the closest house was Ed and Sue’s. Even if you sobbed at the top of your lungs on their back porch she wouldn’t have been able to hear it. There was a third option of course—that was she was losing mind. Kelly filled up a glass of water at the sink and looked out the kitchen window as she drank.
Kelly stood there for a moment longer and heard nothing but her breath and the soft tick of the clock on the wall. Whoever that was, whatever it was, seemed to have left. The clock on the wall ticked closer to dawn and she decided to crawl back under her covers and try to forget it ever happened. She already had to forget Paul’s rejection at the door, so why not add a little creepy crying in the middle of the night?
She walked over to the living room window and looked out the big picture window facing the river. It was a beautiful and peaceful scene. The moonlight out back was even brighter, thanks to the open sky above the river. It actually glistened off the slow moving water.
Movement in the woods across the river caught her eye. She took a step back and bit her lip to prevent the scream trying to escape. A dark form stepped out from behind one of the trees and stood there. It was far enough away that Kelly couldn’t make out any details, but whoever it was appeared to be facing the house. Watching.
She moved back further into the living room, knowing there was no way whoever it was would be able to see her in the dark room . But it didn’t make her feel any less exposed. The form ducked back behind the tree and was gone.
Kelly rushed over to the drapes and closed them, looking through the crack at the trees but didn’t see a thing. She stood there for five minutes, scanning the woods for movement but didn’t see anything else.
She finally closed the curtains all the way, double-checked the locked door, and rushed to the safety of her blankets on the floor. She finally dozed off as the sky slowly lightened to begin a new day.
Chapter 16
Kelly stared at the television screen playing out a scene involving Pooh Bear obsessing over some honey, but her mind was elsewhere. She grimaced and looked down at her fingernail which she’d absently been biting on and realized for the first time it was bleeding. She reached for her coffee and spat it back into the cup. Ice cold. She didn’t even remember pouring it.
She got up off the couch and stepped over Keegan lying on his stomach in the middle of the floor and turned the thermostat up another notch. She was wearing long underwear, a sweatshirt, robe, and a knitted hat , but still couldn’t get warm. Keegan seemed perfectly comfortable, even sporting bare feet.
She pulled the drawstring tighter on her robe and walked to the picture window for the countless time that morning. Each time, she expected to see somebody standing on the other bank. But as usual, nothing but water, trees, and melting snow. The sun was out in full force and the temperature pushed 35 degrees. If the nice weather held, the first snowfall of the season would be just a memory in a day or two.
Kelly stared absently at the snow, biting on her nails again and not noticing. The entire night before seemed like a bad dream. She was starting to feel like the whole thing never happened.
The snow held the answers. If somebody really was lurking across the river last night then there would be have to be footprints.
“Only one way to find out,” Kelly muttered to herself.
The river was low, in some places no more than a trickle. Even from the window, she could see most of the bottom and there were plenty of rocks above the surface she could use as stepping-stones. Seemed safe enough. Even if she slipped and fell in, the worst that would happen was getting cold and wet.
“Honey, Mom needs to run outside really quick.” She slipped on her shoes by the door and traded her robe for her jacket. “You watch Pooh and be good.” Keegan glanced at her and nodded before turning back to the screen.
The
Kelly stood there for a moment longer and heard nothing but her breath and the soft tick of the clock on the wall. Whoever that was, whatever it was, seemed to have left. The clock on the wall ticked closer to dawn and she decided to crawl back under her covers and try to forget it ever happened. She already had to forget Paul’s rejection at the door, so why not add a little creepy crying in the middle of the night?
She walked over to the living room window and looked out the big picture window facing the river. It was a beautiful and peaceful scene. The moonlight out back was even brighter, thanks to the open sky above the river. It actually glistened off the slow moving water.
Movement in the woods across the river caught her eye. She took a step back and bit her lip to prevent the scream trying to escape. A dark form stepped out from behind one of the trees and stood there. It was far enough away that Kelly couldn’t make out any details, but whoever it was appeared to be facing the house. Watching.
She moved back further into the living room, knowing there was no way whoever it was would be able to see her in the dark room . But it didn’t make her feel any less exposed. The form ducked back behind the tree and was gone.
Kelly rushed over to the drapes and closed them, looking through the crack at the trees but didn’t see a thing. She stood there for five minutes, scanning the woods for movement but didn’t see anything else.
She finally closed the curtains all the way, double-checked the locked door, and rushed to the safety of her blankets on the floor. She finally dozed off as the sky slowly lightened to begin a new day.
Chapter 16
Kelly stared at the television screen playing out a scene involving Pooh Bear obsessing over some honey, but her mind was elsewhere. She grimaced and looked down at her fingernail which she’d absently been biting on and realized for the first time it was bleeding. She reached for her coffee and spat it back into the cup. Ice cold. She didn’t even remember pouring it.
She got up off the couch and stepped over Keegan lying on his stomach in the middle of the floor and turned the thermostat up another notch. She was wearing long underwear, a sweatshirt, robe, and a knitted hat , but still couldn’t get warm. Keegan seemed perfectly comfortable, even sporting bare feet.
She pulled the drawstring tighter on her robe and walked to the picture window for the countless time that morning. Each time, she expected to see somebody standing on the other bank. But as usual, nothing but water, trees, and melting snow. The sun was out in full force and the temperature pushed 35 degrees. If the nice weather held, the first snowfall of the season would be just a memory in a day or two.
Kelly stared absently at the snow, biting on her nails again and not noticing. The entire night before seemed like a bad dream. She was starting to feel like the whole thing never happened.
The snow held the answers. If somebody really was lurking across the river last night then there would be have to be footprints.
“Only one way to find out,” Kelly muttered to herself.
The river was low, in some places no more than a trickle. Even from the window, she could see most of the bottom and there were plenty of rocks above the surface she could use as stepping-stones. Seemed safe enough. Even if she slipped and fell in, the worst that would happen was getting cold and wet.
“Honey, Mom needs to run outside really quick.” She slipped on her shoes by the door and traded her robe for her jacket. “You watch Pooh and be good.” Keegan glanced at her and nodded before turning back to the screen.
The
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