Rain on the Window Pane

That damn rain again.

This is the second time this night that I am awakened by this rain hitting my window. Now I am starting to feel a bit frustrated because I need sleep for tomorrow. I look at the clock – 2:17. I sighed and smashed my head back into my pillow, trying to push my ears down so I can muffle the noise for as much as I can. I place a blanket over my head like a little kid, hoping that would reduce the sound of rain drops hitting the big glass window next to my bed. I close my eyes, struggling to fall asleep with the storm raging outside.

Just as I fell asleep again, I suddenly awake one more time. The rain was falling even harder, and the noise was louder than ever, yet that isn’t exactly what made me jump from my dream. What did it was the sound of my window cracking. I am pretty sure that water drops can’t really do that to the window and I sure don’t hear any hail or wind that could launch a projectile of sorts to it, so I was kinda scared and jumped away from the window. I thought maybe some kids threw a rock or something but I don’t see why would they do it in this fucking rain, not mentioning the fact that it’s almost 4 AM!

Now that I realized this damn storm won’t stop for some time, I decided to go watch TV or something since I won’t get sleep this way. I walked out of my bedroom, carefully making my way into the kitchen to make some coffee. I grabbed the coffee machine and turned it on. As I was waiting for the cup of warm coffee to be ready, I noticed something strange. The noise stopped. The rain wasn’t falling anymore. I look out of the kitchen window and all I could see was a clear sky and parts of my backyard illuminated by moonlight. I stood there for a second and couldn’t believe my eyes. That fucking rain was falling for hours and there isn’t even a single cloud in the sky a few seconds later, not to mention that there wasn’t even a single puddle on the ground. Everything was just bone dry. Now that I think about it, I never actually saw that the rain is falling because my bedroom window is covered by a thick dark curtain, which is wedged on the sides by a few small nails, to provide cover from the annoying street lights.

I start walking back to my room, still a bit sleepy, happy that I will finally manage to sleep normally this night. But I was wrong. As soon as I opened the door I was greeted by the familiar sound of rain smashing against my window, this time louder than ever. I back away to the hallway, confused as fuck, as I walk to the coat hanger to get my jacket. I am going outside to see what the hell is going on. After putting my jacket and my shoes on, I twist the knob and step outside. I look up and see – well, nothing. There was no rain, the moon was still shining in the clear sky, casting rays of light on the dark backyard, making visible even the parts that are not reached by the street lights on the side. I started to think I am going crazy, but still the sounds of the rain were definitely real. So I went to check out the bedroom window, hoping there was something there that would give me a rational explanation on what caused the noise. I reach the corner of the house, and turned around to see my window about 10 meters away. What I saw will be forever etched into my mind.

I covered my mouth with my hands and jolted back behind the wall. My heart was pumping so hard I thought it will explode. After a minute of calming down, I steadily get courage to glance back at the window again. They were still there. There stood about 10-15 creatures that looked like people, only they had longer, skinnier hands with skinny fingers that had long, thick nails that looked like claws. They were way taller than any human, but they were leaned forward so their head was in the line of the window border. They all had their hands stretched in front of them, hitting those slender fingers against the glass pane. I could see their faces. They had big eyes, a really small nose that looked like a dog one, and their mouths were wide, a bit opened, showing their small teeth. They looked really angry. One of them curled its fingers inwards, creating a fist, smashing it against the window. Soon, the rest of them joined him, too. After a few seconds, the glass was shattered, and I quickly backed my head back behind the corner. I dropped down to the floor. “I am dreaming” – I thought to myself, as I was hearing the sound of shattered glass hitting the stone floor. Then the sound of the curtain being torn. “There is no way those things are real. This is just one terrible, terrible nightmare that will be over soon. I just need to wake up.”

After spending a few minutes there on the ground, I glance back at the window. I see the last one of them climbing it, slowly crawling inside. I was still sitting on the ground, while a cold wind was freezing my face and hands, unable to process what I just witnessed. I told myself I need to go back inside. Maybe all of this was just a hallucination, or perhaps I am dreaming. Whatever it was, I somehow knew I need to come back in the house. It was like someone was inviting me in, telling me it will all end once I go back to my bed. I slowly get up and start making my way to the door. I put my hand on the knob, remembering all the things I saw tonight. Those eyes, those teeth, those hands… I told myself it was just a hallucination, a dream. I look at the door. “Go inside.” – a voice in my head was telling me. It sounded like a logical solution at the time as I stared at that big wooden panel of the door.

I start hearing the familiar sound again. The sound of rain. But this time, it was from the inside of the house, coming right through the door. I start smiling. I looked at the sky for the last time, letting the moonlight shine on face. I looked back at the door and took a firm grip of the knob as the sound of the rain intensified. The pounding on the door steadily increased and became deafening. It’s like being hypnotized. I could hear scratching on the door, and voices calling my name. The urge to open the door was increasing more and more every little tap I heard. I twist the knob and open the door.