My creepy neighbour’s telescope is pointed directly at my bedroom.

The Dangerous Game

Excitedly knocked on my door holding a small box. He handed me the box to open. He seemed proud of himself.

He found them together they were in love so I had to keep them together forever.

In the box were two frogs that he unived himself and kept in a shoe box decorated in white. He called them Chris and Curtis. My stomach turned and I forced a smile. I felt my insides boiling however and the taste of sick started creeping up on me.

I have to go

I said closing the door before running to the bathroom to get sick. He was a psychopath, a monster. Throughout this whole time the telescope stayed there too and I caught him looking at it on way more than one occasion.

When he showed up at my door one evening with a stuffed animal and a creepy smile yet again I knew I had to take matters into my own hands. If the justice system wasn’t going to help me I would have to help myself. It took a lot of courage for me to do this.

But the best thing I ever thought of was to play along. I had deducted that if I was going to be friends with him he wouldn’t hurt me. He was way too infatuated with me to ever do that even if I was just friends with him and so that’s what I did.

I kept him at a distance but pretended to befriend him. I invited him over for coffee. I knew that my brother would be in town that weekend and had his number on speed dial. When he walked in he tried to hug me but I shook his hand and leted him to the kitchen counter.

We talked while we drank coffee. He told me that I had the most beautiful bedroom and that I looked even better so close up. We only sat in the living room when he came over so I knew then that he was referring to the times he’d watched me through the telescope. I felt a shiver run down my spine and forced a polite thank you.

It was getting late and I told my brother to call me at exactly 6: p.m..

To have an excuse to kick the stalker guy out of my house. It was 10 minutes before 6 when I realized I didn’t know his name. He told me it was Joseph and before I could give him a fake name.

He said I enjoyed my time here with you Mia and tried again to hug me.

I shook his hand once again and sent him off. Hearing him say my name was sickening. I felt violated. This nightmare was becoming a lot to handle.

After that encounter with him I kept thinking if this was really such a good idea. However I was still determined to stand for myself and so I kept going along with it. The next week he invited me to his apartment to watch a movie.

He asked if I had watched Silence of the Lambs before and I told him no. We agreed to watch it. The movie choice felt odd as a first pick but I went with it. I noticed multiple times throughout the movie he would look at me hoping that I’d look back but I recognized that look.

It was the dead fish stare that men give you before they tried to kiss you. I never returned the glance. Each time he invited me over we’d watch a movie and order food.

But over time I noticed something. He never let me into his room. He always kept that door firmly shut. I knew there had to be something in there that he didn’t want me to see.

Because one night after we watched a movie I told him that I was going to use the restroom before I went back to my apartment. As I got up to head to his bedroom he grabbed my arm tightly and twisted it. I jumped.

I turned around terrified of what he might do next. He realized he was hurting me and let go.

He smiled and told me that his toilet wasn’t flushing properly at the moment and that maintenance would be in to fix it soon.

I told him no worries and got out of that apartment as fast as I could. I normally keep boundaries around him but this time I had let it get too out of my control.

But I knew that room held the evidence I needed to prove his obsession with me. It sickened me to think about what I might find in there but I knew it was.

My only chance to put an end to this. One afternoon I went to his house with a plan. I had brought a bottle of wine to drink while we watched another movie. We sat down and I poured us each a glass of wine.

Joseph immediately scooted closer, his thigh pressing against mine. He talked animatedly. I nodded and acted engaged in the conversation as the movie played. Joseph’s hand found its way to my knee and squeezed it.

I stiffened but he didn’t seem to notice. Instead he leaned in closer. His breath was hot against my ear and mentioned how alcohol made him feel more intimate. I forced to laugh.

He whispered about how beautiful he found me and how long he had been waiting for that night. I excused myself for a moment and told him that I was fetching more wine. I was nervous as I discreetly slipped something into his glass.

Returning to the living room I handed him the drink. My heart was pounding in my chest. Joseph took a long sip, his eyes never leaving mine.

Gradually his speech slurred and I saw his eyel. Ids starting to droop. He mumbled something about needing to lie down. Struggling to keep his eyes open, even while he was fading away, Joseph wanted me badly. He leaned in and attempted to undress me.

His movements were clumsy and desperate. Just as his intentions became clear his eyes rolled back and he slumped forward. His head resting heavily on my shoulder.

I gently eased him onto the couch watching as he fell into a deep sleep. My heart raced as I stood there for a moment. Gathering my thoughts and the courage to proceed. Taking a deep breath I made my way to his bedroom door.

It was always firmly shut whenever I visited but now with him unconscious I knew this was my chance. I struggled to open the door at first. I noticed it was an odd-shaped keyhole and that it was locked. I panicked looking for a key.

I checked the kitchen drawers and the living room. That’s when I knew I had to check him. I reached for his pocket afraid he might wake up. I couldn’t find the key.

I only found his wallet, a vap. E and a pack of gum. I thought that maybe this was all for nothing. Until I opened the wallet and found the key stashed between his money. I felt overcome with relief and took the key to the bedroom. I hesitated for just a second before pushing the door open.

The sight that greeted me was worse than I had imagined. The walls were covered in photos of me. Some taken through the telescope, others obviously snapped without my knowledge.

I saw photos of me in restaurants with my friends and even some from inside of my apartment. There were drawings, notes and even some of my missing personal items. He had built an entire shrine of me and it made my skin crawl.

I took photos of everything documenting the disturbing collection. I went through his things and I knew this was the evidence I needed. I slipped out of his house leaving him to sleep.