FEAR

  It's dark outside ,my body is tired and needs to rest. I turn off the bedroom light and climb into bed. I am now ready for sleep but yet it doesn't come. I hear a noise,a small indistinguishable noise. Is it coming from the outside or from within? Is someone trying to break in or are they already in and hiding,waiting for the right moment?  My heart is racing,my breathing shallow and palms sweaty. I  leap out of bed,flip on the light and lock the door. I  pick up the heaviest object near me ( a music box of cherubs frolicking in a waterfall)  I run back to bed with my weapon in hand and pull the covers over my head. 

   At this moment fear creeps in taking over any rational thought that I may have. Maybe it isn't human. Every horror movie  scenario plays in my mind. Dracula is about to sink his fangs into my neck. A werewolf is ripping the door into shreds and then me. A porcelain doll is coming to life and stabbing me with my own kitchen knife. Better yet,aliens have landed in my front yard. They materialize at the foot of my bed and telepathically inform me that they are taking me with them. 

   Sometime in the early hours of the morning I awaken with the covers pulled up to my chin,still clasping my "weapon" in my hand.  My overhead light is on and my  bedroom door is locked. I check my neck,relieved to find no puncture wounds. My door is still intact as am I. I  realize that I don't even own a porcelain doll,no surprise there! And I am still on the planet earth. Or am I? The Twilight Zone theme plays in my head. 

   

Author's Note

Reviews

[Tammy Hatfield]

Well,thank you for the review Woody. I am glad you liked it. It was meant to be satirical. I just recently had a hip replacement and was bored out of my gourd (as my grandsons would say). I wrote all 3 "stories" in one day. I have never written anything before. I have so much to learn!

[Woody]

you're most welcome Tammy. I enjoyed the humourous feel to the story.
I hope you're on the mend now and will soon be skipping and dancing with your grandchildren.

[Tammy Hatfield]

I wish, although I have returned to work last week. The surgeon said I needed my left knee (it's also bone on bone) replaced in 3 months. My doctor told me I was literally "eat up" with arthritis,in both hips and knees,my feet and hands,and have degenerative arthritis in my spine.I realize this comes with "old age",but I am only 54!

[Woody]

oh Dear! I'm sorry to hear that. yes 54 is not exactly old age. a friend of mine, an Englishman, has recently had kneecap replacements (both knees) I felt sorry for him. he recounted the pain he had to endure.

[alanwgraham]

Good Tammy, and thanks for trying to scare us. I guess most of us have had these fears. Perhaps being a writer gives us the benefit of a more active imagination. You touched on these fears not being rational which is normally true. Just a thought - did you consider writing this in the first person and making it sound like a personal experience. It could make it more immediate and hard hitting.
Regards,
Alan

[matrixmark]

Really, really cool little piece. I have to admite that I did chuckle a bit at the porcelian doll with a knife, but it shows that you have a great imagination and you should exploit it even further than this.

This was a fun, cool and different read.

Kudos to you - this was great.

Mark.

[Woody]

this sounded to me like those parodies of "scary movie". if you meant to scare this reader, I'm afraid you failed in a big way :) cos I found this hilarious and well written. I really enjoyed this.

[Tammy Hatfield]

Yes,as they say ....You have nothing to fear but fear itself.

[LexiaNight]

I think that sometimes at night you shouldn't be afraid of things, its more that you need to be afraid of your imagination. By the way, I would've liked for it to have been longer. Cuz it was really good!!!!!

[Moon Torbett]

We can all relate to *those* nights! May all our music boxes stay within reach.

[Tammy Hatfield]

Yes,I am probably the only 54 yr old woman that still sleeps with a night light on!

[Samuel Dickens]

What a hoot! If being scared wasn't at least a little bit fun, there'd be no horror movies or Twilight zone. In this case, I think the narrator has done a magnificent job of scaring herself.