The Moon That Ate Me

I always loved the night sky. There was something magical about it, the way the stars twinkled and the moon shone like a giant pearl hung high above. But that summer, the moon changed. And so did everything.

It started on the first night of summer vacation. I was lying on my bed, staring out the open window at the moon. It was unusually large, larger than I’d ever seen it before. I remember thinking, “Wow, it’s so close, I feel like I could reach out and touch it.”

The next night, the moon was even bigger. It looked massive, like it was taking up half the sky. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, or maybe some kind of optical illusion. I even asked my parents if they noticed anything different. 

Dad just laughed. “You’re just excited for summer, Ryan. Nothing’s wrong with the moon.”

I wasn’t convinced. Something about it didn’t sit right with me. 

By the third night, the moon was so big, it felt like it was hovering right above our town. Its light poured through my window, illuminating every corner of my room with an eerie glow. I couldn’t shake the feeling that the moon was watching me, like it was alive somehow.

I tried to ignore it, telling myself I was being silly, but when I closed my eyes, I could feel its presence pressing down on me, suffocating me with its unnatural brightness. I tossed and turned, trying to sleep, but it was no use.

And then, it started to move.

I blinked, thinking maybe I was hallucinating from lack of sleep, but no — the moon was definitely moving. Slowly, it inched closer, like a predator stalking its prey. My heart pounded in my chest, and I could barely breathe.

I wanted to scream, but my voice was trapped in my throat.

I watched, helpless, as the moon loomed larger and larger, until it filled the entire sky. The stars were gone, swallowed up by its vast white light. It was terrifyingly close now, so close that I could see craters and dark shadows moving across its surface. 

Wait — shadows?

I squinted, trying to make out what was crawling across the face of the moon. At first, I thought it was just clouds passing by, but then I realized they were *moving*… no, *crawling*. Hundreds of them, black, shapeless forms creeping over the moon like insects. They moved as if they had a purpose, a destination.

And that destination was me.

The moon was pulling them toward me, dragging them down through the sky. They writhed and squirmed, getting closer and closer to my window. I stumbled out of bed, my legs weak and trembling. I needed to get away, but there was nowhere to go. The light was everywhere, and those things—those shadows—were almost here.

I rushed to close the window, but as I did, the moon flared brighter, and the shadows seemed to pick up speed. They reached the glass, pressing against it like they were trying to squeeze through the tiny cracks. And then the glass shattered, and they spilled into my room.

They weren’t shadows at all. They were… things. Horrible, misshapen creatures with long, twisted limbs and faces that seemed to shift and melt in the light. Their eyes were empty, hollow pits, and they didn’t walk — they slithered.

I backed up until I hit the wall, my heart hammering in my chest. One of them stretched its long, bony arm toward me, its fingers curling like claws. I screamed, finally finding my voice, but no one was coming to help.

The thing grabbed me by the arm, its touch ice-cold and burning at the same time. I tried to pull away, but it was too strong. The others closed in around me, their hollow eyes staring right through me.

And then, in a single, terrifying moment, they all spoke in unison. Their voices were raspy, like dry leaves scraping the pavement.

“The moon is hungry.”

Before I could react, they lifted me up, carrying me toward the window. I struggled, kicking and thrashing, but their grip was unbreakable. The moon’s light was blinding now, so bright I couldn’t see anything but white. I felt like I was floating, suspended in the air.

And then I wasn’t in my room anymore. I was outside, in the sky, drifting toward the giant, glowing moon.

The light surrounded me, pulling me in. I felt my skin burning, my bones turning to dust. I was being devoured, swallowed whole by the moon.

And just when I thought it was over, I woke up.

I was back in my bed, the moon shining innocently through the window. Everything was normal. It had all been a dream… or so I thought.

I got up, my heart still racing, and looked out the window. The moon hung high in the sky, smaller than it had been in the dream. For a moment, I almost laughed at how ridiculous I’d been. Of course it was just a nightmare.

But then I saw the footprints. 

On my windowsill, leading in from outside, were tiny, blackened footprints. They looked like they’d been burned into the wood. And in the distance, just beneath the surface of the moon, I swore I saw something moving.

Something waiting.

For me.