Hush Hush

Chapter 6

Ms.Miggins seemed uneasy about my sudden visit, I didn’t get why and I didn’t want to prove further and risk being sent back.

" Yes, I hope you don't mind," Maybe I was too comfortable in her home that I thought I could do as I please. But that was not my intention.

"I don't mind, you can sleep for as long as you want. I will go and prepare the room for you,"

Her scent stayed behind, lingering as if to give the place a fresh smell. I was now left with my thoughts, head on and no place to hide. I couldn’t get over what that lunatic said. My subconscious was starting to question my sanity. Did I really see those words or my mind wanted to make sense of everything strange that was happening? I was confused. I could feel the furious veins decorating my forehead as my head pounded painfully.

I went to the fridge to look for anything I could to chew on, I was hungry. It was 19:10 in the evening but with my foggy eyes, you would swear it was after 12. I was so exhausted, physically and mentally. I needed to rest my eyes. I closed the fridge and walked towards the rooms in the hallway. My mom hated eating at night, she used to say she didn't want to eat with Monkeys. I just needed a peaceful sleep.

The hallway was very dark and spooky. The air wheezed around, you’d think it was a mortuary. Ms.Miggins had to insert a light bulb in the passage, I could knock my head off.

"Oh you're here already. I'm almost done. I'll just fetch a blanket for you," Ms.Miggins said as she stood Just outside the bedroom she was in. Her eyes were shining so bright in this darkness, like Rihanna’s diamond.

"Your...your eyes are…” I stuttered. I couldn't construct my sentence well. I was shocked by the colour of her eyes.

"Never mind them. I'm a different breed, my dad ruined me," she laughed it off. But I didn’t catch the joke, I continued to stare at her through the darkness when I felt something soft yet cold caress my feet. The children on the jumping castle had nothing on me.

"Lily stop it," She reprimanded. I looked back and it was that creepy cat with the same shining eyes as Ms.Miggins.

"Don't worry young lady. It has a tendency of walking around people and cuddling, " I didn't believe that. It was a damn cat, why would it cuddle human’s. Regret seeped through like a thief. Did I make a right choice by coming here?

"You can go inside I will get you a blanket, " she bent down and lifted the cat up, humming unknown song to the opposite room. It felt like I ran away from one scary encounter only to another. The lights were also off in the bedroom I was meant to sleep in. I didn’t have my phone with, I must have left it at our flat. But how did Ms.Miggins work in this darkness? Even Satan’s sanctuary had a bit of lightness. Why would she not switch it on? My heart hammered to my chest like a construction worker did on the wood. I walked around the wall, touching it to feel where the light switch is. I surrendered my trust to my feeling sense. I got halted by a stationary thing, it felt like someone’s feet.

"Ms.Miggins is that you? I'm very sorry about that. I'm looking for the switch,” I felt for whatever it was that halted me with my shivering hands but my hands reached nothingness.

"You can't touch me," the voice echoed even after it was quit. It was deep and scruffy, like that of a person who sang the night away.

"Who are you? And what do you want from me?”

My eyes tried looking for something in the darkness, anything but returned with nothing.

“Ms.Miggins. Ms.Miggins," I yelled out loud but my screams seemed yielded.

"Really? Ms.Miggins?" He sarcastically asked, laughing.

“Get away from me, Satan!” my hand was stretched and pointed at no one particular. The wind felt stronger and colder, my arms looked for refuge at each other but non was provided.

“Stop fighting it. It’s not going to help you.”

“Stop saying that. Stop,” my hands tightly closed my ear lids but that was of no use as his laughter came to live right inside my head.

“It’s your destiny or your husband’s. One has to take the lead,”

“No,” I screamed over the voice

“Destiny.” The voice said, louder.

“Destiny,” Faintly, it sounded.

“Leave me alone!” I cried, grasping my hair with panic, my mind blanking.

Ms.Miggins ran to the room I was in.

"Lindi, what happened?" Ms.Miggins asked, switching the light on.

I ran towards her and hugged her tight for dear life. I didn't want to let go. I was feeling faint from the noise.

"It's okay. Breath now, I’m here." She brushed my back softly holding me in her arms and humming the same song she hummed to the cat. It was soothing.

"The voice, someone... He was here," I needed her to believe me. To do something

"Shhh, I'm here now. Nothing will happen to you,"

I wanted to believe her but I couldn't. No one understood me. No one believed me.

"I heard his voice. He was here,"

"Shush now, my angel. Listen to me. Look at me," she held my face in her hands, caressing me. Her face warm and willing.

"All this, is in your head, okay. There is no one here,” I furiously detached myself from her embrace.

"I'm not crazy. I know what I heard,"

"I hear you. But you need to understand that there's just the three of us here,"

Three? Who was the third one?

"You also heard him? He's the third one, isn't he? " I asked hoping that she would say yes.

"No. It's Lily, my cat,” She gave me that look. The same look Paul gave me.

"Nonsense, your stupid cat isn’t a person. It doesn’t speak,”

“May this be the first and last time you call my baby stupid and I know my house. There's no one here. It's all in your head. If you continue overthinking all this you will start believing it and start seeing wha’s not there. You’re giving your mind too much power. For now, get inside the bed and sleep. Don't think about anything okay?" I nodded.

Maybe she was right. I was overthinking everything, that birthed my paranoia.

"Good, now get into the bed, I will tuck you in." She helped me into the bed.

"You do know I'm not three right?" I asked, giggling.

"I don't care. You're still a child to me,”

She waited for me to fall asleep before she could also retire to bed. The lights were left on, as per my request.

Midnight, 23:40

A woke up later, feeling pressed. I needed to use the loo. My eyes couldn’t adjust to the flickering light. On and off. On and off. On and off.

I looked around. My eyes fell on the human shadow, at the far corner. I closed my eyes and opened them again. It was still there, on the wall in an up straight position, looking up and down, almost like it was laughing. A John Cena scene played on me. There now you see me, now you don’t. It disappeared, the shadow was out of sight.

“Hello? Hello,” My voice soft, almost like I didn’t want to wake a baby up.

The lights stopped flickering and went off. I sat on my butts, with my legs folded on my chest and my hands wrapped around my legs. I was scared and vulnerable. The side lamp was not working. I needed my husband. I couldn’t get hold of him, I left in a hurry and left my phone. I needed him to fetch me. I didn’t want to call out to Ms.Miggins, she already declared me delusional. What else could I do? I shouldn’t have left my husband, we were suppose to be bound together. How stupid was I. I needed him