The Book of Monsters.

Unseen Eyes.

Imagine...

Moving into an old apartment building.

There aren't that many residents here, but that was exactly why you picked it. Sure, it was said to be haunted but as much as you love ghost stories...you didn't believe in them. Even if you did, you wouldn't care at all. The tiny apartment is nice and quiet, the perfect place for a bookworm like you to call home. There's a sunny little kitchen, a living room, a small bathroom, and a good sized bedroom.

It's a cute, with big windows and bright blue walls and cream colored carpets. The bedroom even had a little balcony and bookshelves that the previous tenant had left behind. It was perfect for you! With the help of your family, you moved in quickly, filling the place with your books and things.

But as soon as you were alone in your new home, you got this...feeling.

It's a cold feeling in the pit of your stomach and it soon spreads to the rest of your body. It was so cold that you shivered a little, wondering if there was something up with the AC. Goosebumps spread along your arms and neck and, without the chattering and laughing of your family, you suddenly realize just how alone you really are in this quiet little apartment...

But you brush it off quickly, assuring yourself that it's only nerves.

Once you're really settled in, this place will feel much more like home, you tell yourself. And as the weeks go by, you bustle around you the apartment, trying to make this place more like home...And you fail to notice the shadow in the corner of the room, watching you as you do.

~

He's been alone for so, so long...He couldn't recall how long but it felt like forever. When he was alone, he felt groggy and tired and he wasn't as active. He needed humans to be around him, waking him up with their noise and smells and things.

Every human he had had very quickly left. It was disappointing. But now you, this pretty human, were here and he was so, so excited.

It was a cold night and you were snuggling in bed when that cold feeling returned. But it felt...different some how, closer and colder...almost as though there were eyes on you. It felt as though you were not really alone in your apartment. You closed your eyes, telling yourself that it's just nerves as you drifted off to sleep.

~

He watched you, wondering what you might be dreaming about...Something exciting, he hoped. He wasn't not strong enough to manipulate dreams yet (though he already had ideas for when he was) but...there are other ways to tease pretty humans. He smiled and got to work, careful not to wake you.

The next morning, you noticed things. Small things.

Cabinets and doors were left open when you were certain you had closed them, things had been moved from one place to another. You told yourself that you were just tired from yesterday, that was all. Only it continued to happen time and time again.

Things kept moving around, little things were getting lost. Every night, you got that same cold feeling inside as you drifted off to sleep...Every night, you felt those unseen eyes upon you...

~

He decided to up the ante.

You weren't paying enough attention to him, you thought it was imaginary. He was not imaginary and he would prove it to you.

He hid all your shoes in the bathtub, even filling some of your boots with water, and he put your keys in the pantry. He lines up your socks on your bedroom floor, matching up each and every pair, and leaving the unmatched ones in a pile of your bed.

He puts your books backwards on your shelf, hides your spoons beneath the couch, and became stronger every time.

Weeks pass and he hears you talking to yourself, wondering if you are sleepwalking and he laughs silently.

When you've been here for a month, he decides celebrates with a particularly naughty prank, writing a big "HELLO, HONEY" on the bathroom mirror in a big heart (you'll see it when it fogs up, he giggles) and throwing all your bras and panties around the entire apartment (placing his favorites on your balcony for an extra touch).

You woke up, feeling confused and upset. A shower will calm you down, you told yourself, and you slip into the warm water, unaware of your ghostly roommate or his little message. You saw it when you stepped out of the shower, freezing in your tracks when you did.

It's not the only thing you saw in the reflection either, a looming shadow appeared behind you in the mirror. You screamed a little, grabbing your towel and covering yourself as you turned around. He was still there, a weird purple gray shadow that you could actually see right through.

"What...who..."

"I'm sorry if I scared you," he whispered. "You aren't going to leave are you?"

You stared into its pitch black eyes, backing against the counter.

"That was you? This has all been you?"

He nodded, telling you how lonely he had been and that he was only trying to get your attention, he begged you not to leave. You felt sorry for him but you were also pretty annoyed.

"I can't believe you! If you want me to stay, you're going to have to make things right! You can start by giving me back my wallet and picking up my...my things!"

He floated away, doing as he was told and hoping it would be enough.

~

His name, as it turned out, it Mortimer. But he told you to call him Morty and you did so. The pranks stopped (for the most part, he's a bit of a troublemaker) and Morty hung around, hoping you would as well. He was actually a very sweet spirit, he loved teasing you playfully (though he did tend to flirt a little too much) and telling you stories of his "living hours." He was funny and charming and soon you found yourself falling in love...with a ghost.

An actual ghost.

You started to enjoy his cold touch, holding his hand and laughing when you felt them on your waist. He loved coming up behind you and nuzzling your neck and, oh, you loved it too...You loved Morty and you finally had to tell him.

He said nothing when you do, instead giving you a cold kiss. It felt strange and wonderful all at the same time. When his lips left you, he promised to haunt you forever and ever...

Mortimer's a flirty (sometimes to the point of perversion), prank playing spirit...But you loved him dearly, you thought as you lay in bed one night. Once more, you felt those cold eyes upon you...But now there are cold hands too, the hands of Morty as he appeared in your bed.

"Good night, Y/N." He whispered, his cold lips lingering on your neck as you fell asleep. 🖤