 I awoke early in the morning. I believe it was between the hours of five and six. My wife wanted us to get a head start and leave the cabin before the weekend traffic. I can never sleep when I have a stressful itinerary, so I walk downstairs to use the bathroom and get ready for the day. As I tiptoed down the hallway, I peeked into my kids room to find that they were still sleeping. The stairway leading to the ground floor was too dim to see and barely illuminated by the still rising sun. I held onto the handrail, trying not to slip on the steep set of stairs. The bathroom was adjacent to the sunroom. The sunroom was my favorite because it could view the valley under the mountain through a large glass window. I stopped for a moment to admire the beauty of an early morning. The valley glowed a dark gray as the fog rose up from the ground. The mist was so dense that I could barely see 20 feet in front of the cabin. I smiled. After I'd gotten cleaned up for the day, I looked out in the field again to see that the fog had thinned and decent visibility had returned. I began walking upstairs when I had to do a double take for I was unsure what I saw. In the distance, I viewed a tall black shape that resembled a stick figure. It was hunched over with all four of its limbs to the ground like a dog getting ready to pounce. The figure must have been ten feet tall, with disproportionate legs far longer than any human. It didn't look like a solid creature, but it instead looked as if a shadow had taken corporeal form. What the hell? I said. I approached the mirror, went to my great horror. The creature took a step. I squinted my eyes, trying to discern whether I mistook an oddly shaped tree. I fell back into the nearest chair and tried to catch my breath. The figure had moved its right arm, then its right leg. The movements were slow and unnatural, like the movements of a character from an old-fashioned stop-action film. My heart began to race. I moved slowly, trying to make sure this thing couldn't detect my presence. It continued its slow march in my direction. When I was out of view and safely in the staircase, I dashed up the stairs. I needed to get my wife and my kids in the car so we could get the hell away from whatever that thing was. Screw our bags. I could come back and collect our items when I had the National Guard and a priest to ward off whatever the hell that was. I entered the kid's bedroom to see that Michael had woken up, but Kate was still asleep. Michael, I said, I need you to wake your sister up and get dressed. I'll be back in a minute to get you two out the door. He hopped out of bed. I tried to remain as calm as possible, but I could tell he knew something was wrong. He looked at me wide-eyed. I'll explain when we get to the car, but we need to go, now. He nodded, but his bottom lip quivered. I dashed back into my bedroom to wake Mary. Mary, I said. I tapped her on the shoulder and she opened her eyes, annoyed. What time is it? She spoke as if she were still a teenager, having to be woken up to go to school. We need to go, now. I grabbed my phone, wallet, and keys from the bedstand. What's wrong? She sat up in bed when she detected the urgency in my voice. There's something in the yard. I said, what's in the yard? Her eyes opened wide and she grabbed my arm. I have no clue. We just need to go. I tried to escape her grasp, but she kept her grip tight around me. What's in the yard? Each syllable she spoke was deliberate. Okay, just go look for yourself. I led her to the hall window and we gazed down into the yard below. The thing was still there, lurking. Its pace had quickened and it was coming right in our direction. Mary stood there for a moment, contemplating if she was dreaming. I watched her face turn from shock to confusion until it finally rested on pure terror. Daddy, said Michael, he snuck up behind us, startling the both of us. I'm dressed. Okay, I said. Mary and I looked at each other. Her jaw was clenched and I noticed that she was shaking. Without saying a word, I grabbed Michael and held him tight in my arms. Kate waddled out from the bedroom and Mary snatched her up. I led the way, carrying Michael down the stairs slowly. He was silent, but his grip around my shoulders was almost suffocating. Mommy, I'm scared, said Kate. She too could detect the tension in the air. Mary shushed her, saying, it's okay. We just need to be really quiet right now. But I'm scared, quiet. I snapped at her tears well than her eyes. Mary then nestled Kate close to her body, so the sobbing was muffled. We walked into the sun room to find that the creature was far closer than before. It had now found a steady pace. It was approaching at a moderate speed, but still too fast for my comfort. Mary, I said, I'm gonna run out and start the car. I will drive as fast as I can to the door. You get the kids, throw them in the back and hop in. She nodded slowly, not letting her gaze leave the approaching creature. I dropped Michael on the ground and had him stand next to Mary. Keep your eyes closed, I said. Michael shut his eyes tight and nodded. Kate continued to cry and I saw a tear fall from Michael's eye. I opened the front door and looked down the hill. The car was about 50 feet away from me. With my keys in hand, I started my run to the car. It was then the creature stopped. It stood there for a moment as I ran full speed. It then rose onto its hind legs and stood tall like a human. It reached its arms out behind it and arched backward. Suddenly I felt a vibration so intense I fell to the ground. I heard something faintly, but it was too deep and my eardrums could barely make it out. It sounded metallic, like a brass instrument being listened to by somebody underwater. I rose to my feet and kept running. For a moment, everything became a blur. But I suddenly found myself behind the wheel. I opened the automatic doors of the minivan and drove. I noticed that the creature was no longer standing on its hind legs, but was crouched like an Olympic runner preparing for a sprint. I gulped. Mary was waiting with the kids outside as I pulled up to the cabin. She threw them in the back without buckling them in and then jumped in the front. What are you waiting for? Go! She held onto the armrest as I reversed the car and turned around. As we turned around to face it, it confronted us head on. I stepped on the gas and it charged at us. We drove down the old rural driveway as fast as we could. The creature, at full speed, ran like a horse would in slow motion. It almost floated as it ran, giving the impression that it was as light as a cloud. Mary led out of scream as Kate continued to bawl in the back seat. I kept my eyes on the road, knowing it would do no good for me to continue to watch as we were stalked by the creature. My family screaming continued, then turned to a sob. Then silence. We'd made it to the main road when I finally dared to look in the rear view window. It's gone. I said. Nobody responded. Everyone's eyes were red. We drove to a nearby diner on the main road, feeling relieved to finally have human contact other than ourselves. We ate in silence and barely spoke until we arrived home. When I got home, I called the property manager to explain why we hadn't packed up our things. I couldn't explain what that thing was if I tried. What we witnessed was so out of the ordinary that I had to invent a tale. A strange man was standing in the yard. I said, it looked like he was stalking the house. We had no phone service, so we all got in the car, and we drove as fast as possible. The property manager understood, but explained that we could have called the police on the in-house landline. I said we were too terrified to think of that. The property manager told me he could contact the police to survey the area. We arranged to meet at the property the following day to collect my things before the next guest arrived. I have to admit, I was a bit afraid to return to the property, but was assured when both the property manager and two police cars were on the scene. I told them a strange man was standing right where the creature stood. They looked around, but couldn't find anyone. They told the property manager to warn the future guest about any strange characters around. I made up some generic description, but essentially said the man was too far away to make out any discernible features. I collected my family's things, and then left. As I left the property, I glanced in the woods adjacent to the field, and I swore that I saw a figure doing nothing but standing there, lurking. My family hasn't spoken of the incident since, and I'm too afraid to share it with others because of its implausibility. That's why I've got to get this out there anonymously, keeping it to myself has been eating me up inside.