I awake as the sun retires, going to sleep myself only when the stars begin to fade, so it wasn't strange to me at all when I succumbed to the urge to go for a walk at three o'clock in the morning. As I left my house, I gazed up at the moon, basking in the glory of her fullness; that night, she was exceptionally bright. Though a gentle breeze blew cool air in short bursts, the night was warm enough to be quite comfortable in my short-sleeved attire. I walked past the wine-colored Saint Rose of Lima chapel, my route taking me left to follow the moonbeams I've always loved so dearly.

Upon this change of direction, I noticed before me, headed on a path opposing my own, an oddly-shaped, hooded figure who limped so severely and in so grotesque a manner as to greatly disturb me. I hurried across the street, not at all wishing to be close to this person, though the exact reason for this unexpected loathing still evades me. Continuing along my chosen destination, I frequently cast glances back, quickly growing more afraid upon realizing that I could not distinguish this being as male or female, nor could I get a good glimpse of their face through any number of hateful glares. Still not very far from my home, I kept a watchful, burning eye on this figure as it slowly, sluggishly moved in a direction away from my neighborhood block.

I breathed a sigh of relief, looking back at the moon that, oddly, had hidden her face behind a thick veil of clouds; I also noticed at this time that none of the stars were visible. Turning my head back once more, horror paralyzed me at the sight of that very thing I had feared only seconds before speeding up a slanted, inclined street that I recognized as my own, my house being the first one on the left. What was even stranger than its speed was the complete absence of the limp I'd noticed before. I can no more explain my profound fear and hatred of this individual any more than what happened after I discovered its nearness to my residence.

My behavior was that of a feral cat as my body whipped itself about, my pace quickening as I headed back towards my home. Visions of my unguarded family pervaded my senses, my mind devoid of any form of rational thought. Predatory eyes fixed themselves on the monstrous thing, the growl rumbling from my throat being one I had never been aware that humans could produce. The wind blew fiercely, as if responding to either the thing's presence or my rage.

Immediately, as if it could feel the loathing in my fiery gaze, its movements once again became lethargic, reclaiming the disturbing hobble they had possessed before. It walked straight past my house, slowly dissolving into the darkness as the moon began to uncover her shining, comforting face, the gusts of wind at last dying away.

The second I returned home, I firmly locked the door behind me, falling onto my couch to numb my fevered mind with a few moments of television. I noticed then that although my flesh was cold, my blood still ran hot. In the few moments of recollection that followed (seeing as I'd prefer to forget the incident entirely), I pondered the animal-like state that had overcome me, wondering just what I had warded away from my dwelling.

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