Adrian and Andrew were brothers. They did everything together; thick as thieves. It was bedtime so the boys finished their chores and hopped into their beds. Their mother kissed them goodnight and she closed the door. Adrian didn’t like the dark so his mother had put glow in the dark stars on their ceiling. The room had a small glow to it. Andrew didn’t like sleeping next to the window. They felt like something was in their room. Andrew hopped into Adrian’s bed and said, “Let’s sleep in shifts. I’ll go first. If I see anything, I’ll wake you up.” Adrian agreed and went to sleep. For the first couple of hours, it was a silent night. Andrew was beginning to drift off to sleep when he heard a scratching at the window. Andrew’s eyes shot open. He sat up and clutched the flashlight to his chest. He got off the bed and walked to his bed. The scratching stopped. Andrew walked to the window and looked out. A tree branch was leaning against the house; rubbing the window. Andrew sighed in relief. He walked over to Adrian’s bed. “Hey, Adrian. It’s your turn to be the lookout.” Adrian opened his tired eyes, rubbed them and nodded. “OK, Andrew. I’ll take the next watch.” Andrew handed Adrian the flashlight and laid his head on the pillow. Adrian decided to read a comic book to pass the time. He was huddled under the blanket, reading by flashlight. Then a shadow whooshed past the blanket. Adrian froze. Goosebumps formed from the back of his neck all the way down to his legs. His eyes began to water and his heart started racing. He was frozen with fear. He slowly pulled the blanket off his head and looked towards the window where he saw the shadow. He didn’t see anything. He was afraid to get off the bed but it was his turn to be the lookout. Adrian leaned over the bed and flashed the light under the bed. Nothing. He slowly slipped off the bed and walked towards the window. A small ripping sound stopped Adrian in his tracks. He couldn’t move. Goosebumps found their way on Adrian’s body again. He looked back at his brother deciding to wake him or not. A tap on the window make Adrian gasp and whip around. Staring back at Adrian through the window was a green face. He tried to scream but nothing came out. It just stared at him with dark, empty eyes. Adrian took a step back and whispered, “Andrew. Wake up. There’s a green ghost outside the window.” Andrew slowly woke up. He turned to Adrian and looked at the window. Andrew sat straight up. “Adrian, walk over to me, slowly.” The green face’s glare followed Adrian all the way to his brother. They sat on Adrian’s bed, frozen with fear. “What do we do?” Adrian was terrified. Andrew swallowed the lump in his throat and replied, “How long has it been standing there?” Adrian shrugged. The green face slammed a hand on the window cracking it. The boys screamed and ran out of the room. The next morning, the boys were exhausted and still on edge. They didn’t go back to their room for the rest of the night. They were eating breakfast when their father walked into the kitchen. He looked concerned. Their mother asked what was wrong. He looked at the boys and said, “I was trimming the bushes by you and your brother’s window and the screen looked like it was ripped and the window was cracked. Any idea what could have done that?” The boys both began shouting about sleeping in shifts, the scratching, and the green face. By this time, they were almost in tears. The boys parents were confused. Before their mother could say anything, a special news broadcast came on the small t.v. in the kitchen. “We interrupt this broadcast to bring you a special news bulletin. Police have apprehended a man, suspected of burglarizing homes and terrorizing his victims. We do not have a name but we have security footage from a home on Mower Ave.” The footage showed still frames of a man with a painted green face sneaking in through a doggy door. Adrian and Andrew couldn't believe their eyes. “It wasn’t a ghost, Andrew!” Their mother looked at their father with worry. Andrew looked at his brother then at his parents and said, “I wonder what would have happened if we didn’t sleep in shifts.”
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