A Stormy Night

It was a warm night out, and inside the house Josh and his sister,
Brianna, ran from room to room playing chase with their dad, as they
did most every night.
"You're it! Josh said, pointing his finger in the direction of his
sister.
"No, you're it!" cried Brianna, as she wiped the chocolate from her
hands onto her shirt. "You didn't even touch me!"
"I'll be it one last time, and then it's time for bed."
Both children looked up with disappointment and agreed to let their
dad be it. They knew, after all, that it wasn't really bedtime until
mom said so. A few minutes past and they continued their game, until
Josh looked down the hallway and saw his mom come through the
doorway.
"Run, sissy! Mom's coming!" he yelled. They scattered in opposite
directions, searching for a place to hide.
"Oh, no you don't." Get your teeth brushed and get in the bed so we
can tuck you in", she said.
Josh stuck his head out from beneath a pile of clothes on the laundry
room floor. "Mom! We weren't finished playing yet!"
This was the part where Josh and Brianna had the most fun. Running
from mom at bedtime was even more fun than hide-and-seek. "Josh! Get
out of those clothes! They haven't even been washed yet! Bedtime is
more important, you'll finish your game tomorrow."
They finally managed to get the two into bed, and turned off the
lights. Brianna pushed a strand of blonde hair away from her eyes and
rolled over toward the wall, hugging her stuffed dragon. "Goodnight
mommy."
"Goodnight. You two get to sleep now. No playing. I love you."
It wasn't long until the both of them drifted off into dreamland. They
had exhausted themselves running through the house screaming like
banshees.
Later that night, while their mom was working on a book she was
writing, she noticed the lights flickering. She went to the window to
see if a storm could be coming. The wind was really getting rough
outside, and it whistled through the trees as they swayed back and
forth. It felt as though it would begin to rain soon.
"I hope it doesn't start to thunder and wake the kids." She thought to
herself. She went on working, and soon had forgotten about the storm
she feared was on its way. All of a sudden she heard this enormous
BOOM! The light from the television disappeared, along with every other
light in the house. Just then, Josh called from his bedroom.
"Mom! Our TV went off! It's dark in here!" As she fumbled to make her
way to his bed through the darkness, his mother tripped over a Lego,
and cried, "Ouch! Josh, how many times have I told you to pick up your
toys?"
All Josh could do was giggle, but Brianna wasn't so happy by that
time. Four year old little girls don't like to awaken in the night to
pitch black darkness.
"Ok", said their mother, "I guess you two are up for the night, or at
least until the lights are back on, huh?"
"Oh, yeah! Said Josh. There's no way we can sleep like this!"
They tiptoed through the house looking for candles, or anything they
could use for light.
"Ok, I've got one," said mom. She lit the candle, and a small bit of
light shined on all three faces, gathered around it.
"That's not enough light!" Brianna said. "We can't see our
toys!"
Well, I don't think you'll be able to play with many toys until
morning anyway," her mother whispered. "Let's go wake up your
dad."

"Ok, that should just about do it," said dad, as he sat the kerosene
lamp in the middle of the floor.
"Now what?"
"Well, I guess we just sit here until the lights come back on," their
mother said. She should have known this would never go over with Josh
and Brianna.
"NO!" they both cried simultaneously. "That's not any fun!" So they
tried to think of something to do to pass the time. Mom suggested they
try to read a book. That didn't suit any of the three of them. Brianna
thought it would be fun to play chase, but dad pointed out that one of
them could easily break a bone in the dark, so they decided against
chase. Dad's idea seemed to be the best. He suggested they put a
blanket over them and tell scary stories. This was one of Josh and
Brianna's favorite things to do, anyway.
Josh was the first to tell his story. It was about a huge monster made
out of marshmallow that stormed through a town and ate everyone. His
mother and dad glanced at each other, each giving the other a grin.
They knew he had gotten his story from a movie, and they both thought
it was just the cutest thing. For a six year old, he had a wonderful
imagination, but he loved to take things he saw in movies and make them
his own.
Brianna wanted to be the next to tell a scary story, so they all
listened attentively while she thought, and thought, and thought.
Finally, she spoke.
"I want some popcorn before I tell it." She said.
"How are we going to pop popcorn with no electricity?" said her
mom.
"Oh, well can I have a fruit roll-up, then?" Her mother went to the
kitchen and returned with two fruit roll-ups, and Brianna began her
story.
"There was a little bitty kitten, and he was black. He went outside
and there was a big cat and the big cat scratched him. The little bitty
cat ran away and got lost."
"That wasn't even scary!" Josh cried.
"It was so scary, Bubby, and I think it was a wonderful story." Said
dad.
Mom wanted to tell her story next, but she couldn't think of one, so
she passed her turn on to their dad.
Just as he was about to begin telling his story, Brianna a heard a
loud noise from down the hallway.
"Mommy! What was that?"
"I heard it, too!" said Josh.
The parents gave each another look, only this time it wasn't a grin.
They had heard it, too.

