Wooden Toys

Hide

It had been a while since the father had left the children on their own.

"Please don't go, take us with you, we won't be a nuisance, promise." Otto pleaded as he tugged on the bottom of his suede jacket.

"No, look, I'm gonna be a second, just getting some milk." The father replied, he put his hands on Otto's small shoulders.

He opened the door and cleared his throat, it was a chilly morning, the air was crisp.

"If you hear anything, get out of the house." And with that, he slammed the door shut, blowing into his gloved hands for warmth.

It was one of those mornings where you can see your own breath, clouded like a small fog.

It took Ellis and Otto a few moments to realize there was rattling in the kitchen, already, the kitchen resources were banging against themselves, as if something big was approaching.

"What do we do?" Otto's breathing was rapid, his blue eyes darting around.

"We hide. The wardrobe upstairs, get a blanket, bottles of water, my phone, we can watch videos." Ellis ran into the kitchen, she grabbed two plastic bottles and began filling them up.

"LOOK OUT!" Otto screamed as a knife was flung from one side of the room to the other. Ellis dodged it and ran out the room, pacing up the stairs behind Otto.

She shoved Otto in the wardrobe with a blanket and the bottles.

"Be back in a minute."

Otto could hear her footsteps, running around the rooms, picking up resources. He stared through the clothes, his hands shaking.

They sat down at the back of the wardrobe, they had headphones on, watching videos.

They had tied a scarf tightly around the knobs on the wardrobe door, reassured that no one could get in.

They were snuggled under the blanket, it was warm, their cheeks flushed. It had been hard to find a source of warmth in the house.

Suddenly, the knob began to twist, they gasped, feeling vunrable.

"Its alright, there's no way tha..." Ellis was interrupted by the scarf loosening as the handles were being shook. It drifted off and the wardrobe door began to creak open.

"Scream, it will protect us." Ellis whispered, but it was hard to find a voice in their throats through fear, and the fact that she didn't believe in what she was saying.

They both created a long, whailing screech. They had their eyes closed tight and they held the head phones over their ears.

Otto squinted his eyes to take a peak of the sight. An arm was slowly reaching for them, it was grey in colour and with extremely visible vains. It was easier to scream now that they were horribly frightened.

They wouldn't stop until they heard the front door slam. It was their dad.

The arm was no where to be seen and the door was shut, with the scarf wrapped tightly around the knobs. They looked at each other, and breathed in and out deeply in relief, sweat dripped down their foreheads.

The door opened and the fathers head popped in. They laughed.

"I got the milk, but I need an explanation for why you two are in this thing?" He asked, frowning as he shook wardrobe.

They giggled. But they were covering up the fear, the fear that they are in trouble.