The Night Visitor

Everyone
is settled for the night.
Even old Megan,
who likes to read till late,
has put out the light.
On the doorstep, a crate
of empty bottles waits
for the morning milk round.
The scene is set
for the village to be
peaceful and quiet.
And yet,
not everything is right.
An eerie, clicking sound
disturbs the silence.
A stray cat,
searching for food
amid the dustbins
of the neighbourhood,
is alert to danger
and senses the proximity
of a stranger.
A woman haunts the place,
a soul in torment,
but no one ever sees
her ghostly face;
only the tapping heels
pounding the pavement
reveal her presence.
Who is this restless person,
the one without a name?
Was she, in days gone by,
a cold-blooded killer
come back to revisit
the scene of her crime
or was she the victim
of a malicious lie
who’s seeking retribution
from those who were to blame?
Alas, we’ll never know.
As there’s no history
of her stay on this earth
her identity remains
shrouded in mystery.

© Luigi Pagano