Tales of an unexpected nature

A key for the lock and an eye for the hole

It was never really something I though about, my Nan's little habit. I never questioned it all through my childhood, and only ever looked with curiosity in my teens.

She had a thing with key holes. A peeve really. She used to take crinkled paper and ram it into the key holes. She would always look at me sternly after this and tell me never to look through a key hole, not in her house anyway.

She was convinced something would happen. I think it must have been something she made up in her head, as she had lived alone in the creepy old house for years.

But still there was her and her doors. She kept the keys to every door in the house safely attached to a large loop strapped to her belt when ever i was around. No door ever went without locking or being stuffed with paper.

I found it endearing really, I used to laugh about it... until it happend

Some years ago now my dearest Nan died unexpectedly. Murdered they said. Something to do with a door... It was a shame really, but with her parting she left the house and her belongings to me and Mother as her only relatives.

On entering the house at the time, the first thing my Mother did was remove all the paper from the locks and placed the loop of keys above the doors in the kitchien, however, she still kept most rooms locked.

I told her not to, I begged her infact. I felt uncomfortable with it all as it went against everything Nan ever stood for. Mother told me not to be so stupid. That hurt...

She felt strongly about the whole door situation however, and clearly wasn't going to listen to me, so I let her continue.

Thsts when it started really. With the shadows that is, or thats what Mother said. She said it was never in veiw enough to be able to see what it was and always too quick to catch more then a glimpse. Then the rattling started, sounded like keys to Mother, I told her not to be so stupid. But still they rang out in the night, rattling violently on their hook. Over times these things got worse...

I see now this was the point we should have left at, or at least blocked the key holes back up... But we had no where else, so we had no choice. I had no choice. Mother didn't believe that I couldn't help it, didn't believe me, untill... well... the last night...

She heard it. The rattling. Again. She saw the shadows, but she never saw what it was. But she heard it... following her from room to room, like a bad smell. She had the second set of keys in her shaking hand, but as fast as she was locking doors, they were opening again. She was running then... so fast... trying to slam doors behind her... But the other set of keys made light work of it.

She stumbled, dropping her keys, but she carried on running. Thats when she ran into Nan's room, the one where she had died. The door locked tightly behind her. She hammered on the door. She begged and cried and pleaded, as she shoved something heavy infront of the door, the dressing table. No response came to her cries.

She stopped after a while in response to the silence. Shuffling came from inside the room as she moved away the dressing table from the door. Her pyjamas rustled as she gently knelt down to peer through the key hole to try and catch a glimpse of her captor, her shallow breathing adding to the sence of panic. I was looking through the other side. "Boo" I whispered as she screamed when I plunged the screw driver through her eye and into her skull.

Thats just it you see. They left me my key holes. My own free movement. They left me my game. Nan understood, but her game was never made to last. And Mother... well she should have listend to me.