Bump In The Night

by David Leblond

  Connie told him a little about herself, the things he knew and didn't know... it was quite a pleasant conversation. As a boss, Dr. Allen was a very kind man who knew exactly how to run things. As a principal--well--he was perfect! "So... I... uh, I've never been a librarian before. I mean, I shelved books in college for laundry money but that doesn't quite give me a feel for my job description. Care to give a newbie a tour?"

  "That," said Dr. Allen with a smile "sounds like a job for Joseph Anderson... the head librarian. Come with me, I'll introduce you two."

  Joe Anderson was a short man in his mid thirties, who didn't seem like he was one of those people who played a lot of sports as a kid. He looked very reserved in his navy sweater and jeans. He smiled, greeting Connie. "Well hello, Connie... don't I feel underdressed!" He said with a chuckle.

  Connie knew that she would get along with him just fine. "Yeah, I'm a little new at this. I really wasn't sure how presentable to make myself."

  "Well don't worry, it's a nice look. Maybe it'll even change the faculty dress code." He went on and explained to Connie what she would be doing in the library. Basically she would be helping the kids find whatever they needed to, plus the inevitable paperwork that came with any job. "We have a class scheduled to come in tomorrow, do you think you'd like to stretch your legs a little and tell them about the library?"

  Connie felt a rush of excitement. Her second day on her job would be taking her almost in reach of her dream. "Of course! That would be great!" She said, probably with a little too much enthusiasm. She blushed at this.

  Joe caught on. "Hey, if you didn't like kids you'd be in the wrong business, eh?" They both got a chuckle out of this. "So tell me, have you lived in town long or did you just move here?"

  "I've lived here for two years, " she replied. "It's a wonderful little town. Nice and quiet... I like that."

  "Yeah, not much happens here. Sure when something small happens it's going to cause lots of excitement... that's just how small towns are. I've lived here since I was 20. You're right, it is a nice quiet town. I wouldn't live anywhere else, really. Not much of a city guy."

  "Yeah I know what you mean." Connie had always dreamed of living in a small town like this. Live in a small town where nothing ever really happened, away from all the hustle and bustle of the big city. Living in a big city always seemed stressful to her.

  The rest of her day was spent doing paperwork, and getting herself acquainted with the library and the school faculty. The school was a nice, small school and she found it very easy to settle in. She shared an office with Joe, which was off to the side of the library with a nice large window so you could keep track of the kids. Joe assured her that the kids were usually quite well behaved in this school. Of course they were, she thought. Who wouldn't be well behaved at school?

  At the end of the workday, she drove home refreshed and sure that she had made the right choice by becoming a librarian at that school. Where some people despised their job, she would look forward to going to work every day. Hell, she might even become a morning person.

  When she got home, she turned on the television to watch the news and started a pot of water for tea. Donald would be calling very shortly, and she had lots to tell him about. She just hoped that he had a good day. She worried about him, she knew how hard it probably was for him to deal with his family affairs. She wished that she could have gone with him to keep him company, but he insisted she stay home. He knew how important this job was to her.

  Sure enough, after about ten minutes Donald called. He had just gotten settled into his hotel room after a day of meeting with lawyers. "Nothing much to tell about there, all they were talkin' about was red tape. Had about three cups of coffee today to stay awake through all of it." Connie was glad that it was just red tape. Red tape didn't bother him very much, so he wasn't in a bad mood.

  Connie went on and told him about her day. "...And it's such a nice school for a little town. You should see the library, we didn't have that many books when we were that age. I really think this job is a step in the right direction for me!"

  Don's voice cheered up. "Well that's great, honey! Do I smell a career cookin'?" She was glad that he was honestly happy for her. Leave it to Donald to support her in whatever she chose for a career. It was great to have a man so supportive of her. It fed her optimistic view of life. They talked at great length about her career and about his week ahead of him. She was so glad that he was in a good mood. She just hoped his week kept on like that.

  After talking to Don, she made herself up some macaroni and cheese and watched her primetime shows. But afterwards, she wasn't ready for bed. She was still wound up from her wonderful day. What better way to end a wonderful day, than with a wonderful book? She picked up her mystery novel, sat in her recliner, and began to read.

  Outside, a storm was starting to pick up. She didn't mind, she was completely oblivious to it. In fact, the only light on in the house was around her chair. That was all that mattered in the world right now, her book and her chair. She read on. She was really into her story; she got like that a lot. She was into books with lots of suspense, and this particular book was filled with it. Who knows what could be lurking on the next page. Suddenly lighting crashed outside, causing her to jump. She put her book down and tried to catch her breath. Now that was a good book. Reading it during a storm, however, might be overdoing it. She sat in her chair, calming herself down before she would pick up the book again... and that is when she heard the sound.

  The creak. The creak that never really bothered her before now. But now, that creak bothered her. That creak meant someone was in the kitchen.