It sounded like someone had slammed the back bedroom door. Brianna
quickly found her way into her mother's lap and wrapped her arms
tightly around her neck.
"OK, I'm sure it was nothing." Their dad said. His voice seemed shaky,
their mother wondered if he might be scared. "But if it will make you
feel better, I'll go check." "You're not leaving me here!" Josh
cried.
"Me either!" said Brianna. "Mommy can't fight ghosts! I'm going with
you!"
"Well, that suits me," said their mom, "I didn't really want to stay
either."
They all huddled together, still under the blanket, as they tried to
make their way through the dark and down the hall. Their mother didn't
say anything, but she got a chill as they passed by the kitchen. An
eerie feeling crept over her as she clung tight to Brianna. She didn't
want to show fear, but she felt it.
"I'm going to have to find my flashlight. I think it's in my toolbox."
Their dad said.
"Your toolbox is in the car!" their mother said. He could tell by her
voice that she really was frightened.
"It's OK. We'll all go. I can't use this candle to check the house
out, and we're almost out of kerosene."
They all turned back and headed in the direction they had come. Once
again, their mother caught a chill in passing the kitchen. This time,
she jumped a little.
"What?" their dad asked.
"Nothing. I just thought I felt something." She replied. She knew she
felt something. Only it wasn't touching her, yet.
As they finally made their way to the front door, their dad looked out
and realized the storm had gotten really bad. The rain pounded on the
roof like balls of hail. Bolts of lightning shot across the sky and
gave off the only light that could be seen.
"I'm going to have to go to the car alone. It's pouring out. We can't
all run to the car and back in the pouring rain without even a street
light."
"Well, we'll wait right here, then. Please hurry." Their mother said,
with concern in her voice.
"Here, take the blanket. I'll never find the umbrella in the
dark."
He took the blanket and ran out the door, into the cold, wet
blackness.

The three of them stood at the door waiting. They kept waiting. For
minutes, then it seemed like hours. Their father didn't return.
"Where is he mommy? He should be back by now, shouldn't he?" Josh
asked his mother. She couldn't reply. She kept telling herself he was
digging through the toolbox looking for the flashlight, and he'd be
right back.
"Mommy?"
"It's okay, Josh. He'll be back in a minute." She was starting to
wonder. "Let's just go over and cuddle up on the couch. It seems like
it's taking daddy a long time because we're just standing here."
She sat Brianna down, then sat beside her. Josh sat on the other side.
They sat and waited, patiently, silently.
The phone rang. Their mom sat up from the couch and clumsily made her
way into the kitchen to answer it. They had all three fallen asleep
waiting for their father to come back from the car.
"Oh, what did I do with the candle?" she asked herself. She picked up
the receiver. "Hello?" No one answered.
"Hello?" Still no answer. "Who is this?" She knew someone was on the
other end. She felt it. She stared into the darkness, feeling her heart
pound with fear.
"Where is your husband?" was all the voice said. It was a deep, course
man's voice. Not the voice of anyone she knew. She dropped the receiver
on the counter and jumped back, trying not to scream. She remembered
her husband hadn't returned from the car. Her hands shook as she tried
not to panic. She hung up the phone and immediately picked it back up
to call for help.
"911. Is this an emergency?"
"Yes, it is. My husband is missing. He went to the car about an hour
ago to get a flashlight, and he hasn't come back yet."
"I'm sorry ma'am, we can't file a missing persons report until he's
been missing for at least 24 hours."
"There's someone calling my house. I think something's happened to
him."
"Miss, you do realize it's almost Halloween, it could be just some
kids trying to scare you. If you receive any more calls or your husband
doesn't return within 24 hours, call us back." She hung up the phone
without a response.
Her body was numb. She stood there trembling, knowing she had to move.
She had to go make sure the kids were OK and find the candle.
She slowly made her way into the living room, her back to the wall,
and felt around the coffee table trying to find the candle. She
couldn't. She felt all around on the floor. She felt on the couch.
There was no candle. She knew she had more somewhere, but she was too
scared to even try to look.
She sat down on the couch with Josh and Brianna and just stared into
the black air.

