The Midnight Storm
383 Words
The grandfather clock in the grand hallway struck midnight. Inside her dark room, Clara tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Alexander’s piercing gray eyes and felt the suffocating heat of his presence.
Suddenly, a sharp, muffled cry pierced the silence of the mansion.
Clara sat up instantly. Her maternal instincts kicked in. Throwing off her blanket, she hurried out of her room and sprinted down the dimly lit hallway toward Leo’s bedroom.
She pushed the door open and found the little boy thrashing under his blankets, sobbing hysterically. "No! Mommy, don't leave! Don't go!" he cried out in his sleep.
"Leo! Hey, it's okay," Clara whispered softly, rushing to his bedside. She gently pulled the trembling four-year-old into her arms, lifting him onto her lap. "Shh... Clara is here. You’re safe, Little Raptor."
Leo woke up with a gasp, his face drenched in sweat and tears. The moment he recognized Clara’s warm brown eyes, he buried his face into her beige sweater, his tiny fists gripping her clothes as if she were his only lifeline.
"Clara... the dark monster took Mommy. It wanted to take me too," he sobbed.
"It was just a bad dream, buddy," Clara cooed, rocking him gently back and forth. She began to softly hum a sweet, soothing lullaby her own mother used to sing to her. She gently stroked his messy dark hair, wiping the tears from his chubby cheeks. Gradually, Leo’s frantic breathing began to slow, his tiny body relaxing against hers.
"Will you leave me too?" Leo murmured sleepily, his eyelids growing heavy.
"Never," Clara whispered, kissing the top of his head. "I'll stay right here."
"What is going on in here?"
The icy, gravelly voice made Clara stiffen. She looked up toward the doorway.
Alexander stood there, holding a half-unbuttoned suit jacket over his shoulder. He looked exhausted from his business dinner, but his gray eyes were wide, fixed intensely on the sight of Clara holding his son.
Clara placed a finger over her lips, signaling him to be quiet. She pointed down at Leo, who had finally fallen back into a deep, peaceful sleep in her arms.
Alexander froze, the harsh words dying in his throat as he stared at the peaceful face of his son.
- Writer
