Noir

She crept onto the back porch.  She felt like it had been days since her last visit, and as the stark moonlight came down upon her, her eyes flitted back and forth, unsure of her solitude.  The air was thick, the early dew settling in and weighing down upon her... making her catch her breath and shiver in her skin.  As she walked to the railing and gazed into the darkness, she could feel the eyes upon her.  She looked down, at what she did not know, the darkness revealing nothing.  There was a breeze, soft and gentle at first, but then harsh and cold that made her skin crawl.  The goosebumps ebbing and flowing, and finally curling into the small of her back, like a gentle touch on her skin.  She jolted around, breathing harder, staring back at the house.  No one was there.  Everything was quiet... too quiet.

She didn't feel comfortable there.  She needed to get back inside.

As she stepped towards the door, she could feel the soft particles of pollen giving gently underneath her bare feet.  The light cracking gave the feeling of stepping on tiny bugs, and again, she cringed into the night. 

Just then, she heard a branch crack and split.  The sound seemed incredibly loud against the black night.  She whirled around, again facing the dark forest.  Was there something out there?  It felt like even the trees were watching her.  She couldn't even remember why she had come outside in the first place.

Walking slowly backwards this time, she held her hands out behind her until she finally felt the cool touch of the cedar siding.  She skimmed the wall until she found the door opening, slid inside, closed the door softly, and locked the door.

It was quiet in here too, but at least it was warmer.

She crept back upstairs, crawled into the bed, and tried to go back to sleep.

The images of the night kept coming to her... the darkness, the breeze on her back, and the crush beneath her feet.

She prayed sleep would find her.