"It must be getting close to morning by now," their mother thought to
herself. "It seems like hours since the storm started." Her eyes filled
with tears as she thought of every horrible thing that might have
happened to her husband. She couldn't remember ever being this scared.
Ever. She thought about the noise they had heard. She thought about the
strange presence she felt as they passed the kitchen. She curled up in
a ball on the couch with her kids, feeling helpless, and too scared to
breathe. She drifted off into thought. She stared into nothingness,
praying for light. Praying to feel safe.
The storm wasn't letting up any time soon. Thunder still roared and
echoed in the far-off distance. The rain still pounded in her ears, and
flashes of light swept across the room ever so often. A strange feeling
swept over her. Something wasn't right.
The lightning flashed and light flickered through the room for only a
split second at a time. Not even long enough to make anything out. She
stared. She waited.
It flashed, and there it was. Something, but she didn't know what. She
didn't want to know what.
There was a black figure standing across the room. Nothing but black.
It flashed again. Eyes. Dark, glowing, green eyes and a greenish-black
colored face, staring her right in her own eyes.
She swallowed the enormous lump in her throat. Her eyes began to
water, but she didn't dare blink. She just sat there, her body
completely numbed. She felt the blood rush to her face, and all she
could think to do was grab her children, both still sleeping on each
side of her. But she couldn't. She couldn't move a muscle. The next
flash of light came, and it was gone. She breathed.
The clock stuck. Ding, ding, ding, ding, so slowly, so loud. She
wished it would stop. She didn't want the slightest sound to be made.
It was 4 o'clock. Another lump welled up in her throat as she realized
it would still be hours before daylight.
She somehow found the courage to move Brianna to the opposite end of
the couch beside Josh, and nestle at the other end. She prayed to fall
asleep. She prayed for her husband. Neither came.
It seemed like an eternity passed by as she lay there, knowing she
wasn't alone with only her children. "This is a dream. I'm going to
wake up and be safe." She told herself, wiping away the tears.

Suddenly everything seemed calm. The only sound she heard was gentle
rain falling outside the window. The storm was passing, finally, and
she didn't hear thunder anymore. She didn't see lightning, either. She
wondered how long she'd been laying there. The clock hadn't stuck. It
had been less than an hour.
Something was poking her in the back. She felt behind her and found
the candle she'd been looking for.
"Thank God." She whispered aloud. This was one time she wouldn't be
complaining about the kids leaving things laying around.
She managed to find the matches on the table and lit the candle.
"Finally." She thought. She was just beginning to think things were
getting better. Then she realized she was wrong.
"BANG! BANG! BANG!" Someone, or something, was pounding at the door.
Not the front or back door. An inside door.
She knew what she had to do, and she knew had to be brave. Her
children couldn't protect themselves. They needed her to be
strong.
She raised up from the couch, slowly and quietly. Her body quivered
and her hands shook as she reached down to take the candle from the
table. She took Josh's baseball bat from the corner of the room and
started down the hall. If only the kids had been at their grandparents
this weekend&;#8230; She could be out of the house, running, to
anywhere. But they weren't. They were right there, sound asleep. Their
safety in only her hands.
She hadn't even made it halfway down the hall when she heard another
strange sound. Not a banging sound. Not rain. Whispering. A low, faint,
whispering from the end of the hall. Her body became weak. She trembled
all over with fear. This distinct sound of whispering could be mistaken
for nothing else.
Who was in her house? Why? Was the woman on the phone right? Could it
just be some kids trying to scare her? If only she could be so lucky.
She vowed to herself that if this was a prank, she would make sure
whoever it was never did it again.
She took a step forward, then backward, slowly making her way down the
hall to her bedroom door. She stopped in front of it. She sat the
candle in the floor in front her and gripped the bat with one hand. A
shivering hand reached slowly for the doorknob&;#8230;

Suddenly the whole house lit up. The electric was back on.
"Dad! Don't stop! We can turn the lights back out and pretend it's
still storming! Please!" Josh cried.
"Well, I have a long day ahead of me, and you guys really need to get
back to bed now. We'll finish this up tomorrow night."
"I'm not so sure I want to hear the ending!" their mother said, with a
slightly uneasy disposition. "Are you gonna have me get strangled or
what?"
"Of course not. You open the door and&;#8230;"
"No! Don't tell! You'll ruin it!" Josh said, debating whether or not
to go down the hall alone and back to bed.
"OK. I'll wait. Let's hit the sack and try to sleep. We have all the
time in the world." Both children reluctantly tucked themselves back
into bed, and their parents headed to their own room, hoping to sleep
soundly through the rest of the night.
"Goodnight honey."
"Goodnight. Sleep good."

Their mother lay there for a long while, unable to sleep. The story her
husband was telling had really made her feel uneasy. She lay there
staring into the dark, a thousand thoughts running through her head.
She turned on the TV, hoping to clear her mind and drift off.
"Good." She thought. "The Brady Bunch. That should ease my
mind."
Within minutes, all thoughts of her husband's story had fled her mind.
Until she noticed Cindy's voice on the television wasn't the only thing
she was hearing.
She muted the TV and listened closely. It was coming from her closet.
She walked around the bed and stood in front of it. It was whispering.
The low, faint sound of whispering.