The Clink Clink - 2

• Previous: The Clink Clink

A crucifix dangled over the bed, and she grabbed it off the wall and held it in front of her. Had it not been known to destroy demons and vampires? She moved on, still slow and cautious. Kitchen door...open, sound gets louder. Lights on, nothing. At least, nothing out of the ordinary. Even more carefully, she shut the door and moved on. There was only the sitting room left now. Walking further down the hall, she heard the sound get even louder. She started to run through the possibilities again. If she she'd let Ogonna come spend her holidays with her like the young girl had pleaded...why had she asked her to stay home and take care of Mum? If only she'd been a decent, obedient girl and continued living with her parents until she met Mr. Right. Hadn't Anna, her closet friend asked her over for the weekend? Now her love for solitude would be her undoing. She could already hear the exclamations her mother's friends would make. Such a stubborn child had surely asked for trouble, living on her own like that.

Refusing the hand of that well-to-do chief, saying he was too old. How could a man ever be too old for a woman? This was why parents should bring up their children close to them, rather than send them abroad to imbibe these foreign cultures. Catching sight of herself in the full-length hall mirror, she realized how dramatic she looked. Her hair tied up in a scarf, an XXL  T-shirt hanging down to her spindly legs, eyes bulging with fear, bat held high in a sweaty hand and crucifix in the other, with sweat pouring down her face, shirt clinging to her wet body. The burglar or ghost or whatever would probably laugh at her rather than run away in fright. She almost smiled at this thought, but at that very moment, the clink-clink sound was accompanied by a rustling sound that froze the blood in her veins. It took all her courage, strength and willpower to move her feet in the direction of the doorway. The poor lighting did not help matters as she'd left only the light down the hall on, in case she had to go to the bathroom.

Adaobi finally peeked into the sitting room and almost stopped breathing. The wind was swirling through the room and papers flying everywhere way. The wind swept the scarf off her head, freeing her hair to whip around her eyes. Using one hand to smooth back the hair, she felt a jolt-like electric current run up her spine. The eerie moonlight barely allowed her to see what lay before her. She flicked the light switch on, stared and fell to her knees, collapsing into convulsive, uncontrollable laughter. Laughter at her own silliness. For there, in front of her was the door she'd forgotten to lock behind her, thrown wide open by the wind. On the glass table in the center of the room lay her earrings, necklace and bracelet that she'd carelessly dropped on her entry from work, clink-clinking against the table. She'd nearly had a heart attack due to her own carelessness!