The thunder with heavy rain made the evening cold and dark. Mum and dad were on their way home from work, so I thought I should make a cup of coffee until they arrived.

Relaxing on the couch in the living room with a cup of coffee in my hand, I heard a loud knock on the door. I was reluctant to open it, but the thought that someone might be in need of help on that cold rainy evening, I opened the door but found no one. However, when I looked thoroughly around, I saw footprints on the mud, heading towards the yard.

I froze with terror. Lots of thoughts rushed in and out of my mind. I didn’t want to go looking out in the yard, but it felt as if I was being pulled by an invisible thread. Feeling helpless to control my curiosity, I stepped out and looked around.

There wasn’t anyone. But something was suspicious! Soon I realised that I was all drenched in rain. The thought that I might get a cold, I rushed inside. As I was about to close the door, I saw a glimpse of a shadow, and then it cleared to me that it was a lady holding a knife at a distance. I was terrified.

I immediately locked the door and ran to my room to call mum and dad. Then, I heard banging on the door. I was shaking with fear. I tried to cool myself down, but it seemed nearly impossible.

Trembling and shaking, I got up and called my mum. She told me that they were about to reach home and I shouldn’t worry. But each minute seemed to me like an hour, I didn’t know what that lady wanted, why she was holding a knife. These questions disturbed me. I cried because it was a scary situation and straight out of a nightmare.

After a few minutes, I heard police cars’ sirens and engine sounds. I didn’t dare to even look out to see what was happening. I sat there on my bed frozen in fear.

I heard a lot of yelling and cops’ muffled voices, and then I heard the main door of our house open and some footsteps coming in the direction of my room. And then, there was a knock.

I heard dad saying, “Open the door, sweety, it’s us. Everything is fine now!”

Without wasting a second, I rushed to open the door and saw my parents. We hugged each other as I cried. But they calmed down me and then dad told me the lady I saw was a mentally unstable woman who had just run away from the metal asylum. She has been captured and is taken back to the asylum.

I was relieved to know that. But then I told my parents to never get late again and they promised that they won’t.

Published in Dawn, Young World, March 9th, 2024