Sleep for Beauty, Wake for Fear
In the dead of night when not a soul stirs and every faint sound is amplified a hundredfold in the still, silent air, the family slept peacefully in the old converted barn in the countryside. No one was prepared for the rude awakening that was about to befall them, nor would they at first comprehend the nature of the interruption to their peaceful slumber.
It had only been a year since Gillian and Arthur had bought the derelict barn standing on ten acres of rolling hills and they had spent most of that year renovating the building and making it into a cosy, family home for the family of four. Now that their two daughters, Emily and Dianne had grown up and were in their late teens and having left school were at a loss for something to occupy their time, they had jumped at the chance to become city farmers and get closer to nature. The couple were happy with this turn of events and the whole family soon moved into their new home with high hopes for a peaceful existence.
There were few problems in their first week. Some cleaning up of the dust that had settled on everything after the builders had left was the first order of the day, but after that, everything was about as perfect as it could be. The plumbing worked smoothly and almost silently, the electricity supply was stable and safe and so far as anyone could tell, there were no trespassing vermin or larger wildlife within the walls of the new home.
However, there was something a little unusual about this night. There were none of the typically Hollywood style events like a full moon, or a nasty thunderstorm to give anyone any reason to think that anything untoward might happen, although the shy was clear and there was a gibbous moon to throw enough light around. So when Gillian and Arthur snuggled up in their bed, with each daughter safely tucked up in their beds in their respective bedrooms, the lights were doused and sleep soon took them.
At some point after two o'clock in the morning, Dianne stirred in her sleep and for some inexplicable reason was awakened. There was no noise, but she had a feeling that something was not as it should be. Not wanting to wake up any other member of the family, she eased herself out of bed and crept into the hallway to satisfy her curiosity as to what might be making her feel uncomfortable. The moonlight cast an eerie silver light through the windows where there were not yet curtains.
She crept down stairs, listening keenly at each step but could hear nothing above the nocturnal silence. The internal doors to each room were ajar as they were left. She crept quietly from room to room but found all the windows closed and external doors safely locked. The last room that Dianne investigated was the kitchen. Just as with the other rooms, there was no reason to suppose that anyone had gained entry to the house. The back door was securely closed and locked, the windows all closed. Only the small opening where the extractor fan had not yet been installed high above the cooker provided any access to the outside. All was as it should be from what she could see in the moonlight bathed room. She breathed a silent sigh of relief and turned to make her way back to her room.
It was at that moment that she stopped dead in her tracks. There was no noise, but she sensed movement from behind and slightly above her.
It felt like the air pressure had changed, growing suddenly heavy as if a sudden whoosh of air had been thrust at her from an unknown source. At that moment, with the terror rising in her like an expanding tornado, she involuntarily turned toward the source of the disturbance only to be rooted to the spot at the ghostly apparition that was gliding towards her at a frightening speed. She raised her arms in a pitifully feeble attempt at saving her face from the vicious impact that was inevitable. But before she felt the solid charge of her spectral attacker, she lost consciousness and fell limply to the floor.
The loud crash that woke the rest of the family simultaneously resonated through the once silent house like a discharging shotgun. They all scrambled out of bed as one and, turning on the lights quickly hurried down stairs to discover what had caused the disturbance. When they ran into the kitchen and turned on the lights they saw Dianne lying on the floor, unconscious but apparently unhurt.
Squinting in the sudden glare of the electric lights, they gazed around the room. Yet nothing gave any indication of a struggle and nothing seemed to be out of place apart from the unconscious girl. The family crowded around Dianne and gently began to rouse her. Her eyes opened wide and she let out a shrill scream. No doubt a delayed reaction to what she had witnessed. She looked around the room with wild eyes, searching for her mysterious assailant, but could see nothing untoward.
Dianne began to calm down, looking first from one face to the next of her concerned family who were crouched around her. Her gaze came to rest on a high alcove above the kitchen units. As her sight gained better focus, her facial expression changed to one of curiosity and awe. The other members of the family followed her gaze and at once felt a twinge of fear mixed with alarm, but then relaxed when the realisation finally hit them. The snowy white barn owl that was perched in that alcove was not particularly happy about being disturbed by the sudden artificial illumination.
Copyright © 2011 Terry Didcott