Shadow In The Night

2

TWO

I want to go home. My mama is not here, and I miss her. They told me I am not allowed to go back to that house. My grandmother came over to pick me up from the house which smelled like lilies. Her grey-brown hair in a low ponytail. Her face was worn down, sagging like a raisin.

"Time to go, sweetheart. You are going to stay with me for a while."

I held her hand and followed her to a bright blue car.

"Are we going to see mommy?"

She shook her head, refusing to meet my eyes.

"No. Your mommy is gone."

Tears rose then fell. I did not understand.

"I want to go home." I began crying. Everything was moving quickly, the sun blinded me.

I thought she was taking me to her house where she would bake cookies. My tears dried. I stared out the window, a white building came into view. Tall men walked around the street. Bushy trees stood and waved at me with their branches. I smiled and waved back.

Grandma stepped out and opened the back door. She picked me up and set me onto the ground. I took her hand and we walked away from the sun into a cool, shaded room.

"Norah. I need you to be brave for me, okay? You have to answer some questions."

I nodded, distracted by noises and moving shapes.

"I want candy." I pointed to a bowl on the counter which contained lollipops. Grandma smiled sadly and took one, handing to me. I slipped the paper off and sucked on the green ball.

We sat in the chair, I swung my legs and began thinking about my momma. I hope she was not worried. I have been gone a while now.

"Susan Moore?"

My grandma stood up and took my hand.

"Remember Norah, be strong."

I nodded again and followed my grandma and the stranger. We walked through a winding maze of walls and doors. We came upon a room with a table, a chair and colorful walls. I sat down; my lollipop long gone.

The stranger sat down beside me and faced my direction. She smiled. She smelled like a beach.

"Hi Norah, my name is Cindy. I am going to ask you a few questions, okay?" Her voice was soft like a lullaby. It reminded me of my momma's voice.

"Okay." I said slowly.

"Last night, what did you see? What noises did you hear?"

I thought about it. The images were foggy, and I struggled to make sense of it. Everything was dark. I vaguely recall feeling scared. A large man had come into our house.

"I saw a shadow man. He was with momma."

"What did this man look like?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. He was scary."

"Did he say anything?"

"He said 'be quiet.'"

The woman was scribbling on a piece of paper.

"You are doing a good job. Can you tell me what time all this happened?"

I flew through my memories. There was a flashing light on the clock. What were the numbers?

"It was past my bedtime. It was really dark."

"Did this man break in? Were any windows broken?"