Shadows on the Stairs

When I was a kid coming down the stairs was one of the scariest experiences for me. The stairs were straight and the light at the top of them would create a shadow (of me of course) on the floor below. As I walked down the shadow would get larger and larger and larger; like a person behind me was getting closer and closer and closer. It was awful, and I distinctly remember running down the stairs as quickly as I could so that 'he' wouldn't catch me.

Of course 'he' never did, but in the mind of the child me, it was only because I out ran him every time..

Once I'd gone to bed I never got up to get a glass of water. Ever. Just in case.

Those memories came back to me this evening as I looked up to see a shadow pass in front of the bannisters. It was a silly childhood fear, but I can understand why it affected me the way it did...