Dream Child

Chapter Ten

Amanda sat on the porch swing, music playing softly, solar lights casting their shades of light on the sidewalk. The crickets were rustling through the grass and singing their song in the quiet of the night, the sunset colors blending across the sky like strokes of paint on a canvas.

She was stretched out with her feet up on the swing and using her hand to periodically push herself while her other hand laid across her rounded belly.

She had been thinking about what to do with Jenny's belongings; the house had been unpacked already except for the boxes stacked in the corner of the living room. She nor Eric had mentioned to each other what to do with them, it seemed so final to place the boxes in the attic or basement like she never existed. Packing up her room had been too hard for her to do, the movers had to do the room for them as neither of them wanted to pack her room. Amanda did go and gather a few items that she couldn't bear to be packed by strangers and those items were in their room.

Between the changing of songs, Amanda heard a noise from behind her in the grass. She stopped the swing and twisted to look behind her to see what was there.

As the song started up, Amanda got off the swing and paused the music and walked over to the banister and leaned over peer at the side of the house as far as she could, but she could only see darkness.

Listening hard for any more shuffling or movements, she heard nothing but the sounds of the evening. Standing there looking into the dark shadows on the side of the house, she held her breath like it would help, and strained her eyes to make out the shapes.

Giving up , she walked around the porch swing and walked to the top step and stared into the yard. The light was fading from the sky and the shadows were deepening rapidly, making it hard to make out anything.

The music suddenly stopped, and in the deep silence she heard the noise again and cocked her head, straining to figure out where the sound was coming from. Just as she was about to step down and walk into the yard when she felt hands on her back and was being pushed forward.

She grabbed out for the railing, but her hands grabbed only air and she was pitching forward off the steps.

As the ground came up to meet her, she bolted up with her hands out to brace herself from falling.

Heart pounding, she swung her feet over onto the porch and grabbed at her rounded stomach. Struggling to catch her breath from the scream that had been caught in her throat, she looked around rapidly, afraid that something was there.

The night was still, the music no longer playing, just like in her dream.

She stood frozen in place, afraid to move, afraid to breathe. The silence was deafening and she struggled to hear anything that resembled the sounds in her dream. She only heard the rustle of the leaves on the branches and could feel her heartbeat throbbing in her neck. The silence was so heavy that she could feel it pressing down on her skin like a jacket, hearing each ragged breath she drew in as she struggled to hear anything in the darkness.