It's
midnight.
The dog
barks, and I freeze,
listening hard, neck stretched to prick unprickable ears...
I hear nothing.
Then another dog, down the road, barks too, and I
relax, certain it was one of those mystery canine choruses.
I settle into my chair to give
Viper a look... my lover asked me to see what I thought.
The sound from the
television makes the silence of my sleeping house
louder,
thicker,
deeper...
...and suddenly there are
footsteps in my house.
The tread is
stealthy...
measured...
purposeful...
...and I am
afraid.
I cannot move.
I can't...
breathe properly.
All I can do is
think...
There's no way out from here. If there's someone in the hall, I cannot get out without passing him.
I
sweat.
Then the door curtain rattles and he comes into the room.
He walks to me, kneels down, and wraps me in a hug.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Love"
And I cling and cuddle him, trying to get my breath back, and I say....
"Scare the shit out of me, why don't you!"