The First Time... (NaPoWriMo Day 3)

He’s back;
the shadow that lives
in my closet,
he’s back…

He looks exactly
like the first time
he appeared,

when I was
eight.

Though then, he
came from behind
the beige curtains,
that were dipped
in baby pink
paint.

The curtains,
that covered the long
black winter nights.

He was so big
that he made
the dark room
even darker.

He rubbed my
young mind,

took away
the fantasies
that lulled me
to sleep.

***Prompt by Everlasting from NaPoWriMo 2021 thread.