  * * *

  Chapter 3

  It was almost as if the storm had stopped. Everything to Connie was quiet... she couldn't even hear the constant banging of the rain on the copper roof over the bay window. She only heard what she was listening for... an assurance that she had just dreamed up the sound she thought she had just heard. That assurance never came, she heard the sound a second time. The kitchen floor was definitely creaking.

  She was so frightened she could barely stand, yet somehow she found the means to. Without turning around, she felt the wall behind her for the light switch and immediately turned it on. Unfortunately, for once, the addition of light wasn't as comforting as she had hoped. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight unless she knew for sure that her imagination had dreamed up that sound. She must go to the kitchen.

  Ever so carefully, one trembling foot in front of the other, she slowly made it to the hallway. The kitchen is pitch dark, she cannot make out if anyone was in there or not. Suddenly she got a rush of panic. She remembered the number of large knives she kept in there. That would be the first place that she would go for a weapon. Unfortunately, someone or something had already beaten her to the punch.

  She dared not make a sound as she crept towards the kitchen doorway, though she was illuminated by the lights she had turned on in the living room so the being in the kitchen would have to be blind not to see her. She tried her best to listen for a sound coming from the kitchen, but the rain was coming down hard now and it was difficult for her to hear anything else.

  It felt like an hour had passed when she finally reached the kitchen doorway, but it had really only been about a minute. All she had to do was reach inside and turn on the kitchen light and all would be revealed, for better or worse. Slowly she moved her hand toward the switch. If whatever was in the kitchen wanted her dead, it had its chance then. She turned the light on.

  The kitchen was empty. She sighed a quick breath of relief, her heart still pounding from her short adventure. Still, something was not right. There was a drawer open, one that she didn't remember leaving open. She rushed over to the drawer; all that was in it was oven mitts. She thought back to her dinner. She hadn't used the oven mitts, so why was the drawer open. She reached for the knife drawer and opened it. All knives were accounted for, unless someone wanted to attack her with a butter knif
e. But the oven mitt drawer bothered her for some reason.

  THUD. The sound came from the living room. Her pulse sped up even quicker than before. How could someone be in the living room already? She thought in a rush of confusion. The only other door that led to the kitchen opened to the outside. She ran over and checked it. Sure enough, it was locked. She inched her way out of the kitchen and back to the living room, peeking in before she entered.

  Empty. No sign of anyone else but her. She almost wanted to see someone there, so she would know that she wasn't crazy. She knew she would have to check the house before she could get back to reading. She went all over, turning on lights as she went, upstairs and downstairs. The search revealed nothing.

  Connie went back downstairs and picked up her book and began to read, once again. After reading two lines she realized she was in no condition to read. She sighed and closed her book. She didn't know if she could sleep tonight. She made her way upstairs anyways and went to sleep. The rain was still pouring down hard, but other than that she heard no more sounds. However, there were a few sounds that the rain shrouded. The coffee table slowly scooting back to its original position for instance. It had been moved slightly, Connie hadn't noticed. Then there was the soft rocking of the very recliner Connie was just sitting in only moments before. The very same recliner that was now absolutely empty.

  * * *

  Chapter 4

  August 18, 1998

  Connie soon forgot the noise incident and sleep caught up with her, as it always did. When she woke up the next morning, she no longer felt the weight of the night on her as she normally did when waking up. No, this morning was different. She was ready to go, she was excited, and she almost didn't need a cup of coffee. Though, one should never leave the house without it.

  Today was the day she got to interact with the kids. She rolled that idea over and over in her head during the drive to work. She daydreamed about what it would be like. Surely, this is how every teacher thinks during their first drive to work. She could hardly stand it, this was almost too good to be true. After all, how many people actually get this close to their dreams?

  The parking space that she used the day before was still vacant. Pulling into it, she couldn't help to be excited that this may become her regular parking space. She immediately felt accepted. She walked into school and almost right into the principal's office before she realized that she should go right to work. After all, she had a job to do.

  "Well, well. I'm impressed," Joe said, looking at his watch. "Right on time. And looking awake as ever, might I add. I wish I could do that." He shook his head but smiled. They were going to get along nicely, Connie thought.

  Joe went on to explain to her what she would be doing that day. "When kids come to school, we don't expect them to just wander into the library and discover they like reading. They need a little push, that's what we're for. Our job today is to tell them about the library and get them interested in reading. Now, usually the new librarians don't do this, they just watch. You, on the other hand, seem to be ready for it... you really do love this job, don't you?"

  "Yes," Connie blushed. "It's been my dream to work with children all my life."

  "Well then we're glad to have you. I honestly wish there were more like ya out there."

  Joe explained some more things to Connie about procedure, which was very loose, and Connie was ready to see if she had what it takes. The first class came in, and what a pleasant surprise: Joan's son, Paul was in the class! This made Connie comfortable, knowing that there was a familiar face in the crowd. With that in mind, Connie couldn't help but look at the rest of the day in absolute optimism.

