rattling the window -- the wind

slipping past your ears and hissing foul

sentiments, the very same that you've

always held, deep and far within.

a tilt of your head, exposing your neck

to the cold air -- frigid -- winter air

writing lies with a cold finger across

your gooseflesh; a long breath out.

and silence, for a single moment and

your muscles relax, your breathing

evens

tapping tap tittering the clanking of the

shutters and the scream of the steaming

kettle as it shlop shlep -- burns! -- in your

hands, the scalding water bubbling, a

cry bursting from your cracked lips:

stop!

the sound of your own voice:

whispering,

hissing,

tap tittering,

screaming

stop!

and silence, for a single moment.

the sound of

water running

dread at pretending

to be asleep in bed

how you know

you've settled

it's not 'love'

when you've made your bed

when you can hear

the clock ticking instead

of your heart strings

straining against your chest

the murmurs of a

poorly executed daydream

a paradise in suburban autumn

cries to go back to urban culture

where he is waiting

patiently

(how you know it's a fallacy)

in reality

pillowcases stained

with eyeliner

you wore for someone

who doesn't

make your heart flutter

why is it that i

find holiness

in men

who make me

hear

yesterday

at my bedside

I hear you scratching in the wall,

I hear you scamper down the hall.

Gnawing, gnawing on the wood.

Whatcha up to? Nothing good.

I told you, showed you: "Go, go, go!"

You insisted: "No, no, no!"

What was I supposed to do?

I found you sleeping in my shoe!

"Go now, go now lowly critter"!

You scared away the baby sitter!

"You can even live out on the lawn!"

"No thanks" you said, with lazy yawn.

I gave you chances: one, two, three;

To go away and let us be.

You feast and frolic while we rest;

I wake to find you on my chest!

Rest now rodent, enjoy your nap.

I'll soon have you in my trap.

"Peanut butter: yum, yum, yum!"

"Come on out and get you some."

a sharp bang

an echoing pitch

another acorn hit

the metal table

and with a clang--

that little witch

scared me more

than I'd like to admit

"What was that?" I ask. I didn't hear the question properly because Jack is too loud.

He is giving me the lecture again which I always find annoying, so I try hard to drown him out.

"Not listening. " I say jamming my fingers in my ears like a petulant child.

Then Rose starts to sing. She has a lovely melodious voice so I hum along with her as it's a song I love : " Fast car" by Tracey Clampton.

"Tracy Chapman !" Mike bellows. He's the older and wiser one but he's so impatient and belligerent. I really don't like him, but I have to admit he sure knows his tunes.

"Oh yes Tracy Chapman. " I concede and continue to hum along to Rose's wonderful singing.

It's only when we reach the end of our duet rendition that I realize the doctor is still staring at me, waiting for a response.

I hadn't heard the question and typically Jack, Rose and Mike are now all suddenly silent, making me sit there in the doctor's office, blank-faced like an idiot.

"Sorry doctor, what did you say again ?"

"I asked if you were hearing voices again today? " The bespectacled doctor probes amicably, taking his glasses off and rubbing them on the fat end of his tie.

"Just the usual. " I reply with an apologetic smile. Suddenly, I hear Jack again giving another lecture on the transference of bacteria from ties to glasses , which he delivers every time I come here for my weekly appointment with Dr Johns.

I've heard it all before. So I stick my fingers in my ears again and continue to sing along with Rose. Happily, she starts singing my all-time favourite, "We belong together " by Mariah Carey.

Mike and Jack join in too and surprisingly , I even spot Dr Johns tapping his foot.

"What was that?" Murmered a voice in a small town.

"Huh?"

"That sound?" She repeated.

"Honestly Jay, you're just nervous,"

"No, I really think I heard something!"

"Did you? Maybe we should go back, or call the police, we aren't far from school, let's tell them," A nervous girl said.

"Chill out. But what is weird is why is it so quiet,"a boy said.

"Yeah...Must be nothing the sound," The first girl agreed.

"Why do you think it is so quiet then?" April asked.

"Yeah, it's like a ghost town here," Suddenly a man turned the corner. He had a blankish look about him. His eyes were cloudy and he walked stiffly.

"My house should be around here...Wait what? This street isn't firmilliar at all!"The boy said. The street was dark...darker than usual and the neighbor hood street was lined with houses, but not the same houses.

"Maybe we should ask that man?"April asked loudly.

