He's Watching Me Read online

  Trick or treaters seemed doubtful, who else could it be? STOP BEING PATHETIC! You are over-reacting, she scorned herself. Twisting the tap she reached for a towel and dried herself, cautiously entering the hallway. The door stood before her, like a mission that had to be completed. Laura forced her legs to move. One step, two steps, three steps. Until she eventually reached the wooden double doors just as a heavy boom startled her.

  Impatience. That was not a good sign. But regardless, she reached out with trembling hands and began to pull open the door. At first all that could be seen was more black sky, the forest in the distance, and a thick smell of nature, when a hairy beast came into view;

  alongside a little witch, a vampire in a black cloak, and a zombie. Children, in Halloween costumes. Relief came to her mercy as her buttocks unclenched. Oh crap! She thought. Dr Anderson had told her many things in a rushed haze, but the candy's location wasn't one of them.

  “Hold on kids,” she pleaded with hands up, before either of them could yell trick or treat.

  Laura scrambled into the kitchen, rummaging around like a crazy lady. Yanking open drawers, rifling through cabinets, eyes darting every which way. Until she flung open the fridge. And as if Dr Anderson knew she may find herself in this dilemma, there was a bowl full of goodies on the middle shelf just at the front. How had she missed that before? She snatched it from the shelf and scurried back to the no doubt restless, sugar- hungry kids.

  “Sorry about that, I am babysitting; I had to look for the sweets. I don't think many kids will be coming here tonight so take as much as you want,” she smiled.

  “Are you kidding?” the werewolf spoke with a clear sarcasm that irritated Laura as she held out the large crystal bowl.

  “Why? What do you mean?” Laura was confused and slightly anxious.

  “This is a Halloween hotspot, tonnes of kids come every year, as it's a spooky castle. I mean the weather is usually better than this, but if it doesn't get much worse I don't think we will be the only kids you see tonight. We love this creepy castle!”

  Yeah, thanks for reminding me.

  “Plus, the folks here usually give out really good candy,” the witch chimed in with a squeaky voice and mischievous grin, eyes darting back and forth from Laura to the candy.

  “Oh great,” Laura laughed.

  The kids each took a greedy handful, regardless of knowing plenty more kids would want candy, and stuffed them into an array of candy containers. There were pillow cases, plastic pumpkins and even rucksacks. Each almost full, bursting to the brim with chocolate, candy, small cakes, doughnuts and so on. An overproduction of saliva built in Laura's mouth as she suddenly found herself craving sugar. After each child had crammed candy into the various bags they began to leave, all muttering a robotic 'thank you', as if their parents were behind them and had just reminded them to use their manners.

  “Oh nice costume!” the zombie whooped, fisting the air, while the witch gave an enthusiastic thumbs up, the thumb wearing a fake finger with a long nail.

  “Erm.... thanks,” Laura was puzzled, did red trousers and a black vest look like a character from a movie or something?

  “That was weird,” the zombie whispered amongst his friends as Laura nudged the door shut.

  “What was?” the witch butted in again, as they descended the stone steps, wind rustling straw from the witch's broomstick.

  “I wasn't saying her costume was good, I was talking about the clown that was walking up the stairs behind her.”

  Laura closed the door chuckling at the weirdness of kids. She felt much more tranquil, and dare she think it, in a good mood? Not long ago she was a trembling statue of abhorrence, but now a smooth, serene lake. Also, she was hungry, not for sugar laced treats anymore, but for real good food, which this extravagant abode would surely provide.

  Laura was shocked at how polite the children had been, most kids that age were petulant abominations, moody and insufferable. But they were pleasant, and informative, letting her know there would probably be many more knocks at the door. If all the kids were like that she didn't mind, but she highly doubted that, some were bound to be rude brats. But she would cross that bridge when she came to it, or just refuse candy if they didn't behave. Kids! Speaking of which, Toby! Her mind thundered.

