Glimpse Into ShadowArt Journal:
One of my "darker" works
I figured it would do well placed at the top of a story such as Cat Walk
I figured it would do well placed at the top of a story such as Cat Walk
by JAS April 2007
pastel & crayon on 4"x 6" card
Cat Walk, the beginning
by Samuel Winterwood, installment 1
By the time Sam went to bed Sarah was already asleep, he was so tired that he left the TV flickering on in the background, with the volume so quiet that the low drone of the window fan was all that could be heard.. It was a cool beautiful early summer night and the breeze being blown into the room was so relaxing that Sam drifted off before he knew it.
Hours later, Sam didn’t know how long, he sensed that the TV turned off but oddly the fan was still on. He lifted his head to look past Sarah and he couldn’t believe his first take as he tried to discern the LCD readout on the alarm clock. A long spindly figure seemed to be hovering somewhere in the darkness between Sarah and the night stand.
He caught a glimpse of a malevolent form silhouetted against the city lights coming in through the bedroom shades. The form moved away and almost disappeared or maybe it changed shape he couldn’t tell which.
He heard what seemed like a laugh or a strange meow. He noticed that the television and the clock had gone off, and he couldn’t tell the time, but the window fan was still on, the streets outside seemed eerily quiet.
“What the Hell?” he reached over Sarah in a combined effort to pull her toward him and away from perceived danger and tried to get to the clock to find out what was wrong with it.
He knew somewhere in the back of his mind that if there was a momentary power outage and the power flicked quickly off then back on, that would account for the fan still running and the TV being off, but if that was what happened then alarm clock readout should be flicking on and off. And if the power hadn’t come back on, the clock would be dark but the fan shouldn’t be on either.
He yanked Sarah toward him to protect her.
“Get the Hell away from her!” he screamed and swung his strong right arm blindly at the illusory figure.
“Jesus, Mary & Joseph! Sam what in Heaven’s name are you doing?!” yelled Sally as she was startled into consciousness.
“There is someone in here!” Sam screamed again and in a panic he started to jump over Sally to place himself between her and whatever it was that he saw and heard in the darkness.They bumped heads painfully as she sat up instinctively to turn on the light as he was moving toward, … toward what?
"Ouch!" Sally said as she turned the switch of the lamp nothing happened, still in darkness “What are you talking about there is no one here?!”
“Yes there is!”
Sally turned the switch again, again nothing.
“Look at the clock Sally!”
“Yeah, so what?”
“Well, it’s not flashing!”
“Yeah, again so what?”
“But the fan is still on!”
“Sam!” Sally screamed growing more impatient and confused by the second. She turned the light switch a third time, the light came on, they both looked at the clock at the exact same instant and it was on, the LCD indicating that it was 3:36 in the morning. It was working fine like nothing had ever happened and the room was empty and quiet except for the sound of the trash truck out in the alley. The TV was off? Sam knew that he had fallen asleep with it on.
“Did you get up and turn the television off sometime during the night?” Sam asked his voice still quivering and his breathing still rapid. With the light on they could see the somewhat ridiculous position into which the two of them had woven their bodies in the excitement of the moment. It looked like they were playing Twister. Sarah was turned awkwardly around with her protruding, pregnant belly hanging precariously over the side of the bed and Sam’s long leg was wrapped atop her as if he was stepping out of Sally’s side of the bed right over top of her in a Harpo Marx fashion. The absurdity of their contorted entanglement dawned on and they both eased the tension with an uncertain chuckle. “Are you alright?” he asked.
“I think so” Sally giggled like a teasing teenager “are You?”
“I’m not sure” Sam murmured, shifting his not yet awake eyes between the fan, the window, his wife, and the clock and lamp on the nightstand, and back again. Both of them were unconsciously trying to untangle their bodies from one another.
Hours later, Sam didn’t know how long, he sensed that the TV turned off but oddly the fan was still on. He lifted his head to look past Sarah and he couldn’t believe his first take as he tried to discern the LCD readout on the alarm clock. A long spindly figure seemed to be hovering somewhere in the darkness between Sarah and the night stand.
He caught a glimpse of a malevolent form silhouetted against the city lights coming in through the bedroom shades. The form moved away and almost disappeared or maybe it changed shape he couldn’t tell which.
He heard what seemed like a laugh or a strange meow. He noticed that the television and the clock had gone off, and he couldn’t tell the time, but the window fan was still on, the streets outside seemed eerily quiet.
“What the Hell?” he reached over Sarah in a combined effort to pull her toward him and away from perceived danger and tried to get to the clock to find out what was wrong with it.
He knew somewhere in the back of his mind that if there was a momentary power outage and the power flicked quickly off then back on, that would account for the fan still running and the TV being off, but if that was what happened then alarm clock readout should be flicking on and off. And if the power hadn’t come back on, the clock would be dark but the fan shouldn’t be on either.
He yanked Sarah toward him to protect her.
“Get the Hell away from her!” he screamed and swung his strong right arm blindly at the illusory figure.
“Jesus, Mary & Joseph! Sam what in Heaven’s name are you doing?!” yelled Sally as she was startled into consciousness.
“There is someone in here!” Sam screamed again and in a panic he started to jump over Sally to place himself between her and whatever it was that he saw and heard in the darkness.They bumped heads painfully as she sat up instinctively to turn on the light as he was moving toward, … toward what?
"Ouch!" Sally said as she turned the switch of the lamp nothing happened, still in darkness “What are you talking about there is no one here?!”
“Yes there is!”
Sally turned the switch again, again nothing.
“Look at the clock Sally!”
“Yeah, so what?”
“Well, it’s not flashing!”
“Yeah, again so what?”
“But the fan is still on!”
“Sam!” Sally screamed growing more impatient and confused by the second. She turned the light switch a third time, the light came on, they both looked at the clock at the exact same instant and it was on, the LCD indicating that it was 3:36 in the morning. It was working fine like nothing had ever happened and the room was empty and quiet except for the sound of the trash truck out in the alley. The TV was off? Sam knew that he had fallen asleep with it on.
“Did you get up and turn the television off sometime during the night?” Sam asked his voice still quivering and his breathing still rapid. With the light on they could see the somewhat ridiculous position into which the two of them had woven their bodies in the excitement of the moment. It looked like they were playing Twister. Sarah was turned awkwardly around with her protruding, pregnant belly hanging precariously over the side of the bed and Sam’s long leg was wrapped atop her as if he was stepping out of Sally’s side of the bed right over top of her in a Harpo Marx fashion. The absurdity of their contorted entanglement dawned on and they both eased the tension with an uncertain chuckle. “Are you alright?” he asked.
“I think so” Sally giggled like a teasing teenager “are You?”
“I’m not sure” Sam murmured, shifting his not yet awake eyes between the fan, the window, his wife, and the clock and lamp on the nightstand, and back again. Both of them were unconsciously trying to untangle their bodies from one another.
1 comment:
Aslan that was a weird story quite spooky,so why was the fan still on,it wasn't a dream sam knew he saw something,i actually enjoyed it and think you should do more storie's like it,i read it 3 times,lucky for you i enjoy reading so get some more wrote,write one for me,i will always read them as im a big reader,so i shall give 10/10,now write another one,great work.
little ali.
Post a Comment