The Clink Clink - 1

Adaobi turned out the lights, leaving her bedroom in the dull glow of her bedside lamp. Stifling a yawn with the back of her left hand, she pulled the curtains aside to let in cool breeze and the ghostly light of the moon. She turned away from the window to undress. Taking off her work clothes, she put on her nightsirt. She'd long ago decided to leave s*xy  nightdresses alone and stick to her old T-shirt. Elton John's  'Blue Eyes' wafted from the speakers of her CD Player. She loved listening to him before bed; his mournful tones had a calming effect on her senses. Easing into bed, she picked up a literary novel called Sunset that she'd been reading for months.

The plot was so slow it seemed inhuman to rush it. For her, it was like a daily tonic; one page every night to tire out her eyes, and one every morning to rejuvenate them. She wanted it to go on and on. Finally turning out the light, she reached down to the CD Player to switch it off, knowing that she'd never fall asleep with it on. She pulled the blanket over head and then she heard.......... What 'it' was, she couldn't say. Just some unusual sound somewhere in the house. She could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, and goose bumps cover the skin of her arms. A light sheen of perspiration covered her face, and her hands grew clammy. Taking a deep breath, she trued to calm herself.

She probably wouldn't hear it again. But there it was again this time more distinct perhaps, because she'd been listening for it. A slight clink of mental against glass - eerie and almost unreal. One moment it was there, then it seemed to fade away as though she'd never heard it A zillion possibilities raced through her mind. It could be a burglar who had managed to discover that she'd been paid that day and hadn't time to go to the bank. Or maybe a tip-off from a jealous colleague had helped. She'd never believed in the existence of ghosts, werewolves and vampires, and now she wished she could remember why she hadn't. First things first, she thought.... stat calm and then investigate. The clink-clink sound was now really loud and clear.

Ghostly silence, then clink-clink again. She took one foot off the bed, then the other....calm, steady, quite as a mouse. Hands reaching under the bed for the baseball bat she'd always kept there as a precaution, not that she'd never seriously felt she'd need it. Still calming herself, she tiptoed to her door and opened it slightly. The sound remained distinct, refusing to go away. Padding about barefoot, bat clutched painfully in both hands, she moved through the house in search of the sound's source. Clink-clink...clink-clink. The door next to hers led to the bathroom, then the toilet. Open, close. No sound, no intruder. Onwards to the spare bathroom... door opens slowly. She hadn't been to this room for so long that she'd forgotten just how pretty it was. Pink walls, cream curtains and satin sheets. A cream rug covered the floor and a little water-color painting hung by the window.

...To be continued