Shadows&;#063;

SHADOWS?

As I sat reading late one night, a queer feeling came over me, a
feeling of dread, of something wrong. A cool breeze swept past me, and
I smelled an oddly familiar scent. Turning quickly, out of the corner
of my eye I saw a shadow leave the hallway and go into my Grandaughters
room.

I had been waiting for her to sneak in. I was going to catch her this
time and law down the law about curfew, and staying out late on a
school night. I went into the room, hit the light switch just inside
the door, nothing, I flipped it up and down a few times still the
lights didn't come on.

"Listen you, we're going to talk about being out too late, in the dark
or with the lights on makes no difference to me." I started to sit down
on the side of her bed, and the door slammed shut. The hair on the back
of my neck stood up. I was afraid to move. I could smell smoke from a
cigarett, yet no one in my house smoked.

Moonlight bounced off something shiny in the far corner of the room.
Slowly I got to my feet and backed toward the door. The knob wouldn't
turn in either direction. Now I was scared.

"What do you want?" "Who is that?" "Is anybody in here?" "Angela you
had better answer me." Silence. I could hear someone breathing , and a
clink of ice against a glass. My back against the wall, unable to move
I started to cry. "Please answer me Angela." I said real low.

About that time the lights came on and Angela walked into the room." Hi
Gran sorry to be late, not my fault this time. We were stuck in traffic
for a long time. There was a wreck someone got killed I think, there
were cops, and ambulances everywhere. What's wrong Gran? Why are you
looking at me like that? Have you been crying?"

I grabbed her to me and whispered ---"Lets get out of here." We rushed
out into the living room. "What is it Angela said?" "There's someone in
your room, I saw them go in there, when I went in to see who it was the
door slammed shut and locked, The lights wouldn't come on, and they
were smoking I could smell it."

"Granny there's no one in my room , I would have seen them when I came
in." "Then there hiding somewhere, I tell you there was someone in
there." Something swept past me I grabbed Angela and clung to her.
"Granny your scaring me."

"Don't you smell that smoke? didn't you feel something go past us just
now. " "Come on Granny I'm going to put you in bed and call Aunt Mary
to come over here. She'll know what to do. There's no one here but you
and me, you've had a spell or something."

Angela put me to bed, fluffed my pillows, and pulled the covers up to
my chin, she was talking softly to me as if I were a child. "Everything
will be allright Gran, you'll see".

As soon as she left the room, to call Mary, I smelled the smoke again,
out of the corner of my eye I saw a shadow moving toward the door, and
heard a voice say, "I'll be back, you know I will"