“Alright, Ben. That’s enough TV for tonight, it’s time for bed.” I say to my eight year old son.

“No!” He replies stubbornly.

“If you go up now I’ll read to you for a bit.”

“But I don’t want to go to bed!” He yells, I’m about to tell him off for speaking like that but what he says next makes the words catch in my throat. “The man with no eyes is waiting for me in the closet!”

“The man with no eyes?” I ask.

“Yeah, he lives in the closet and he comes out at night!” Ben says, he’s probably just making stuff up so he doesn’t have to go to bed.

“There’s no one in your closet, honey.” I says gently but he just looks at me like I’m crazy.

“Yes there is!” He yells perking at me from over the back of the couch. “I’m not lying! And I won’t go to bed until he’s gone!”

He folds his arms and pouts. I take the remote from him and turn the TV off.

“There’s no one in the closet.” I take his hand and lead him up the stairs. “I’ll show you.”

He tries to run back down the stairs but I put my arm out in front of him.

“You need to go to bed, you have school tomorrow.” I say sternly.

We go to his room and I put my hand on the closet door. Ben looks terrified and he back up against the wall, as far from the closet as he can get.

“Mummy,” He whines, “please don’t.”

“There’s no one in here.” I insist pulling open the door.

Ben jumps back, glancing around as if looking for a way out and for a moment I actually think there’s something in the closet but when I look it’s empty.

“See?” I say, “Nothing here.”

“Are you blind, he’s right there!” Ben screams. “He’s wearing a black cloak and he has really pale skin and where his eyes should be there just Xs! How can you not se him?”

He looks so scared, I’m finding it hard to believe he’s making this up. I look into the closet to see if I can see something that he’s mistaking as a man with no eyes. Ben keeps describing the man, over and over in excruciating detail. As he describes I have to admit I start to see… something that matches what he says. I rub my eyes but the image just gets stronger.

It’s a man.

In the closet.

With no eyes.

Smiling at me.