When Darkness Falls (Short Story)

Chapter Two

Cain Road 1994

“Shut the window, Jade,” Jonathan White called as he ascended the stairs. It wasn’t the first time she had propped open her window to listen to the night. She was always listening to coyotes, panthers, the hooting of an owl. Everything fascinated her, but Jonathan was more worried about intruders if she left the window open at night.

He could tell by the small wind chimes he had placed in her window that it was opened and was making his way towards her room when her small cry in fear brought adrenaline into his heart, panic in his mind, a hand reaching for his pocket knife, while the other pulled opened her door.

“Dad!” She cried standing on her bed in her plaid PJs pointing her finger towards the window. Jonathan bolted around the bed, his wife, Roslyn White managed to make it to the doorway for the commotion.

“What’s wrong?” Roslyn’s soft voice asked as Jonathan inspected the window and secured it shut.

“It was there!” Jade squealed.

“What?” Roslyn asked approaching the bed.

“I think it was a mouse!” The moment the word left Jade’s mouth of the possibility that a rodent no bigger than Jonathan’s hand had come in through the window his wife found herself standing right next to her daughter on the bed. It was a hilarious sight for Jonathan who flipped on the light and called to his brother downstairs.

“What are you laughing at?” Roslyn’s voice was higher in pitch with her panic. She wasn’t much for the outside world, heck, she wasn’t good at handling too many things other than keeping a place looking nice and cooking the best meals Jonathan had ever eaten. She could handle dead animals just fine, but put her in a room with a spider, any reptile, furry rodents, or pretty much anything that crawled and slithered in the realm of the living and you’d find her climbing a counter, a chair - or in this case a bed next to their ten year old daughter who was more surprised by the mouse than anything else.

Jade crawled off the bed just as Jonathan’s brother Randy stepped into view and spotted Roslyn.

“What happened?” Randy asked. Jade bolted to his side and pointed towards the bed.

“A mouse crawled into my window Uncle Randy and it’s under the bed!”

Roslyn quivered gasping at the announcement that the furry little creature was now under the very bed she was on. Jonathan laughed loudly with Randy, who was staying with them for a short while.

“Stop laughing and get it!” Roslyn begged, the color in her face going from beige to pale to red with anger.

“Come on Randy, let’s get this thing or else none of us will be getting any sleep tonight.” Jonathan moved close to the bed and reached out his arms.

“What do you want me to do?” Roslyn snapped.

“Take my arms and jump down from there. I’ll help you to the door.” Jonathan offered.

“No!”

“Fine, I’ll carry you to the hall.”

“No.”

“If you don’t get off the bed so we can move it I’ll let you sleep in here tonight.”

Roslyn scrunched her face and reached for his arms which took a firm grip on her. “Don’t let go.”

“Never.” Jonathan answered in a firm voice pulling her into his arms and off the bed. He carried her to the hall and then to the top of the stairs before she finally released her death grip around his neck and lowered her legs to the carpet. “Better?” he asked.

Roslyn gave a weak smile. “I’m working on it.”

“We’ll look around and I’ll make sure to put some mouse traps out. Okay?” He kissed the corner of her lips.

“Thanks.”

Roslyn was a softy and a woman with a kind heart. Jonathan felt like the happiness man in the world around her, even with her temper and inability to stay calm in certain situations, but it added to her charm.

“Go on and go to bed, I’ll get Jade to bed up here and I’ll be down shortly.”

Jonathan’s room was on the ground level, while jade’s room was on the second floor and Randy slept on the couch.

“Okay, but don’t bring the rat with you,” she whispered making a face as Jade corrected her. “Whatever it is.” Roslyn vanished down the stairs.

“Daddy,” Jade tugged on Jonathan’s pant.

“Yes baby.”

She pointed over to the closet. “I think he’s in there.”

“Why do you say that?” Jonathan asked heading over to the closet.

“Because he’s not under my bed and we didn’t see him run out.”

“That makes sense.” Randy said as Jonathan pulled open the doors and searched the floor for the little creature.

I don’t see him over here.” Randy announced get off the floor and whipping his hands.

“Or in here.” Jonathan announced.

“You know what that means?” Randy grinned enjoying the humor about the whole situation.

“That mommy’s gonna be mad he got out?” Jade asked.

“Oh yes,” Jonathan shook his head letting out a soft laugh. “You’re mom’s so funny.”

“We better get traps set out.” Randy said.

Jonathan was finally able to head to bed setting the last of the traps in his own room against the wall just in case it found its way in his room and with any luck by morning his wife would wake him with a disgusted gasp at the rodent’s dead body and wake him early to throw it out.

He smiled again, to himself in the dark.

“Did you get it?” Roslyn asked as Jonathan slowly crawled into bed.

“No, I’ve set out traps though, so we’re covered. Go to bed honey.”

“Easy for you to say. You know they can climb up curtains and covers.”

“Roslyn. It’ll be okay.”

Jonathan pulled Roslyn sheepishly into his arms and they fell asleep.