Nicholas strained but he could not hear the television in the next room.  He was staying at is mother's house in town for the weekend.  She had a very small house with two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs and a kitchen, living room, and bedroom⁄office downstairs.  He didn't stay overnight very often, so his mother had set up her computer and work stuff in his room.  She often worked from home.

The room had been recently painted a "Sea foam" green. The office parts were on the left side as you came in the door.  She had a bookshelf a filing cabinet and two desks which held her two computers.  Office supplies were in a cabinet on the far wall.  The right side was all his.  It had a bed, a guitar on a stand, a large bookstelf that held a tv and a Nintendo 64.  The right wall also had a window that looked right on to the sidewall.  At night, Nicholas could hear people passing right by him.

His mother and Andrew were in the living room watching a scary movie that he wasn't allowed to watch.  He didn't mind though.  He didn't really like scary movies, but trying to hear what was going on was something to do.  Usually his mother let him stay up and read, but tonight he had been particularly rambunctious so she had come in and turned out the light.

NIcholas was fully awake.  There was no way he could get to sleep. He looked at the wooden tiger marionette that was hanging from the ceiling.  His curtains couldn't block out the bright light of the moon.  The room had a witchy black and white movie feel.  It almost looked like the tiger was moving.

Nicholas concentrated harder.  It was only the shadow behind the tiger that was moving.

Then he heard the sound of breathing coming from under the bed.  At first he tought that it was one of the cats, but he had checked for them before he closed the door.  Tru had a habit of pouncing on his feet.

The breathing continued. Now he was getting a prickly feeling going up his spine. He held his breath.  He could hear a faint scratching.  He let the air out of his lungs with a gasp. He was almost 10. Shadows no longer scared him. Screwing up his courage, he knelt across the twin bed. He took a deep breath and looked under the bed.

 

Susan and Andrew were quietly watching a japanese thriller when the dog suddenly jumped up and started barking at Nicholas' bedroom door.  Wondering what was going on, Susan got up and to show the dog there was nothing wrong.  She opened Nicholas' door in time to see his feet disapear under the bed.  The dog lunged after him, but she was too late.

Nicholas was gone.