Matthew was sitting in his room alone while Derek tended to some very important business. What exactly this very important business was however, was beyond his imagination. He sat alone, in an empty room, but he did not feel alone, he felt as though there was something there sitting with him. He looked around, feeling very paranoid, but did not see anything out of the ordinary. He peered under the bed and through the curtains and in the wardrobe many times over but could not find peace. He pulled out the old radio that Derek had lent him for the time he would be alone in his room and switched it on.
"And now, number four on the charts this month is a song that has only been released this week!" The radio broadcaster said, and a song introduction started to play.
"What a lovely tune..." The broadcaster began to say when the song finished, rambling on one of their usual rants about things no one cared about. Matthew wanted to know what love was, as they had been singing about in the song.
"One day Matthew, I promise you will feel love." A voice said from somewhere inside the room. He jumped about a foot in the air from where he sat on the bed and looked around, he was right; there was someone in the room there with him.
"Who said that?" He asked the space around him, but no one appeared. He was scared. He spun his head around the room frantically searching for any signs of movement. He dived into the corner of the room so that no one could get him from behind and panted, keeping his eyes peeled the whole time. A little while later he heard someone coming towards his room from the landing. He stared intently at his door and saw the handle go down. The creaked open slightly and he started screaming and ducked his head into his knees. The door swung open quickly and Derek ran in.
"What's the matter Matthew? What happened?" Derek ran to his side and reached out to hug him. Matthew resisted at first but recognised the voice and let himself be wrapped by his guardian's arms.
"There was someone here." Matthew sobbed, although he didn't remember crying.
"Who? Who was here?" Derek said, rapidly making mental notes as time went on.
"I didn't see them; they just said something to me and left."
"What did they say?" Derek was concerned, very concerned. Either his house had been broken into, or Matthew was hearing things. Both of which were worrying situations.
"One day Matthew, I promise you will feel love. They said, after the song finished on the radio." Matthew looked up and pointed at the radio as if the radio were to blame.
"They knew your name? Was it a girl or a boy saying this to you?" Derek said, trying to remain calm; he could feel sweat accumulate on his brow. Thankfully Matthew wasn't looking at him.
"It was a girl. It sounded like a female older than me but still quite young." Matthew said, looking down from the ceiling to Derek's face. He saw that Derek looked more uncomfortable than he would have done had he seen a ghost. He decided that he shouldn't scare Derek with news such as this one.
"I'm sure it was just someone outside." Matthew smiled.
"Are you sure? I don't know anyone else called Matthew in this neighbourhood."
"Maybe, they're just visiting, either way; I'll tell you if I hear it again." Matthew stood up and placed his hands on his hips. He felt a strange feeling in his chest as he lied to his guardian. His instinct however, told him that it was not a good idea to share such information with adults.
"They'll think you're crazy, and we don't want that do we?" The female's voice rose into the air again. Matthew gasped, and immediately relaxed.
"Are you okay Matthew? You look a little startled." Derek was concerned by the sudden change in behaviour of the child since the screaming when Derek had entered the room.
"I'm fine. How was your meeting downstairs?" Matthew said, moving to the bed to sort out his bedspread.
"Well, if you're sure..." Derek said.
"Yes, I am." Matthew said.
