You Live Alone

You live alone. One day you will come home from work, close the front door behind you, and know that there is someone in the house. You will walk down the hallway towards the lounge. You will know that the person is sitting on the couch, in the lounge, waiting for you. You will be completely certain that they are there, unseen face turned towards you. You will slowly, quietly, approach the open doorway. You will see (of course!) that the room is empty.

Later that evening, you will be preparing dinner. You will have fresh fish fillets on the bench, covered in flour. The butter in the pan will have just melted. As you reach for the fish to dip it in the egg to fry it in the pan, you will realise there is someone standing behind you, between you and the refrigerator. You will sense their eyes on you. You will stop, frozen in the moment, wanting to turn around but not wanting to move at all. Finally, you will turn, quickly, to where you know the person is standing. You will see (surprise!) that there is no-one there. You are alone.

It will be late at night. You will have watched a movie. You will have brushed your teeth and washed your face. You will have switched off the lights in the rest of the house and retired to your bedroom. You will be reading by the light of the bedside lamp. You will be tired and you will let your attention wander and you will find that your eyes have closed. You will be about to open your eyes again, to continue your novel, when you will notice that there is someone in the room with you. You will sense them, close by. You will not be able to hear them, even though you find that you are holding your breath. You will reassure yourself that you are imagining things, but you will know that you are not. You will slowly, deliberately, open your eyes. You will see who it is that’s been waiting for you. You will not be alone.