Chapter 5 Dark stranger

1

It was very late in the night. Terry a straight haired college senior was trying to sleep after watching her favourite horror movie with her friend Betty. " Are you sleeping tonight here " she asked her." " Okay no problem " Betty said and slept in Terrys other bed in her bedroom. They were all alone. Her father had asked her that " Terry are you sure. You dont want to come in with us. As you would be staying all alone here. And you know that the next house from us is pretty far and we are kind of near the woods, and highway so.. "

But Terry wanted to spend some time alone to catch up on some of her reading and college work. " Next time i will surely go and visit granny ok "she said. " But sure check all the door locks before sleeping. Did you read that newspaper news of some man who tries to break into peoples house " her father said. " You are worrying too much now go and have a good time.And dont scare me " Terry said.

And so her father and mother left. And Terry was all alone and feeling bit sleepy. " Should i see a movie. " So she called her friend Betty to come along to give her company. So she had her dinner of heated pizza and cold drink. After that they went to their bed and started reading for sometime. After half and hour of reading they started feeling drowsy and slept.

It was a rainy night and a chill wind was blowing. So Terry had closed all the windows in her bedroom. And in midnight she woke up with a, start. There was a noice from downstairs. Of a door banging. " Was it really someone knocking on the door at this time so late in the night or did i dream " Terry thought.

She slowly made her way downstairs and in dim light saw that someone was banging the door. Her parents were out for a two day weekend to her grandmothers house which was far away in the town. In between there was a forest road and very few houses in between.

" Have they returned or is it Jason her friend. Maybe hes playing a prank. " Terry asked herself. Her heartbeats increased. Should i call 911 or my parents. After a moment she thought of calling her parents to make sure. But she didnot wanted to wake them in middle of night. Terry was feeling reluctant to open the door. " Who can come at this time of night. " Terry had a weird feeling about it.

It was a full moon night. And outside the weather was a bit stormy too with rain falling in heavily. Terry went towards the door and slowly saw from the peephole. A mans silhouette was standing outside. Carefully she saw it was her father!

" Open the door Terry we have returned your mother and i as tomorrow i have some important business work. " It was the man outside speaking.

As Terry was just about to open the door while saying " you gave me a fright by coming like this at 3 am.. " But something about the mans face was bit different from her father.

Suddenly her land phone ringed with a shrill. Even her cat got up and came scurrying down. She went to answer the phone first on some impulse. " Hello whose this " she asked. " Terry its me your father. Im calling from grannys house. We will come in after four days so dont open door for anyone. I had a bad dream just now so i called you. I saw that someone was trying to break into our house .. "

The phone dropped out of her hands. If this was her father then who was at the door. A thunder struck at the same time. And the person outside the door started knocking the door more heavily. The man outside started to say " you have to open this door right now Terry. " His voice was too sounding very different from her fathers. " Is it really father outside or the man on the phone is.. " Terry asked herself. But then decided that the man on the phone was really her dad and this man outside dont know who or what he was. "

And she ran to her bedroom upstairs.. " Nice i did not open the door. Who knows who was out there .. " Terry thought n locked her bedroom door and sat for sometime. She woke up Betty saying " Betty get up theres someone outside. " Whos there at this time of night. Nice you didnt opened the door " Betty said. With her blanket wrapped around her as she was shivering somewhat. After sometime the noise outside stopped. And Terry and Betty both slept.

They slept for some time. Outside the man somehow had made his way into the house. Through a window. He sneaked into the house.

Later in the night Terry heard some noise downstairs. Terry got up panicky. A chill came to her heart. Slowly she made her way downstairs. When she reached the hall with her flashlight she saw shadow of a man. " How he came inside!

Whose this " Terey asked.

Immediately sound of running footsteps came towards her. Quickly she ran the stairs up to her room and bolted. And watched. After a few moments her door knob was shaking. " Betty we have to get out of here " she said. Terry and Betty quickly hid under the bed. She was breathing heavily.

In the next moment the door was open and a masked man entered inside the room. He started looking for her. " What should i do now " Terry thought.

From the open window moonlight was falling inside. Terry saw the open window and decided to jump from it.

The man opened the cabinet and was looking inside it. Slowly Terry and Betty without making a noise went towards the window and started climbing out of it. It was not that too high a, jump or climb down.

First Betty climbed down. Then Terry but her knee brushed against the window glass and made a noise. The, man heard it. He stopped looking in the cupboard for her and turned and saw her. He came rushing towards her.

He caught her leg but Terry shoved him and jumped. She fell down. For a, few seconds Terry was afraid that she had broken a bone or something. But a few bruises nohing much so Terry got up and started running away from the house towards the main road. So did Betty.

She turned back and saw the masked man was still at the window. And in the next moment he was gone. Terry and Betty started running. Betty's feet hit a branch and she fell. She got up and started running again.

From behind her the sound of rustling leaves could be heard. That, man was following her. Where she could hide. Should she climb a tree or run towards the road.

Some headlights of a car could be seen. Terry could have used their own car but her parents had taken it to go for their weekend. She started waving her hands wildly hoping the car would stop.

The car halted. It was a police car. The cop asked her why she was in middle of the road at night. Terry explained him that a intruder had broken into her house.

" Dont worry we will catch him. Right now lets go to the police station. In this area some news of a miscreant breaking into people's houses was there on the news " the cop said. And Terry and Betty sat in the car and felt relief..

Daisys Adventure

1

It was a lovely evening. With a cool breeze blowing and summer magnolia flowers in full bloom in Daisys backyard. She was reading her favourite gothic romance mystery novel and was having her lemon tea.

Her phone buzzed, it was her granny. she picked up. " Listen Daisy are you coming tonight or not. Its been a long awhile you have not been here. " Sure i am coming to visit you in my car now " and got up to get dressed. " No wait you come tomorrow in morning. Its no moon night. Dont travel alone now " her granny told her" " You are being superstitious nothing will happen " Daisy laughed. But then a lingering thought came to her " its a no moon night and its a long drive through the forests. Should i go tomorrow or today to visit granny. Superstitious me she chided herself. "

After wearing her green lemon colour dress she left her house. A weird sensation she was having about the trip.

She started on her journey. It was a full moon night and she reached her grandma house after one hour of driving through the forests on a windy weather. All the trees were blowing in the breeze.

After she reached her granny house. Her grandmother had just made dinner and was, waiting for her on the porch.

" Dear you came i was waiting for you. U shouldn't be driving in such a, weather at night " daisys grandmother said reproachfully.

" What have you made by the way " Daisy asked. " Its chicken chesse sandwhich and some white wine. " " Yes ur food is, always good " Daisy remarked.

" So have you found someone or not " her granny asked. " Not yet " Daisy said wistfully. And all other topics they talked on.

After talking and having dinner in the garden. Daisy got up to go. " Wait where are you going its 11 in the night. You can sleep and go tomorrow. Its not safe to drive in thenight all alone " granny said.

" How can wild animals enter a closed car from the forests " Daisy asked. " And what if your car breaks down in middle of the road and im not just talking about wild animals here. Its, a no moon night Daisy " her granny said.

" Please don't be superstitious and believe in ghosts. I have to go because tomorrow morning i have a, meeting and i have to prepare. And by the way it would be fun driving in the night through the fotests on a moonlit night! Daisy said.

" Always the impulsive one arent you. Okay so dont forget to lock the cardoors. And no hitch hikers. " " Give me a, call on the way.. " her granny said. " Sure i will call you after i reach home " Daisy said. " And if some problems happen on the way call me " granny told Daisy. " Dont worry " Daisy said.

And so Daisy left on her return journey.