  She began by telling them the basics. What the library was, why it was important, and why they should feel very privileged to have access to one. Of course, with privileges come obligations, so she went over the rules as well. Afterwards came her favorite part, the part she had been mentally preparing for all morning. Getting them actually interested in going to the library. You can show someone a pencil and demonstrate how it works, but with no desire to use the pencil, that demonstration is useless to the person. At least, this is how Connie always imagined it. So she began to tell the children how to find books on any subject they wanted.

  "So," Connie said to the group of children "tell me, what subject would you want to learn about from the library?" No one responded. Connie expected this, it seemed to be a common response among children when presented a sentence with the word learn in it. She tried again. "It doesn't have to be school related. Think of reading as something fun. What kind of stories do you like?"

  One child, a little girl, raised her hand. She understood. "Do ya have any books on outer space?" She challenged.

  Connie smiled. She accepted the little girl's challenge. "Yes, we certainly do!" She directed the children over to the section that was home to the books on outer space. She then began to do her job... to get the children interested in reading. "Did you know that our solar system is made up of a sun and nine planets?" Connie asked. A few children nodded their heads. "Well then, did you know that there are billions of stars out there? And each star is like our sun, and probably has planets around them too? There could be billions of Earths out there, just waiting for us to discover them?"

  "Nuh-uh!" One little boy refuted. "They ain't Earths... they got purple trees an' green water!" A few giggles erupted from some of the other students. The little boy didn't, however. He was being completely serious.

  "You're right!" Connie agreed. "Their planets are probably very different from ours. And because of this, they probably look different from us as well. They probably have three eyes and eight legs. There is no reason for them, or their planet, to look like ours. On the other hand, they could look exactly like us... in fact, one of them might look exactly like you." Connie pointed at the little boy. He gasped and uttered a whispered "cool!" Connie smiled in satisfaction on his response. "Does anyone else have a subject that you would like to read about?"

  There was a pause while everyone thought. Paul, in particular, looked very deep in thought. Finally he raised his hand slowly. Connie nodded in his direction, letting him know he could ask. "I'd like to learn about ghosts," he announced.

  "Oooo, ghosts!" Connie directed them over to another shelf. "Would you all like to hear a little ghost story?" The children nodded. Connie thought quickly, remembering all of parts of the story she had in mind, and began.

  "This happened around 1955. Back then, the high school dance was a huge event, even larger than it is nowadays. Well, the dance was that night, and Billy Hatcher didn't have a date. He was driving down a dark deserted highway to the dance that night, when he saw a girl in a beautiful blue dress on the side of the road. She wasn't around a car, so he was puzzled as to why she was there. Being the nice young man that he was, he pulled over and asked her if she needed anything.

  "'I need a ride to the dance. I'm afraid my ride couldn't make it that far, they could only drive as far as Calliope Way.' She looked very sad, and very cold so he said that he would be glad to bring her to the dance. Once in the car she stated her name was Elizabeth. Billy couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was, but he also couldn't help but notice how sad she looked. She kept looking down at her lap. He asked again why her ride couldn't take her, but all she would say was 'They just couldn't make it past Calliope Way.'

  "Finally they arrived at the high school. That seemed to brighten Elizabeth up some and she asked Billy if he had anyone to dance with. He said he didn't, and they danced. She was cold to the touch, but she smelled of flowers. It really brightened Billy's night and seemed to brighten hers even more. All sadness was gone from her face, replaced by a large smile.

  "It was finally time to go home, and Billy offered to drive her home. When they finally made it outside, it was colder than before so Billy gave her his coat to wear. She told him where her house was and they started their way home. When they got there she made an odd request. 'Please don't walk me t
o the door, I don't want to worry mother.' He didn't question her, only gave her a kiss on the cheek. 'Thank you, Billy Hatcher... you don't know how happy you made me.' She got out of the car, walked to the door of the house, and to Billy's surprise she disappeared.

  "Billy couldn't believe his eyes. He jumped out of the car and rang the doorbell. A woman came to the door. 'May I see you're daughter ma'am? I must talk to her!' he asked. The woman had a look of sadness about her. 'I'm sorry, my daughter died almost five years ago in a car accident. She now lives at Belmont cemetery up the road.'

  "Billy didn't have any trouble finding her tombstone, his coat was draped over it. The writing on the grave confirmed the woman's story. Billy could not believe his eyes. Under the date was written 'A loving daughter, killed by a drunk driver on Calliope Way.'"

  Connie allowed the story a moment to sink in. She heard that story when she was little and loved it ever since. It seemed to have the greatest impact on Paul. "Did that woman have long, dark hair?" He asked finally.

  Connie looked back into her image of the story. "No, Paul. I think she had blonde hair."

  Paul looked disappointed. "Oh." He finally said softly. He looked up and then asked after a pause "Then she's not the dark haired lady that lives at your house?"

  Before Connie could respond, another little boy in the class spoke up. "Pauley, Pauley! Is she the one that lives in the Curtis place?"