Noises from Downstairs

I walked into the house through the big front door, careful to shut it quietly so as not to wake anyone upstairs. I’d been out later than I’d expected. I walked cautiously up the stairs, imagining myself as a mouse, quietly putting one foot in front of the next. I knew if anyone woke up, I’d be in big trouble. I walked down the hallway I’d walked through so many times before; I didn’t even need to see where the walls were! I reached my hand out in the darkness and took hold of the cool silver door handle, and soundlessly entered the bedroom.

Just as I had gone into the bedroom, I heard a noise coming from downstairs. A million and one thoughts rushed through my mind as I quickly ducked underneath the bed. Everyone in the house was asleep, or at least should’ve been! It was extremely early morning, and no one knew I had left. It couldn’t have been something falling from one of the cupboards, could it? No, I decided, definitely not. There was someone else in the house. I crawled slowly underneath the bed all the way into the middle, as to avoid being seen. And then I waited.

A few minutes later I heard the footsteps coming up the stairs. One by one, they thudded their way slowly, menacingly to the top. Though they weren't anywhere near me yet. I was all the way at the end of the hall, hidden underneath this bed. I glanced to the right, and stared up at the glowing red numbers indicating the time on the alarm clock. They read: 1:52am. I hadn’t realised how late I had stayed out.The rhythmic thumps of the footsteps cautiously making their way up the wooden staircase would've lulled me to sleep if I hadn't been so on edge, nervously wondering who it could be.

I heard a door creak open on the other side of the hallway. There were three more doors before this one though, so I prayed that whoever it was would think I wasn't there, and leave before they reached the door which concealed my existence for the time being. I looked towards the brown door which guarded the room I was hiding in. I prayed for it to stay shut. I prayed that I would remain hidden.

I don't care much for tight spaces, so as my breathing became shallower and labored; I became increasingly more nervous. Thoughts like, "What if they hear me?" and then, "Calm down! They don't know you're in here yet" floated across my mind. They can’t know I’m here, I thought. I was upstairs, and they were downstairs. They have no way of knowing this is where I am.

I heard the creaking in the hallway as the next door opened, and I heard rustling coming from inside the room. Whoever it was was searching for something, for me presumably. No, not for me, whoever it is doesn’t know that you’re here. Calm down, John, calm down.

Although apparently no one was in that room, because before I knew it, the footsteps emerged back out and into the hallway, and the next door was being opened.The slow and nerve-racking footsteps echoed in my mind. That was when I knew they weren't going to stop looking. I fumbled in my pockets, as quietly as I could, for something I could use. My fingers brushed against cold plastic. My phone! But then my stomach dropped and my heart sank. Of course I couldn’t call the police.

As my attention slowly turned towards the brown door again, I heard the footsteps approach the door. I watched the light stream in as the entrance to the room inched open, and two small feet ambled their way in. I inched further back, away from them, as a natural instinct, but I was still surprised. This wasn’t who I’d pictured. These feet belonged to a little boy.

The feet walked to the top of the bed, and I could feel the little boy shaking the two figures above me, shaking them into consciousness. I slowly slid my knife underneath my jacket to avoid the light that was streaming in through the open door catching it. He’d made it back quicker than I had expected, but now was my only chance. The little boy spoke as I slowly emerged.

"Mummy, daddy," the little voice belonging to the feet whispered, "I think there's someone in our house."