“Who could that be at this hour?”
I got out of bed. The floorboards were cold beneath my feet, and there were icicles on the window. On the inside as well as the outside. I would have to fix that pane. Tomorrow.
My breath misted in front of my face, and then I was visited by my deep raking cough. My lungs are not what they used to be.
Halfway down the stairs I stopped and listened. All I could hear was Elsie wheezing through congested lungs. Perhaps she imagined she heard a knock. I turned to go back up the stairs.
Knock, knock, knock on the front door, not loud or insistent or impatient, but undeniable. I sat on the stairs. If I did nothing they would surely go away.
Walter de la Mare’s poem flashed through my mind.
“Tell them I came and no one answered.
That I kept my word,” he said.
And his horse in the silence champed the grasses
Of the forest’s ferny floor.
Elsie sat beside me on the stair clutching her dressing gown around her. “Aren’t you going to answer it?” she whispered.
“I’d rather not,” I whispered back. “I was hoping they’d give up and go away.”
We sat there for three minutes, shivering, Elsie’s teeth chattering in the icy silence.
“He’s gone,” said Elsie. “Let’s go back to bed.”
Knock, knock, knock.
I called out: “Who’s there?”
No one answered.
“Who can it be?” said Elsie, grabbing my arm. Her hands were deathly cold.
I said, “I’m going to switch on the electric fire. I have a shilling for the meter. It’ll see us through the night.”
“Aren’t you going to answer the door?”
“Not tonight, Elsie,” I said.
#
The canteen was abuzz with dark, hooded figures exchanging tales of their successes; it was the weather for it. He hung his sickle on a hook with a dozen others and pinned two dog-eared dockets on the cork-board.
“No joy?” said his supervisor.
He shook his head. “It was a close run thing. Maybe tomorrow.”
© JJ Toner
Nicely done JJ. Glad you got here in the end. 🙂
Love this! Didn’t see the ending coming until I got there. Well done! And welcome to the Speakeasy!
Welcome to the Speakeasy! Nice spooky tale. They were smart not to open the door!
I loved your use of the photo prompt. Great twist ending. It had a Charles Dickens feel to it. Well done.
With a child lately waking in the night, hearing noises, this story had a particular resonance for me. I agree, the ending was great!
I love the unexpected ending.
Thanks everyone.
JJ
Thanks for joining us at The Speakeasy! I love the ending — very unexpected and cool!
The detail of the cough and “my lungs…” was especially effective. I like the switch over in tone at the end. Cinematic.