Fenestra

The naked winter trees lined the avenue. It was unusually bleak. The nights are usually cold but your gut knows when a night is eerie. Every breath rose in visible puffs to join the darkened clouded night sky. There’s a freezing chill in the air that tingles your spine skeptically. Curling up under the quilt and tightly holding onto it in order to warm yourself up, doesn’t help tonight. Teeth chatter as the cold slowly seeps in, numbing our fingers until they cease to bend properly, stiffened and frigid. You slowly slip into a disturbed sleep.

            It’s past midnight. You’ll hear that tapping pebble sound at your window. It’s not a friend and it’s definitely not human. The sound will get louder, the tapping will get faster and faster. Do not let your curiousity get the better of you. Do not move, do not turn & do not even twitch. It’ll lose its patience, it’ll start thumping the window and shake the panes. Do not worry, the window won’t break but for goodness sake don’t open your eyes and try to get a peek through your quilt. No matter how cold it is, do not tremble. No matter how scared you are do not scream. Pretend like you don’t hear. Pretend like you are still asleep. Pretend like you’re dead.

           After a while, the noises will stop. Do not fall for it, keep your eyes shut. Try to sleep. If at all you can. Don’t get up, don’t open your eyes until the sun peeks through your windows. Until you see no shadow, until the sun lights up your room completely.

           For  those who do open their eyes. Well, No one really knows what happens.

-Jeevith