Don't be Afraid of the Dark

by Eduard Joseph

and worried. Who would simply abduct a boy from his bed in the middle of the night? What has the world come to when a child can no longer feel safe in his own bed? She lowered her head and rested her forehead in her right hand.

  She always had to be the strong one. They grew up without a mother, so when Ruth was old enough she took care of Patti. Their father was of no use to them; he was always either drunk or getting there. Not being able to find anyone who’s seen Richard made her feel like she was letting down her sister and her daughter all at once.

  The kitchen light flickered once and made her look up. The bulb was new, despite having a thin layer of dust on top of it. The light flickered again and then went out. Ruth glanced at the light switch and then got up. She walked over to the kitchen door, flipped the switch and the light came on again. She stood in the doorway for a moment and inspected the light. A cold shudder ran through her entire body; almost as if someone walked over her grave.

  ‘Ruth…’ a faint voice whispered behind her in the dark hallway.

  She turned around and glanced down the hallway, but all she could see were dark shadows. She was certain that Patti was asleep, but she had the feeling that she wasn’t the only one awake in the house. She could feel eyes watching her from the dark.

  “Hello?” She asked.

  She stood in the doorway; lingering in the limbo between the dark of the hallway and the light of the kitchen. There was no response, but why would there be? She was alone… wasn’t she?

  “Patti?” She asked, “Is that you?”

  Everything around her was quiet, except for the hum of the fridge in the kitchen behind her. A floorboard creaked at the far end of the dark hallway. She glanced in the direction of the bedrooms, but couldn’t make out anything. The light switch of the hallway was just out of reach.

  “Patti?” She asked cautiously.

  The hallway was quiet. The fridge hummed. She glanced at the light switch a few feet down the hall in the other direction. If she wasn’t alone in the house, she needed to see what she was up against. It could be the kidnapper that came back for some reason.

  She took one step into the dark hallway and as she reached towards the light switch, another floorboard creaked… only this time much, much closer. She quickly retracted her hand and stepped back into the sanctity of the lit kitchen.

  “Who’s there?” She asked terrified.

  ‘Won’t you join us?’ two distinct voices asked simultaneously in the dark.

  She gasped upon hearing the two voices. They were close enough for her to feel their breath upon her skin. She stepped back into the kitchen protected by the light.

  “Who said that?” She asked.

  ‘Step out of the light.’ The two voices said as they washed over each other to form one voice.

  Her mouth went dry and her lower lip began to quiver as she kept a watchful eye on the darkness in the hallway. She never believed in ghosts or demons, but there was no other explanation for what she was experiencing.

  “What do you want?” She asked petrified.

  The voices didn’t answer her. All was quiet once more, except for the humming of the fridge next to her. Memories of her own childhood fears of the dark came flooding back in that moment. For years she told herself that it was all just a bad dream; that there was nothing in the dark that meant her harm. Standing there like she was, she felt less than a rational adult and more like a terrified little girl. Though she kept staring at the darkness in the hallway, she couldn’t see anything.

  A muffled scream for help echoed through the darkness in the hallway and she recognised the scream to be Richard. Her heart sank to her feet and she gasped for air.

  “Richard?” She called out.

  ‘Help me!’ Richard’s muffled voice called out.

  “RICHARD!” She screamed, “Where are you?”

  There was no reply, only silence. Her eyes darted up and down, hoping to spot something in the dark that lingered at the kitchen doorway, but she saw nothing. Slowly and terrifyingly, a pair of long bony fingers slithered around the corner of the doorway from the dark. The fingers blistered as the light shone upon them. Ruth tried to gasp for air, but her chest grew tight and heavy. She tried to call out to Patti, but her voice died in her throat.

  “Patti…” She whispered.

  The fingers slowly slithered towards the light switch.

  ‘We want to play with you.’ The two voices said from inside the dark hallway.

  “Patti!” She finally cried out.

  She knew there was no way Patti could respond. She took sleeping pills and would be out like a light for the next couple of hours.

  “Patti!” She screamed out, “Wake up!”