  She ought to check on him. It was seven o'clock, so it wasn't too late for a quick visit to see what he was up to. Laura assumed he was a techno-geek, as her school called them. They were like hermits, and would be if it weren't for family events, and schools, that society and pushy parents made them attend. So before grabbing a bite to eat she headed upstairs, leaving the candy bowl on a small burgundy rug just outside the kitchen.

  She ascended the red carpet-covered steps to the third floor. Laura was sure that was where his bedroom was, if she remembered Dr Anderson's directions correctly. She grinned at the memory of his dramatic gesturing as he gave directions and instructions. Though she had never been to an opera, Dr Anderson reminded her of a conductor. The staircase spiralled, and after a full circle of spiralling it would pass a floor. Laura had made the initial observation that this tower had five or six floors, but she looked up the spiral staircase and it appeared there was a seventh, unless that was just an attic on the top floor. Ugh, attics! Since childhood attics had always frightened her, imagining ghouls and ghosts floating around with evil glares. The staircase rested against a grey brick wall, each floor having a magnificent arched entrance. Soon enough she reached the third, swerving right into the hallway. After a few short steps Laura rapped gently on what she assumed was Toby's bedroom door if the muffled noises were any indication.

  “Come in,” a young voice yelled.

  She entered a profusion of posters, spaceship memorabilia, toys, wooden shelves and expensive technology all contained within a spacious blue room. Toby was nestled in bed, all snug in a bright red race car. He squeezed a gaming remote gawking at a humongous TV screen hung from the wall. A limp tongue hung from his mouth as his gaze was glued to the enormous screen. On it was a castle, not unfamiliar to this one, and a man wielding a sword fighting off warriors.

  “Any chance you could pause that for a second?” Laura asked delicately, aware of the addiction and dependence young boys had to their virtual worlds. God forbid she steal five minutes of his time. She expected a dynamo explosion of rage at even asking such a question, but to her amazement, he paused the game without hesitation. Tongue slivering back into his mouth and face relaxing. His gaming claws unclenched.

  “I just wanted to check on you. I'm the babysitter,” she threw a wave his way.

  “Yeah, I know,” Toby muttered, with a hint of attitude, repeatedly tapping the remote with impatience. And the short fuse was rearing its ugly head in the spoilt child. It was then that Laura noticed half a dozen energy drinks strewn on the thick carpet aside his bed. Jesus! How much caffeine does a young kid need? He should be full of energy, without the aid of power boosters. Laura flashed to reading an article about a child who had drank two energy drinks and died within an hour. And he was there, roughly the same age, with three times as many. Laura would have commented on this, but already felt an increasingly hostile energy; she didn't want to push it.

  “Well anyway I'm going downstairs, you want anything to eat or anything at all just let me know,” Laura added, backing away as if creeping from a venomous snake.

  “Thanks, I might come down for food later,” Toby smiled.

  Hallelujah! He is a polite little boy after all, she smiled, fighting the urge to fist the air with self-congratulations at bringing the boy out of his shell.

  Laura closed the door feeling proud for overcoming the exterior of the boy, and bringing out the well mannered young man underneath. That, as it turns out, wasn't ridiculously unsociable after all.

  She descended the steps, her hand gliding along the indescribably smooth bannister, feeling confident and happy. This was shot to hell within seconds. Abhorrence took hold when she saw something very disturb
ing. Laura's stomach squirmed upon looking at the bottom of the staircase, staring at the vacant space where the candy should be. Not only had the confectioneries vanished, but the front door was wide open, wind whistling through with an ear-piercing screech. It didn't take a genius to determine what this meant. An intruder was inside the house.

