Tappy

“There is something strangely off about the house today”, thought old miss Hanna as she shuffled into the kitchen. She had not heard the scrapings at her door last night, and there was no howling and shrieking in the wee hours of the morning. It was Tappy who made the sounds. That's what she called him ever since he came to her old manor house years ago. Hanna gave a cackle as she remembered the first night he had stayed there. She had heard footsteps tapping slowly back and forth in the hall by her bedroom door till the sun came up. That’s when she named him Tappy, and he never stopped pacing outside her door at night with the same tapp, tapp, taping. Sometimes she would let him in so he would stop.

She smiled and walked to the place behind the old grandfather clock where he liked to hide during the day.

“Tappy.” She crooned drumming on the side of the clock with her cane. Today was Sunday and she was going to church, but not without saying hello to old Tappy. Miss hana scowled at the wall. the children in town called her mad. She gave another cackle and called “Tappy!”

If they called her mad, she would threaten to feed them to Tappy.

“Tappy!” she screeched hammering harder on the clock.

“Come out lovely, come out and say goodbye to mommy!”

Miss Hanna was angry now.

“Come OUT Tappy!” she screamed hitting the clock so hard that the glass shattered from the front.

Tappy was gone.