Polum Chill

As I sat, I looked out into the garden to check for anything scary in the dark.

It was empty and black.

I kind of wish we had a pet.

A dog or a cat would be nice about now, but their hair always made me sneeze and my eyes go red and itchy.

With that in mind, my dad said no, even though I wouldn't mind it.

9.22 p.m.

I put the rest of the juice carton back in the fridge door and went back over to the window.

Hoisting myself onto the counter again, I glanced out to the garden and identified the shapes, one by one, to make sure everything was in its place.

The bushes were their usual shape.

Two small trees stood together by the back fence, and a metal table with four chairs sat casually on the patio.

I liked to check these things, which is largely why I wasn't scared of the dark.

I would always go up to investigate small noises in the night, and I hated sleeping with my face to the wall.

If someone was in my room at night, I'd rather know about it, so at least there was the faintest chance of getting away somehow.

This meant that my worries were quickly put to rest, as I either found nothing downstairs but the radiator popping with the heat, or opened my eyes to see an empty bedroom.

Not knowing what could be making the odd noises coming from the kitchen or on the stairs or in my room is what makes my skin creep.

9.30 p.m.

I got down from the counter and wandered back into the living room to turn off the TV and decided to take the rest of the juice upstairs.

I went back into the kitchen, opened the fridge door and stopped.

Turning my head to focus inside, I could see someone was standing in the garden.

I shut the fridge door and turned off the lights so they couldn't see me so easily.