"Violet, are you awake?"
Violet stirred as she heard the sound of her six-year-old brother's voice. She could tell it was very late, far past both of their bedtimes. "I am now," she said, trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness. "What is it?"
Klaus shifted uncomfortably. "I think I heard something outside."
Violet blinked, trying to wake herself up. "Are you sure?" she asked, her voice hushed.
"Yes."
Violet rose as quickly as she could and saw that it was just past midnight. Gripping her hand, Klaus led Violet out of her bedroom and into the living room. Violet felt suddenly protective as they tiptoed, as quietly as they could so as to not wake their parents.
"It came from here," he said. "I think there's someone outside."
"But who would be outside at this hour?"
Klaus said nothing, just looked at Violet. She realized she wouldn't get an answer. "Alright, I'll check, but we have to be quiet."
Klaus nodded in agreement.
Just then, there was an odd, rustling noise coming from outside.
As Violet gathered her courage, she felt herself falter. What would they do, if there was someone outside, face to face with them?
Klaus looked out of the window as if in answer. "I don't see anyone there anymore. But do you have that feeling? Like we're being watched."
Violet shivered. "Yes." The feeling was so eerie that it was almost too much to bear to sit there helplessly. "Let's open the window together. Put your hands here, and I'll do this side."
Klaus did as told, and on Violet's "Now!", the window came open. Violet stuck her head outside, only to have the feeling grow. The rustling noise repeated, but it was so dark that it was impossible to see if anyone was there or not.
"Okay," said Violet, sticking her head back inside, her voice still shaky. "What else could it be? Have you read any books on this kind of thing?"
Klaus closed his eyes in thought. "If it's not a person, it could be some kind of animal... Like raccoons," he said, concentrating on a book he had read a year ago. "If it's a raccoon, then strong smells or loud noises can scare them off."
Violet felt a sudden burst of confidence. "Leave it to me!" she said and ran off to her room.
Once she returned, she had tied her hair up in a ribbon. Klaus smiled.
"Empty a water bottle and get some rubber bands," she said, and Violet disappeared herself to get some more supplies.
The sound happened again, and Violet immediately got her supplies. Once they gathered all the materials, she began working. "We can make a noisemaker by putting these coins in the bottle you got. The sound should be enough to scare the raccoons."
"What about you?" asked Klaus.
Violet didn't immediately answer, as she was concentrating on poking some tiny holes on top of a paper towel roll she had gotten. Momentarily, she wished she had something better for poking holes than safety scissors, but she got the job done. Then, she attached some wax paper to the top with a rubber band. "This can work as a horn. If I cover the holes and blow into it, it should make a sound."
Klaus nodded, and the two siblings began using their noise machines. Violet's inventions worked wonderfully, and the sound stopped.
"I think it's gone," Klaus said, having stopped shaking his bottle to listen for the sound. "I haven't heard it for a while."
"We did it," Violet said, a note of pride in her voice, and yawned. "Wait, what's that?"
There was the distinct sound of footsteps outside the house, and the two siblings wondered if what was outside had really been raccoons, after all. Klaus gestured for Violet to hide behind the couch as he climbed behind himself.
Violet looked at Klaus and put a finger over her lip. She wished they had gone to their parents, now, and did not know why they hadn't.
She could see two figures walking down the stairs, and as soon as they stepped into the light, it was clear they were her parents. Violet and Klaus awkwardly got out from their hiding place and saw their parents looking around with a bemused expression.
Their father fell onto the couch and smiled at them sleepily. "What's all this?"
"We can explain," said Violet hurriedly. "We're sorry we woke you up, but we heard something outside."
"Yes," agreed Klaus. "At first we thought there was someone outside, but then it could have been-"
Their parents exchanged an unreadable glance, fear flickered in their eyes. It was not a look they wore very often. Then, their mother closed the window and gave Violet and Klaus both a kiss on the forehead. She did not tell them the noise was a dream, or that they had made it up, or even seem annoyed at them for waking her up.
"Next time," she said, her tone kind but direct. "Go to us if you hear something at night."
"We will," Violet said, feeling a little foolish but mostly cozy, and yawned again.
"I have an idea," said their father gently. "Klaus, what was that book you were reading?"
"The one about the spider?"
"Yes, that's it. Can you show me?"
Klaus disappeared into the library, followed closely by his father. Violet and her mother stayed in the living room, and Violet laid her head on her mother's shoulder.
"It was brave of you to try to find out what was going on," said her mother.
"Not really," said Violet. "We should have gone to you."
Her mother nodded as Violet closed her eyes. "Yes. But it was good of you to help your brother."
Violet listened to Klaus and her father returning from the library. She felt them sit down next to her and her mother, talking quietly. The conversation stopped and Violet could hear the book opening and her father's quiet voice as he read aloud.
She opened her eyes, just for a moment, and moved closer to Klaus. Looking at her whole family, she breathed in contentedly and fell asleep soon after.
