He walks through the darkened hallway of his house and ascends the long, narrow flights of stairs alone, becoming increasingly paranoid that something is following him, until he reaches the safety of his bedroom.
At the bottom of the stairs, the Sandman, a monstrous bird-like creature, appears, looking like the face the boy saw.
It begins to clamber upstairs, slamming doors and creaking floorboards all the way to let the boy know of its impending presence.
As he falls asleep, feeling safe once more, the Sandman appears in his room and begins to make noise, trying to rouse him.
When the boy finally opens his eyes, the monster blows sand in them and takes something from him, before departing through the bedroom window.