This is a story of a young woman who took a nap and was awoken to the faint sound of something tap-tap-taping. At first she thought it must be the sound of her heart beating in her ears, but toss and turn as she might as soon as she would start to drift off again, there the noise would be. Faintly tapping. always tap-tap-tap.
She sat up, to clear her mind. There, she thought, that did it. She waited a moment and couldn't hear it anymore. Thankfully she lay back down and closed her eyes. As her mind started to drift off she thought she heard it again. No, it can't be, she murmered to herself, it's just in my dream. No wait, there it is again tap-tap-tap. This time a chilling thought gripped her, what if there was someone else here? Someone playing a game on her ... or maybe, someone trying to make sure she was asleep! The thought alone gave her goose bumps and she grabbed her blanket closer to her. Oh please no, she begged of the dark corners.
But the shadows just seemed to get deeper, and darker as she stared into them. Finally she couldn't take it anymore. If something was indeed there, she told herself, it would be better to go find it then to wait scared and sleepless. She got up and rummaged around until she happily found a flashlight. A simple little thing, but it meant everything to her just then. Timidly she braved the dark recesses of the room, but as she knew there was nothing to find. She breathed a sigh of relief and thought herself foolish to have been scared. Really, it must just have been my exhaustion. Happily she congratulated herself for saving her sleep, she could have lay there sleepless cowering in her blankets. She smiled at the flashlight as she flicked it off, and faintly in the distance there came, tap-tap-tap.
Her blood ran cold. There, behind a door, another door. She had missed it when first she searched, but now she knew where the sounds were coming from. Slowly opening the door she found an old stair case, the flights spiraling down out of sight. She could hear clearly now the tap-tap-taping.
Her throat felt dry as she involuntarily swallowed. She took a first shaky, tentative step, her body rebelling against this foolishness. Clenching her fists she willed herself forward and down.
Flight after flight
she continued,
barely noticing each step,
as the tap-tap-tapinggrew ever faintly louder.
Soon she was nearing the bottom with no sound
or sight of possible mischief awaiting her. The only evidence of anything out of the ordinary was the unceasing tap-tap-taping.
She began to relax, scared as she was and as creepy as the stairwell was, she was now confident that no one was waiting in the shadows.
She rounded the last flight, the tap-tap-taping was close now. Her flashlight's beam searched frantically for the author of the noise that had called her from her cozy bed and sent her down dark, chilly stairs. She spotted a shimmering gleam of wetness and let out a gasp. Followed a moment later by a frustrated yell at the sight of what had caused her such worry and trouble.
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