A Halloween Ghost Story { Conclusion - Part 3 }

My Mom's Halloween Cat Photo

Minutes before the
"witching hour",
I went upstairs and
quietly got ready for bed.
 
Nigel slept neatly tucked
under the blanket;
his breath soft and deep.

I slipped into my side of the bed
and recited evening prayers
in silence.

 Off In the distance,
something softly jangled.
It stopped and jangled again;
stopped again
and began again.  

I would have dismissed the sound
but it became more frustrated.  

It suddenly dawned on me that
someone was testing keys
in an attempt to unlock the door
two flights below !




At that very moment, 

THE  DOOR  UNLOCKED  and  BANGED  SHUT !!!

HEAVY  FOOTSTEPS  of  a  MAN  BOUNCED  UP  the  FIRST  FLIGHT !

ALARMED  and  TERRIFIED,
I immediately jostled Nigel's arm
and anxiously whispered,

"Nigel, someone's in the house ! Wake up !"

But Nigel was in deep sleep,
obviously not comprehending.

He shook me off  and  shooshed  me with annoyance.

 Everything was completely quiet now.

My ears were perked like a doberman.

For a moment,
I questioned myself about what I had just heard.  

Just then, 

THE  KITCHEN  CABINET  DOORS  BEGAN  TO  SLAM  !

The housebreaker was obviously in a terrible rush,
searching for something
and

CRASHING

each cabinet door
in hasty succession !

The clatter horrified me and my heart palpitated with panic.

Without delay,
the heavy feet 
thumped
up
the remaining set of stairs
and

ENTERED

the bedroom suite
where we lay !!!
 
There had been no time
to hide in the closet
or under the bed.

There was nothing within my reach that could be used as a weapon ! 

I  KNEW  THE  STRANGER  COULD  SEE  US  NOW  ! ! !

I begged God for our safety
and
pretended to sleep.

I lay Frozen with fear,
my heart beating hard with horror.

His now cautious steps
came
closer

and then

a succession of swishing sounds

followed by

a
 
! ! !   SHOCKING  SMASH   ! ! !

as  metal hangers clanged across the oak floor !
 

Everything fell oddly silent again...

but that's when
the very

WORST

happened !


THE  INTRUDER  BENT  HIS  FACE  INCHES  DIRECTLY  OVER  MY  OWN   !

I  CLEARLY  FELT  and  SMELLED  HIS  AWFUL  BREATH  ON  MY  FACE   ! ! ! 


He was checking me out,
watching to see if I would flinch...

I thought my thumping heart would give me away for certain when...

Nigel snapped on his bedside lamp and exclaimed,

" WHAT  THE  HECK  WAS  ALL  THAT  ? "

The breathing sensation instantly vanished.

I bravely  opened my eyes,
uncertain what I would discover.

Nigel and I were alone, sitting upright in bed.

 The  ROOM  was  in  TOTAL  DISARRAY  !

The contents of my  large suitcase were strewn everywhere. 
Tops, slacks, socks, underclothes,
that had been so neatly folded,
were in corners,
hanging on chairs and  on lampshades.

The bags of metal hangers had been
kicked clear across the room;
the contents scattered all over the floor !

Like a couple of eight year olds,
we held hands and nervously

TURNED  ON

EVERY  LIGHT

IN  EVERY  ROOM !

We opened every closet
and
scrutinized the front door. 

The triplex was
void of anyone but us
and
everything else was in complete order !

We tossed my things into the case
and
HURRIED
back to the flat in our pajamas.

The remainder of the evening was spent
wondering and trying to make sense of the event. 

Nigel admitted to waking at the kitchen clatter
and had also been fear frozen. 

We didn't get any sleep that night.

! ! !   HAPPY  HOLLOWEENIES   ! ! !

! ! !   MAY  YOU  ALL  HAVE  SWEET  DREAMIES   ! ! !

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