The Crow

I had always been fascinated by crows. Their intelligence and adaptability were amazing to me. I often spent hours observing them from my window, marveling at their intricate social hierarchies and clever problem-solving abilities. But what I witnessed that night was something I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams.

I was in my room, studying for a difficult exam. The night was dark and silent, with only the sound of my breathing and the scratching of my pen on the paper. Suddenly, I heard a thud on the roof above me. I paused for a moment, wondering what it could be. Perhaps it was a stray cat or a raccoon.

But then, I heard the sound again. It was louder this time, as if something heavy had landed on the roof. I pushed my books aside and got up to investigate. I tiptoed over to the window and peered outside.

What I saw made my blood run cold. There, on the roof, was a giant crow. It was at least three times the size of a normal bird, with wings that spanned the entire length of the roof. It was staring straight at me with its beady black eyes.

I was frozen in fear, unable to move or even scream. I watched in horror as the crow began to change shape. Its wings receded and its body started to shrink. Within seconds, the bird had transformed into a human figure.

The man on the roof was tall and gaunt, with jet-black hair and piercing blue eyes. He wore a long black coat and black pants, and his skin was as pale as the moon. He looked down at me with a smirk on his face, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

I stumbled backwards, tripping over my chair and falling to the ground. When I looked back up, the man was gone. It was as if he had vanished into thin air.

I sat there, shaking and gasping for breath. I couldn't believe what I had just seen. Was it a trick of the light? A hallucination brought on by my stress and exhaustion?

But then, I heard footsteps in the hallway. Someone was coming towards my room. I scrambled to my feet and locked the door, just as a knock echoed through the wood.

"Who's there?" I called out, my voice trembling.

"It's me," came a voice from the other side. It was my roommate, Sarah. "I heard a noise and thought you might be in trouble."

I sighed with relief and unlocked the door. Sarah came in, looking concerned.

"Are you okay?" she asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I tried to explain what had happened, but the words wouldn't come out. It all sounded so ridiculous, so unbelievable.

Sarah listened patiently, nodding her head as I spoke. When I finished, she looked at me with a serious expression.

"Maybe you should take a break from studying," she said. "You've been working so hard lately, maybe it's all getting to you."

I knew she was right, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Something was watching me, waiting for me.

Over the next few days, I tried to push the incident out of my mind. I went about my daily routine, attending classes and studying for exams. But I couldn't help feeling like I was being watched. Every time I looked out the window, I half expected to see the giant crow again.

Then, one night, it happened again. I was in my room, reading a book, when I heard a thud on the roof. This time, I knew what to expect. I rushed over to the window and looked outside.

This time, there was no giant crow. Instead, I saw the same tall, gaunt man standing on the roof. He was staring straight at me with his piercing blue eyes, and I could feel his gaze burning into my skin.

I was terrified, but I couldn't look away. It was as if his eyes had some sort of power over me, drawing me in and refusing to let me go.

Suddenly, the man raised his arms and let out a high-pitched scream. The sound was so loud, it felt like it was shaking the entire house. I stumbled backwards, covering my ears and trying to block out the noise.

When I looked back out the window, the man was gone. But the scream still echoed in my ears, ringing in my head long after it had stopped.

After that night, I became obsessed with the man on the roof. I spent every spare moment trying to research him, but I couldn't find anything. There was no record of a tall, gaunt man with piercing blue eyes, no stories of people transforming into crows.

But I knew what I had seen, and I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something dark and sinister lurking just beyond my sight.

One day, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I climbed onto the roof of my house, determined to find some answers. As I walked across the shingles, I felt a sense of dread creeping up on me. I knew I was taking a risk, but I couldn't stop myself.

As I approached the spot where the man had stood, I felt a sudden gust of wind. It was as if a storm was brewing, even though the sky was clear and blue.

And then, I saw him. The man was standing just a few feet away, his arms outstretched and his eyes glowing with an otherworldly light.

I tried to back away, but my feet felt rooted to the spot. I was trapped, unable to move or even scream.

The man took a step towards me, and I felt a wave of energy wash over me. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before, a feeling of power and darkness and ancient magic.

And then, just as suddenly as it had started, it was over. The man vanished into thin air, leaving me alone on the roof.

I stumbled backwards, gasping for breath. I knew that I had just witnessed something beyond my understanding, something that was both beautiful and terrible at the same time.

From that moment on, I knew that my life would never be the same. The man on the roof had opened a door to a world I had never known existed, a world of magic and mystery and terror.

And I couldn't wait to explore it.