  She watched in terror as the fingers finally reached the switch and the light went off. Instantaneously, she grabbed a hold of the fridge door and flung it open. The light of fridge shone upon her and she caught a glimpse of something scattering back into the dark as it squealed.

  “What are you?” Ruth whimpered.

  ‘Turn it off.’ The two voices said.

  “What do you want?” She whimpered.

  She huddled close to the open fridge and hid in the light while her eyes searched the dark kitchen.

  Fear is an irrational thing. It can take a hold of you when you least expect it and then get the better of you. She felt as scared as she felt back when she was a small girl and afraid of the dark. She could still vividly remember telling her mother not to turn off the lights at night.

  The light inside the fridge flickered. She slowly turned to the fridge and stared at the light. It flickered once more and then it went out.

  “PATTI!” Ruth screamed into the night.

  5

  Patti’s alarm went off just after seven. It was the best night’s sleep she had in years. She felt revitalized and stretched her limbs as she rolled onto her back. She yawned and then finally threw back the covers. The hardwood floors were chilly against her feet, so she put on her slippers.

  She walked next door to Richard’s room and knocked on the door.

  “Wake up honey.” She said.

  It took her a moment to realize that he was gone. It really happened; her son is missing. A tear rolled down her cheek as she stared at the empty bed. There was no way she would go to work. She’d simply call in sick. She had too many things to do. She had to put up missing posters and hand out flyers. Someone somewhere had to have seen him.

  She walked to the kitchen and put the kettle on. She needed strong coffee to get her through the day. She yawned again as she opened the fridge. The fridge light flickered once and then stayed lit as she took out the milk.

  She took out two mugs from the cupboard and then went into the living room.

  “Ruth?” She said as she entered, “Would you like some –”

  The living room was empty.

  “Ruth?” She asked confused.

  She figured perhaps Ruth set out early to get a head start with the flyers and posters. That’s the kind of sister she was. Patti returned to the kitchen and as she walked past the fridge, a cold shudder rand down her spine. She stopped and stared at the fridge. The door was closed properly.

  “Odd.” She said to herself.

  She walked over to the counter, put the extra mug away and made herself a mug of coffee. She sat down at the kitchen table and reached for her handbag which stood on one of the chairs. She took her phone and dialled her boss’s number. The phone rang for a while until he answered like only he could.

  “What?” Her boss answered.

  “Morning, sir.” She said, “It’s Patricia.”

  “I know who you are.” He said, “I’m not an idiot. Your number is on my phone.”

  She had to restrain herself every time she spoke to him.

  “What do you want at this hour?” He asked annoyed.

  “I’m calling to say that I won’t be coming in to work today.” She said.

  “What for?” he asked, “Don’t tell me you’
re having your period?”

  She took a deep breath and calmly said, “No. It’s my son.”

  “Does he have his period?” He asked annoyed.

  “No, sir.” She said confused, “My son has been abducted.”

  “By what?” He asked bluntly, “By aliens?”

  “No, sir.” She said, “Someone took him from his bed last night.”

  “And how does this affect your work?” He asked annoyed.

  “Well,” She said.

  “Did you report it to the police?” He asked as if she was a retard.

  “Yes.” She said.

  “Are you a detective?” He asked, “If not, then get your ass to work today. Let the police do their work.”

  “But, Mister Ma—”

  “No buts.” He cut her off, “I don’t see why you need to take a day off from work for your missing son. The police are quite capable of finding him… well, either that or his body.”

  Patti gulped down her frustrations. She wanted to strangle him right through the phone, but she needed her job.

  “I’m sorry.” She insisted.

  “That’s better.” He said, “I’ll see you at eight.”

  “I won’t be coming in today.” She said, “And if you have a problem with that, then take it up with my union.”

  She disconnected the call and for the first time since Richard went missing, she felt alive.

  6

  How does one begin the search for a missing child? Every part of her being told Patti that she had to start running until she found him. She was willing to run to the ends of the world to find him, but her rational mind told her that it wasn’t the way to go about it.

  A scuffling sound came from somewhere down the hallway. She slowly got up and stepped into