In the midst of the darkness, I saw him a strange man with a strange hat, a black overcoat, green evil eyes and smoking a pipe. His appearance reminded me of the famous imaginary character from fiction – the invisible man. The only difference was that the invisible man had bandages all over his face and wore black-framed spectacles. His very sight struck me with fear and confusion. Who was he? Was he a ghost? A magician? Or an ordinary human being? And why was he gazing at me with those wicked, green eyes? Was he planning to harm me? Perhaps, kill me? These thoughts filled my mind.

Then he marched slowly and steadily, towards me. I noticed the wicked grin on his face. I tried to run away but my feet held me back. I tried to shout for help but my voice refused to came out of my throat. I stood there like a statue, neither able to speak nor move. My heart began to beat fast. I turned pale. I was helpless and felt hopeless. It seemed to me that death was so near. But in a flash, the scene changed. The darkness and stillness of the night turned into a pleasant and lively environment with the sun shinning and the birds singing. I came to my senses and found myself lying on my bed with a book called ‘The Invisible Man’ tightly held in my hands. It was all a dream, a horrible dream caused by the influence of the book upon my mind. — Sujeena Shakya, Class 9, Little Angels School, Lalitpur