Light at the end of the hall

 

Growing up we lived in a small, brick bungalow, in a Chicago neighborhood where every house looked the same.  There were three bedrooms and one bathroom.  Dad, Mom, and I were the only ones living there.  I was eight years old when it happened.

It was a Friday night and Mom and Dad were at the neighbors playing cards.  Bridge, I think.  I’m not sure.
Even though it wasn’t a great neighborhood, they weren’t worried about leaving me home alone, as they were right next door. 

My bedroom was across the hall from my parent's room, and the third bedroom was down at the end of the hall.  The bathroom was on the left, just before you got to the third bedroom.  All this, of course, was long before there were cell phones.

I was watching television in the living room, so the only light in the house was the glow coming from the TV and the little light over the stove in the kitchen.  My parents always kept the door to their room closed, not sure why.  The door to the third bedroom was always closed, I think so they didn’t have to heat that room.  With no one using it, they just kind of sealed it off. 

When a commercial came on, I got up to go to the bathroom.  The minute I stepped into the hallway I noticed light coming from under the third bedroom door.  That made no sense.  Nobody was home but me, and no one ever used that room.  I just stood there, frozen – trying to figure it out.  That’s when I heard knocking on the other side of the door.  Like someone wanted me to open it.

I didn’t know what to do.  My mind was racing in all directions.  I still had to use the bathroom, my television program had come back on because I could hear it playing in the living room.  Someone, however, had gotten into that third bedroom and now wanted to be let out.  I was wishing my dad would come back home about now.

I tried to think.  How did they get in there in the first place?  If they had broken a window I would have heard it.  There are no doors to the outside.  I wanted to ask who’s there, but I couldn’t bring myself to make a sound.  I just stood there.  Then another few knocks on the door.  I thought of running towards the front door and heading over to the neighbor’s house, but my feet weren’t moving. 

If I went into the bathroom I could lock the door.  I could just hide until my parents got home.   At least then there would be three of us.  I heard distant voices.  There was laughing and then I heard the front door key go into the lock.  I opened my eyes and saw my dad standing there looking at me.  Then my mom stepped in and said, “Are you still up?”

“Looks like he fell asleep in front of the TV” my dad said.  I looked over at the television and saw the Indian test pattern on the screen.  The television programing had gone off the air.  I glanced over towards the hallway, and then back at my parents.  “I’m glad you’re home.  Did you have a good time?”

My dad said that the neighbor had told him about a break-in just two doors down the street.  Luckily nobody was home when they broke in.  My mother flipped on the hall light and said, “Off to bed young man.”

I couldn’t believe all that happened was just in my head.  As I walked to my room I looked down the hall towards the third bedroom, but because the hall light was on, I couldn’t tell if there was light coming from under the door or not.

zc

 Yes, I know I took the easy way out
on this story.  In the event I come
up with a better ending, I'll come back
and change this.  Sorry for being lazy.