Something in the Room

I posted this in a similar chamber and it suggested I post it here. That was in 2020 and I found it by chance. I'm going to edit it to make more sense here.<br><br>It was sometime in the late 80's or early 90's I was a little kid and my family went on a family vacation. This was a rare thing for us to do because we never really had extra money for things like that so when we did we made the most of it. We packed into our mini van and set off. This particular trip took us across the country and we made stops along the way at various landmarks and tourist traps. One of the stops was Mount Rushmore. When we got there it was already late and starting to get dark. We stopped at a hotel at the bottom of the mountain. We brought in our bags and settled in for the night. <br><br>I don't really remember much about the hotel itself except that it was fairly large and it had a conference room, a restaurant, and an indoor swimming pool. I remember getting into the pool for a bit. As a kid, it's always fun to go swimming even if the water is just barely warm, which it was on this particular night. After a short time, we got out of the pool, showered, and then got dressed for dinner. We walked down to the restaurant and got a table. We looked over the menu and I ordered a cheese burger. The waitress took our order, I don't really remember what anyone else ordered just my own food. We waited for a while and eventually our food came. I took my first bite of my cheese burger. That's when I noticed him for the first time out of the corner of my eye.<br><br>I glanced over at him and it sent a shiver down my spine. There was a man sitting at a table in the middle of the dining area. I can't remember his height or build. But his presence was imposing and scary. All I remember about his face was his eyes. We locked gazes for just a short moment. I could have imagined it but I thought I saw a slight smile that disappeared when I looked away. At the time I don't think I noticed but the smile seemed malevolent, I only figured that out later. He was dressed in a black duster trench coat. I remember thinking how odd that was because even though it was winter and cold, the heat inside the hotel still made it warm. My brother and I finished our meal and were starting to get bored. My parents told us that we could go back to our room and watch TV. We didn't need to be told twice. I don't remember what my parents ordered but my brother and I were done first. When we left the restaurant, I couldn't help but look back. That man was still there. He was still looking at me. I felt a chill run down my spine.<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>My brother and I walked to the elevator, we pressed the button for our floor. We stepped inside and the doors closed. When they opened again, we stepped out and started walking to our room. It was a typical hotel room. Two beds, a TV, a desk, and a bathroom. When we got in, my brother flopped onto one of the beds. I went to the bathroom to wash my face. When I stepped out, my brother had turned on the TV. We were flipping through the channels and there wasn't much on. We finally found an old scary movie and started watching it. When it was over, we decided to go to sleep. I fell asleep almost right away. I don't remember how long I was asleep. But at some point in the night I woke up. It was dark, the only light coming from the window. I was groggy and still half asleep. Then I noticed him. He was standing in the corner of our room near the door. He didn't move. I rubbed my eyes trying to focus. When I opened them again, he was still there. He still didn't move. I was in a state of panic. I tried to scream but couldn't. I wanted to call for help but I couldn't because I was so terrified. I wanted to wake my brother who was sleeping across the room. But I couldn't. My body locked up. I tried everything to get his attention but I couldn't. That man just stood there. It seemed like an eternity. Finally, I was able to roll out of bed and run to the bathroom. When I got there I slammed the door and locked it. Then I realized that I had just trapped myself in a small space that this man could get into if he wanted to. So I unlocked the door and opened it. When I came out there was no one there. I ran to the bed I was sleeping on and shook my brother awake. I frantically whispered to him that there was a bad man in the room and we needed to wake mom and dad. My brother looked around the room and saw no one. He tried to calm me down telling me that I must have been dreaming. I kept telling him that I wasn't. I don't know if it was adrenaline or what, but I was wide awake and there was no way I was going back to sleep. My brother tried to convince me that it was okay. Finally, my parents came into our room. They looked around and there was no one there. My mom asked my brother if everything was okay and he told them that I had a bad dream. I tried to explain what I saw, but my parents just thought that I was scared because of the movie we had watched. I begged them to please just check and see if anyone was out there. My dad looked in the bathroom and the closet. He stepped outside into the hallway and found no one. He came back in and told me that there was no one out there. I tried to convince them. But they just wouldn't listen. I don't know if my brother was playing a joke on me or if it was just my imagination. But at that moment, I was so scared. I just wanted my parents to say that it's okay. But they didn't. They just thought it was my imagination running away with me. My brother tried to fall back asleep. I stayed awake. When my brother fell asleep, I got back into bed and tried to fall back asleep myself. But I couldn't. I don't think I slept the rest of the night.<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>The rest of the vacation was fine. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. As I think back on it now, it seems almost silly. Just a bad dream. Or maybe it was something more. But there are some things that I'll never forget like the sound a door makes when it closes. Whenever I hear that sound I get a chill. I don't know why exactly, but I think I do. When my dad stepped out into the hallway, I heard that sound. He didn't slam the door shut. He didn't even close it. That sound still haunts me to this day. I don't know why I'm writing this. Maybe it's just to get something off my chest or maybe to prevent something from happening to someone else. If by some chance you happen to read this and you're that man, then let me say that I forgave you a long time ago. Not for what you did or didn't do but for what you did to me. I don't know you or what your life is like. Maybe you just wanted some company and saw a young boy eating with his family. If that's the case, then I forgive you. Thank you for reading this post. If you made it this far, then congratulations. You have won absolutely nothing.