  Chapter 4

  Her legs almost buckled at the horrifying discovery that there could be an uninvited, potentially dangerous guest lurking in the castle. Laura placed a hand on her chest to steady her over-active breathing. She tried urgently to think with logic, it could be kids? They knocked, went unheard, got restless and broke in. Then after seeing candy a few feet into the hall, were brave enough to steal it. Yes, that was most likely it. Even though this was a very likely possibility, a part of her feared this explanation was too simple, too good to be true. But her mother often said 'sometimes the simplest explanation is often the right one'. That it was just cocky, arrogant, greedy kids, and not something more insidious hiding behind the veil of reasons. She was at a crossroads, one part yearning to gallop upstairs and seek refuge in Toby's room. But another part wanting to stay, close to the door, settle, and stop being silly. Then her legs began to move.

  Laura still hadn't made a firm decision as to whether to flee, or close the door and stop the bitter cold barging in. But her two pins seemed to have made that decision, giving no choice but to continue onwards and shut the wooden piece. Until she stood, now only metres from the entrance, nothing outside but deceptive darkness: elusive and mysterious, but also deadly. With the ability to cloak the evils of the night, and cloud nightmares until they sneaked up when least expected. She could see the massive field that was this castle's version of a front lawn, but calling it that would be insulting to the astronomical size. It was a mountain of green, with tall streaks of brown bark holding leaves, stabbed into its canvas. Eager to get this over with, Laura reached out, grabbed the handle and pulled, slamming it shut. This time, to prevent any further distress, she locked it. It had many locks and bolts, as if the building held all of the government’s highly classified secrets. Once all locks had been engaged with an abundance of clicks and taps, she made for the kitchen, craving a soothing mug of tea. On occasion, she did indulge in flavoured coffees and frappuccinos, but she knew that to settle her nerves a nice, milky tea was just what the doctor ordered. Perhaps they had a nice selection of herbal fruit teas? Both being doctors and expectedly health conscious, they were sure to have a premier collection of beverages hidden in a cabinet. Upon entering the vastness of the kitchen, she noticed something atop the kitchen counter: a candy bowl.

  Laura questioned her memory, or lack of it. Am I going crazy? Had she not actually put it on the floor at all, but absent-mindedly returned it to the kitchen? Or one of the kids who presumably took the candy, felt guilty. So they grabbed a handful, and then rushed it to the kitchen where they figured it would be kept. But there was something unusual about the bowl. The amount of confectionery hadn't gone down. If Laura didn't know any better she would have guessed that not a single piece had been taken. Which puts a kibosh on the candy stealing theory. But more importantly, a piece of folded paper lay atop the pile of cavity creators. Laura was intrigued. Maybe she missed it before and it was a note from Dr Anderson advising of numbers to ring in case of emergencies. But why would he put it in a candy bowl? That was strange. Perhaps the wind sent it fluttering into the candy bowl. She unfolded the piece of paper and read it aloud.

  “How was Toby?” Laura whispered, then dropped the note back into the bowl as it rustled against the mountain of candy. Laura's neck tensed as her legs became unsteady. Someone is watching me. Laura's heart propelled into a rocket-ship speed.

  Laura's skin prickled with goosebumps. Now there was no doubt about it, someone was watching. But these weren't casual glances, someone was monitoring every move. Laura was terrified to say the least. Someone had seen her go upstairs to check on Toby. She stared at the white sheet resting afloat the rainbow of treats as if it was about to pounce. Laura felt as though her whole head was spinning around. They could be watching me right now. Then from the chaos of her own unease, she thought of Toby. TOBY!

  She fled the kitchen and bolted upstairs, barging into his bedroom unannounced, frantic with panic, gasping for breath. Toby jerked immediately, still clutching the remote control. Laura then realised it was stupid to burst into a young boy's bedroom unannounced. Duh, hormones!

  “Jesus what's wrong!?” he spouted, eyes wide with shock.

  “I... he just...... there was a.....” Laura struggled to speak, winded from the seemingly endless mountain of steps.

  As she was about to divulge the situation she paused for a second. He was only a kid, and this was bound to scare or upset Toby. So, after an incredibly quick second thought, she pronounced it was best to keep him in the dark, until matters worsened, which she desperately hoped didn't.

