy was closer now, and standing by the left wall, under the sun painting, one hand held up in a frozen wave. She was smiling at me, a wide smile, and her head was cocked to the side, her hair falling into her face.

I pulled the light switch again. I could hear nothing in the darkness. No footsteps, no shuffling. I counted to four in my head then pulled the light switch again. This time, Krissy was much closer, maybe only a few feet away, and standing on the right side of the room. She was down in a low crouch, and looked as though she would spring towards me any second. Unmoving, she was shrill looking at me.

I pulled the string for one final round of darkness, waited only a second, then turned on the light. I screamed, jumping back.

Krissy was face to face with me now, no smile. She just stared down at me, unmoving. Then, her face broke and she giggled, “Got you good!”

I let out a sigh, sitting down on the last staircase. “You sure did. Krissy, I don’t really like this game. Can we go upstairs?”

Krissy’s smile drained from her face. She didn’t answer me for a few seconds. Then she said, “Nicole, I think it’s rude of you to not give this game a real try. You asked to come over, you asked to be my guest, so, playing this game is the right thing to do.”

Krissy was right, I wasn’t being a very good guest. And so, even though I didn’t want to keep playing that game, I stood up and moved to the far side of the room.

“Now that’s more like it. Ok get ready.”

I leaned against the far wall, taking in the distance between me and Krissy. Or rather, me and the staircase that lead out of here. I would just move forward, each time she switched the light, and get closer to that door.

“Alright Nicole, on the count of three, right? One, two, three.” Krissy pulled the string and everything went dark. I took one cautious step forward, my hands stretched out, ready to steady myself in case I bumped into something. I was about to take another step forward when I heard something— a footstep? — move right next to me. I spun towards the sound, then the lights went back on.

Blinking through the light change, I turned towards Krissy. This couldn’t be right. I was suddenly standing on the left side of the room, much closer to Krissy. But, how? I only took a step forward, maybe two. How did I get to the other side of the room?

Before I could say anything, Krissy switched the light off again and I was consumed by darkness. I held my hands out, taking one step forward, then another, then another. Before I took my fourth step, I felt a rush of cold air across my face and froze.

I was shaking, too afraid to move forward, when I felt it.

At first just a brush, just graze, and then the tips of fingers, of ice-cold fingers, interlocking with mine. I screamed and tried yanking my hand back, but that hand was holding on too tightly, squeezing my own hand hard. Pain shot up my arm and I screamed again. “Let go, let–”

Suddenly, the light flickered on, and I was now standing on the other side of the room, right in front of the sun painting. Those eyes, those blue, blue eyes, bore down into mine.

I looked at my hands, turning them over. I had red burn marks on both my palms. Just then, Krissy whispered, “You weren’t supposed to touch it.”

What was she talking about? I touched what?

Then the light went out again.

I couldn’t stay in this room any longer, so I turned and tried to make my way to the staircase as fast as possible. I was running now, pushing things over that got in my path.

When I felt like I was close to the pull string, I reached up, waiting for my fingers to find it, and once they did, I pulled hard on the string. But the light didn’t go on. I pulled it again. Nothing.

I started yanking on the string with all my might again, and again, and again. Still, no it wouldn't turn on.

“Krissy, the light, it won’t work. Krissy, Krissy!”

Panicking, I gave up on the light and turned towards the staircase, running up them two at a time. I was done with the basement, done with Krissy’s game. I reached forward, right about to turn the doorknob, when I heard a click behind me. Then, I saw the glow of the light. I turned around.

Krissy was standing at the bottom of the staircase, one hand on the pull string.

“Works fine, see?”

She switched it on and off again, the light turning on each time.

I shook my head, “Krissy, I don’t want to play this game anymore, something— something is down there.”

Krissy nodded. “Ok, we don’t have to play anymore. We can go back up. But first, let me get the light.” She looked up at me, smiled, then winked. Then, Krissy pulled the string one last time and everything went black again.

I didn’t hear her footsteps on the staircase, and I wasn’t going to wait for her, so I turned back towards the door and twisted the handle. It wouldn’t budge. I twisted again, in the other direction, but nothing. The door was locked.

From behind me, I heard someone giggle, and I heard a loud creak, a footstep, on the bottom of the staircase.

“K-krissy, the d-door, it won’t open.” The giggling turned into fits of laughter, and I realized then that it didn’t sound like Krissy laughing. That voice from behind me, that voice I’ll never forget, wasn’t human— it was dark, and heavy, and guttural. And it was so close to me. Only a few steps away.

“K-krissy, is that you? K-krissy, the d-door, the door!”

I was pulling on the doorknob hard, my hands aching, when I heard another step from behind me, then another, then another.

I started beating at the door with my fists, shouting for help. I could feel its eyes on me, whatever was behind me was just standing there, halfway up the staircase now, watching me.

I gripped the doorknob again and twisted it with everything I had left. Then, I felt it again.

The air around me went cold and I froze. A cool breath tickled my neck, and I stayed still, remained still, as those icy fingers wrapped around mine. They blanketed my hand that held the doorknob, and, gently, they twisted to the right.

The door creaked open.

And I ran.

***

When the door finally opened that night, I ran through the house, out the front door, and all the way down the street. I didn’t stop running, wanting to get as far away from Krissy’s house as I possibly could.

But that night continues to follow me.

They never found Krissy, not in the basement, not anywhere. I tried telling the police what happened, about the game we played in the dark, about the hand that grabbed me. I told them about that terrible voice I heard on the staircase, the one that couldn’t possibly have been Krissy’s.

They searched the basement, turning it inside and out, but never found a trace of Krissy or anyone else. And they told me they couldn’t find the sun painting, if there ever was one.

To this day, Krissy’s mother blames me. She says I was the last one to see her daughter, so I must know where she is.

And, Krissy’s mother is right. I do know where she is.

Krissy’s still down there, still in that basement. She’s hiding between shadows, waiting in the dark, and only moving when no one's watching.