Night terror

Clumsiness is certainly an annoying thing with the element of surprise. You never know when it will reveal itself. That's what happened this time.

You stare at the wall, or more precisely, at the black paint stain that stood out like an eyesore against the light wallpaper. Damn it... What are you going to do with it? You weren't planning on renovating it anytime soon; you couldn't live with this mess for another couple of years? Of course not. So you decided to visit an exhibition where people were selling paintings. Most of the people there were young artists showing off their first masterpieces, but there were also a few who were simply selling old paintings to make money.

You wandered around the exhibition for a long time, searching for beautiful paintings, comparing them with others, and finally, you found the one. It depicted a young man of about 25, his black clothes accentuating his slender, slightly muscular body and adding a touch of formality, while a gray scarf hung loosely at his collar, revealing his neck and slightly pointed chin. Ash-blond hair fell in unruly strands over his face, framing a rather handsome yet emotionless face. Thin lips were slightly parted, as if whispering words, and his eyes… his eyes were white, empty, as if looking straight at you and seeing right through you.

You bought it, and within an hour it was hanging on the wall in your apartment. The painting perfectly covered the annoying spot and matched the decor perfectly. You were happy... But after buying it, you started sleeping poorly... The same dream kept recurring.

You dreamed you were running across a snowy field, your feet sinking into the snowdrifts, and the wind and snow lashing your face. You ran, fell, stumbled, but rose again to continue running away from him... From the guy in the painting. You didn't see him, but your back felt his piercing gaze, and you knew, you felt it, that it was he who was following you. He instilled unreasonable fear, making you want to run away from him... This dream tormented you.