Nightmare Fandom

I was watching VHS tapes of shows that David Tennant had been in. My sister was there at first, but eventually she went to bed and I was left alone with the tapes. When I ran out of videos, I started to make up stories in my head about Tennant. I imagined if I were to run into him in an elevator, start talking, just get the chance to geek out with him. As I ruminated, I glanced out the window. Tennant stared back at me. I jumped, knocking over the remote, which accidentally turned the TV off. The Tennant through the window disappeared, and I realized he'd just been a reflection. I went back to my fantasies and eventually fell asleep.

I spent much of the next day lying about and continuing my mental movie, building a fictional friendship with an actor I'd never met. I asked my sister if she thought I was taking the fantasy too far, but she assured me that as long as I could tell real from imaginary, there wasn't anything to worry about.

Late that night, I got up from my bed to use the bathroom. As I walked down the hall, I caught a glimpse of someone standing in an open doorway. I froze. Before I could decide what to do, a passing car's high beams shined through the window, illuminating the doorway to reveal empty space. I continued to the bathroom. As the florescent lights flickered into life, I passed the mirror. For a moment, I could have sworn my reflection was replaced with someone else's. He did not look happy.

Unnerved, I did my business and hurried back to bed. I kept my eyes down while passing the doorway again, but I couldn't keep from glancing behind me before entering my room. A thin man strode down the hallway towards me. I rushed into my room, closed the door, and locked it. I took a breath, convincing myself that it was just shadows...and that the lock was secure.

"You shouldn't make up stories." I wheeled around to see David Tennant standing across from me, face grim. "They might not like the way you tell them."