  “There was a huge spider, I, erm... hate spiders, oh, I am sorry. I overreacted. Sorry Toby,” Laura felt moisture slide down her face, tears!

  She was bawling. Seriously? Laura couldn't believe her inability to withstand emotions. First with her father, now a child. Toby paused the game and looked at her with a serious gaze, his face tightening.

  “Are you okay?” he asked politely, appearing worried, tossing the remote aside.

  “Yes, I'm fine, I just, I think, being in a new house for the night and the spider,” she was exhaling deeply now.

  “Hang on, I'll come down and we can go in the computer room for a bit if you want?” he swivelled and hopped off the bed.

  “Oh no, you don't have to do that Toby,” she was so surprised at his caring nature.

  “No, it's fine, I am being rude, I should have come down a while ago, but this game is so addictive,” he chuckled.

  He actually laughed, despite the recent troubles of being stalked; Laura felt an immense sense of accomplishment at bringing this hermit out of his sanctuary, metaphorically and physically.

  “Oh okay, well, there are plenty of snacks downstairs,” she informed, swiftly wiping tears from her face.

  “Great I am getting a bit peckish,” Toby straightened out his blue t-shirt and pulled down matching bottoms that had hiked up his calves during his gaming session.

  “Why do you want to go in the computer room?” Laura asked as they both descended the loops of steps.

  “I should get my school work done, and I always save it on one of the computers in there, I have a school report due.”

  “On what?”

  “I had to pick a film, and do a review on it, mention everything from the technical aspects, to the plot and characters and such,” Toby muttered.

  Laura couldn't believe she was talking to a kid a few years younger than her, who was so smart and mature.

  “What film did you choose?” she inquired.

  “Jaws. A classic. Figure it would be easy as that film practically reviews itself, and it is one of my favourite movies,” he looked at her smiling. Laura was surprised he even knew about Jaws.

  “Me too! So, you mentioned one of the computers, just how many does the computer room have?” she asked, noticing her black bra strap was exposed on her upper arm, having slid over her shoulder during the frenzied sprint to Toby's room. Embarrassed, she quickly twanged it back under her tank top.

  “I think about fifteen now, well not all computers, some tablets, laptops and the rest are traditional computers.” He informed as they declined the final staircase.

  “Wow, I can't wait to see it.” Laura beamed, stepping onto the wooden floor barefoot, noticing the various rugs dispersed among the wood like lily pads on a pond.

  “It is pretty cool,” he grinned.

  They were headed into the kitchen for some snacks, when another boom at the door stopped them cold. She jolted, almost tripping over. Toby noticed this overreaction immediately.

  “Jeez calm down it's probably just trick or treaters,” he laughed, which actually c
almed Laura.

  They both approached the door, Laura shuffling behind Toby, then stopped a couple of feet from it.

  “What are you waiting for?” Toby asked, face creased in confusion.

  “Nothing, I just, I wish I could see who it is before I unlock the door,” Laura replied, aware of how childish that came across, but unable to cover the abhorrence and visions of what may lay on the other side of that door. Especially given that some unknown predator was stalking them.

  “Then look through the peep-hole.” Toby's eyebrow raised in sarcasm.

  “What? There is a peep-hole?” Laura couldn't believe it.

  “It is hidden behind a little wooden square. Up there, just out of my reach,” Toby pointed to a small square of wood that stood out prominently from the door, also being a lighter shade of brown. Laura swung the square aside, then plucking bravery from the lower depths of her stomach; she tried to connect with gall. Leaning forwards on her tiptoes she propped one eye against the tiny glass window, to see....nothing. No one was there. She felt reassured, but foolish for getting so worked up.

  “Sorry Toby, there is no one there,” Laura exhaled as she turned to see an empty space. Toby was gone.

  Heat warmed her face as panic began to course through her veins. But before jumping to any conclusions she used common sense to dictate her next move.

  “Toby,” Laura hollered, trying not to sound panicked, just merely gauging his location, beckoning a response.