THE LETTER “L”
Long ago… a lifetime, actually, since I have thought about it. Seems so ludicrous now, but back then, this larger than life figure ruled the night after the lights went out. Its lecherous limbs lurching at me, lascivious lips and lizard like tongue lustfully licking the back of my neck as I languished terrorized in bed; my body leaden. It lay in wait under the bed night after night, letting me know it was there. I could hear its lugubrious laughter and at times it would hiss loathsome lullabies as I became ever more lightheaded and fought like hell to not fall asleep. Lying in wait, lying in wait – always there. Lurid thing! Longing to leave me for dead by morning. At times I would lower the sheets to peek out and would see its shadow looming on the wall. I could even smell the lingering stench of its breath. Leave me alone! Let me be! I would repeat over and over in a limp voice, bracing myself, expecting it to lunge. Like so many things from long ago, timelines are a bit fuzzy, but, I believe it left for good the day I realized I had grown to be larger and stronger than it.
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