The Little Watcher by the Wardrobe

Perrin the kobold lay curled under his quilt. His feet were tucked warm and snug. His bedroom door stood open a crack. Down the hall, his mum hummed softly as she tidied up. Wick, his little candle friend, glowed soft and orange on the shelf beside his bed. Its flame swayed side to side, like a slow, sleepy dance. Perrin liked watching it before he closed his eyes.

Then the wardrobe door creaked. It swung open, just a crack, dark and quiet. In the gap, Perrin saw a shape: tall and bent, hunched over, still. His cloak hung right there on its hook, but now it wasn't just a cloak. It was someone watching him, hunched and still, waiting in the dark.