Gasping, she pulled down on the string hanging under the large expanse of lampshade, which proceeded to ‘ping’ and flicked with violent speed up into the inner workings of the light and didn’t return. She hardly cared, she was safe now, home, in time. The lamp still lit, hadn’t it? Was even now giving off a steady, welcoming, light.

What it welcomed was another matter; she had thought herself safe but the light shone out down the hall, illuminating the thing moving towards her. Frantically she reached for the string. It remained out of her grasp; the dark would not hide her now, after she’d banished it thinking herself free. Kind eyes fixed their gaze on her as her movements grew more erratic. The figure was framed now in the doorway but moved slowly. She still had time. The girl picked up the lamp, heaved it above her head and brought it smashing down. The bulb crashed and the darkness held again. There was a clunk as the remains of the lamp were dropped and she turned to flee, silent.

She didn’t make it.