The Fallen Silk

ritual

Effie unlocked the cabin door and was greeted by a chorus of meows and trills as Nimbus bounded toward her from the kitchen. She picked the kitten up and snuggled her against her chest. She hadn't forgotten to find a small toy for her companion, and reached into her pocket to pull out a twig with a few leaves still attached.

'Hopefully this will do for now, Nimbus. I couldn't find much else worthy of your time.' She laughed, placing the kitten on the floor with the stick. Nimbus went for it, batting at it with a ferocity only a kitten could muster. 'How about a nice warm bowl of milk while I drink some tea?' No response from her furry friend, Effie decided to warm the milk anyway, knowing that Nimbus would be grateful in her own feline way.

The house was cold, but as she loaded another log into the stove and lit a match, she had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that she was not alone. A chill ran down her spine as she attempted to ignore the thought, but her mind would not allow her to push it aside – there was someone, something, there, watching her. As if to confirm her suspicions, a creak from the back porch alerted her and she stared through the window into the night.

Nothing. No one. She was alone save for Nimbus, but the feeling of being watched was growing, becoming more and more undeniable. As she moved to pour the boiling water into her cup, she heard another creak, this time just in front of the window. Refusing to look up, refusing to acknowledge it at all, Effie turned away and put down the milk saucer.

Theola...

The word made her jump, and Effie turned to face the window, placing her hands on the counter to steady herself.

Theola... it came again, this time closer, deeper, laced with both curiosity and longing. There, as if it were reflection, appeared a face in the window – a man, no older than his thirties, stared at her. She screamed, backing away from the window, falling over chair that sat near the dining table. The face disappeared, but a creak on the porch signalled that whatever it was – whoever it was – had moved toward the back door. The knob turned and rattled against the lock, the door shaking with the force the proposed intruder put against it. Effie scrambled out of the kitchen, still on the floor, and pulled her cellphone from her purse. She dialled the emergency number, her hands shaking.

'What's your emergency?' A voice asked from the other end of the line.

'There is a man trying to break into my house.' Effie breathed into the receiver. 'He is at the back door.'

'All right, ma'am. Where are you currently located?'

'Number 1732, off Norswood Road.' She answered. She heard typing on the other end, and then the operator made a sound acknowledging the location.

'I have a unit en route now, ma'am. Would you like me to stay on the line until they arrive?'

'Yes, please. I'm alone except for my kitten, and I'm concerned.'

'Of course. Why don't you tell me about your kitten?'

For the next five minutes, Effie described Nimbus to the emergency line operator, all the while splitting her attention between the woman's hem's and haw's. It seemed like an eternity before she heard the siren turning onto her driveway. A knock on the door echoed in the house, and the rattling back door stopped. Effie dropped the phone, expressing to the woman that the police had arrived, and jumped toward the door, unlocking and throwing it open.

'Hurry, I think he is leaving!' She begged, pointing at the back door. The officers entered the living room and made their way through to the kitchen. One of the men checked the window over the sink, looking back and forth, while the other unlocked the door and stepped cautiously through to the back porch.