Genuinely unsettling to see in my kitchen window at 4am [OC] (lemmy.world)

submitted 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) by toynbee@lemmy.world to c/pics@lemmy.world

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My 5-year-old has set up a selection of large rocks on the railing of my back porch, which my kitchen faces.

In the kitchen, there is a small TV with a red status LED, which due to the window construction reflects twice.

As I naively walked into my kitchen, the only person in my house awake in the early morning, the rocks and lights lined up in an alarming way. I got quite a start.

(I know the picture isn't great quality ... I think the phone camera didn't want to focus on reflections. Also I zoomed in to hide my kitchen clutter.)

edit: Clarifications.

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[-] junkthief 12 points 5 days ago

Just kinda looks like black a cat at first glance to me 😅

[-] toynbee@lemmy.world 8 points 5 days ago

Yeah, I definitely see that in the photo, but in real life it looks like there's some sort of Terminator or demon predator about to launch itself through my window at me. The red in the eyes is much, much more intense without the camera processing.

[-] sxan@midwest.social 2 points 5 days ago

But then, perspective. Depending on how large your porch is, that would be a big cat.

Seeing any animal can startle you, and the larger, the more startling. Your lizard brain that gets startled doesn't factor in that you're inside and it's outside.

I've learned this a couple of times by discovering raccoons on our porch in the middle of the night. It's worse if, like me, you prefer the semi-dark at night, and keep your lights dim. I came down for some reason one night and there was a reason standing on its hind legs, paws against the sliding door, probably watching the cats and wondering if it could get at them somehow. Coming across a 3' tall shadow with reflecting eyes standing at the glass door in the middle of the night just about gave me a heart attack.

This is a great pic. I love your porch demon spirit. Looks truly malevolent. What you need is a Tomte to protect the home.

I don't believe in the supernatural, but that lizard-brain kind of does.

[-] toynbee@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

The reaction was definitely instinctual and guttural. It looked like it was about to pounce and it had clear glowing red eyes that appeared to be focused on me and moved as I did. I couldn't say what size I interpreted it to be, but it was momentarily quite startling.