"No, not him," but the man had started walking towards them.

"Hello?" The boy pete said. The man didn't say anything, he was now 10 feet away from them, still walking closer. But he faltered. Drool hung from the man's mouth and his eyes were cloudy except for a red dot.

"Get away from us!" Jay yelled. "Just walk away," She whispered. They turned their backs but he continued to follow. It was getting windier and windier. "RUN!!!!" The wind wipped their hair against their faces and pushed them back. The man moved with ease as if their was no wind. Suddenly April screamed she stopped. A long finger had grabbed the coller of her shirt. Her screams faltered and suddenly blood splattered the ground. The 2 other kids tried to run but they hesitated too long.

2 screams,

blood shead.

Spines ripped from their backs

"Who's next master?" A cold voice asked.

More than likely when I hear this,

it’s my still small voice’s FIT!

No, I didn’t wash the dishes.

Yes, I’m unprepared for work.

I don’t have an outfit picked out.

I still have to get some gas!!

How I hope I will remember.

But ... I need to get some sleep.

I will never settle down now!

Maybe if I write a note ...

I get up and write a NOVEL:

My To-Do List for the morn.

the tarantula’s lair was supposed to be abandoned.

supposed to.

we assumed that supposed to’s work here , at least to the usualy standard deviation.

so we walked in.

and the spider walked just behind us.

like a tiger it followed. picking us up , one by one.

it is then , that we figured that she responds to vibrations on the endless maze of webs she wove.

every step we took, every breath we made. every cough, every fart.

they all stirred up the web, and like the tympanic mebrane, they were mechanically amplified.

we decided that we shall be hunted no more.

we made terrible noises, leaving walkie talkies in our wake, like hensel and grettel left bread crumbs. radioing in, confusing the beast.

or so we thought.

the web at our feet became thinner and scarcer, and we thought we found the edge of the spider’s territory.

if only it was true, all we found was a damp area, which the spider neglect to wire up.

after all, it would be too busy jumping at dripping water.

besides, most of the dampness here bore a stink that did not require light to see.

the radios went dead, and we were alone, walking into the next chamber.

if the former was to restroom, this was the pantry. among the webs, we found our dessicated friends,

the last noise i heard, was the whiplike silk, enveloping me.

Nina nervously glances around.

"Zack? I really don't like this house."

A bat suddenly appears from a dark corner and gets stuck in Nina's hair.

"AHHHH! GET IT OUT! GET IT OUT!"

"Would you calm down?" Zack gently removes the creature.

"This place does not exactly encourage calm behavior!"

"We are going to get you over your fear of this house whether you like it or not."

"Don't like it, definitely don't like not. Could we leave? I will give that book that you have always wanted. Zack? Are you even listening to me?"

"Yes, I am, but no matter what you promise me, we are going to get you over your fear."

"Maybe I don't want to get over this fear? Wouldn't life be boring if no one had any fears?"

Zack just snorts and continues leading Nina deeper and deeper into the crumbling ruins. As they enter the hall, a few mice come scampering from the other side.

"Something must be over there." Zack comments with a bit of fear in his voice.

"Shall we go now?!"

"No. Maybe we just scared them."

"THEY RAN OUR WAY! THERE IS NO WAY THAT WE SCARED THEM!"

"Would you remain calm? Ther...What was that?"

"I don't know, but I am scared."

"You have been scared since we ca...There it is again. Let's go check it out."

"NO! I want to go home!" Nina is close to tears.

The sound of slow and heavy footsteps is very clear this time around. Nina jumps in behind Zack and holds onto him tightly.

"I...can't...breath!" Zack gasps for breath.

Nina loosens her grip, but does not let go. Zack wedges her away from him and holds her at a distance.

"Cut it out! You are going to scare both of us with your behavior." He reprimands the girl.

A door at the end of the hallway slams shut and the teenagers' eyes grow wide.

"L...let's g...go." Nina suggests.

"Yeah, let's go."

The two turn around just as the hallway becomes even more dark. A light is turned on and off continuously. Bloodcurdling screams erupt from the closest door. Footsteps can be heard as they walk on creaking steps. A maniacal laughter echoes through the house after a brief silence. A door opens and shuts with a bang. More footsteps. More screams. More laughing. The teenagers jump around and run as fast as they can out of the house to never return again. Little did they know, that they were not the only living people in that "haunted" house.