Day 137: 24 March 2026

 Short Story -- One Dark Night 

It sounded as though a giant sheet was being shaken as the wind barreled past outside. Rain splattered, staccato against the roof and windows. It wasn’t heavy. Just wielded like bullets from a gun by the wind. The sky was black, because it was night, not just because of the clouds. 

And Lucy sat up quietly in her bed. The light from her bed stand casting a warm glow and chasing the shadows to the corners of her room. She was nestled under a plush, warm duvet and had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. 

A book was sitting open and face down across her lap. The Fall of the House of Usher and other stories. It had been abandoned as she listened to the gale outside. 

She was not alone in the house. There were her family, presumably in their rooms, and the live in staff. But sitting there listening to the wind, she felt… solitary. 

Everything was silent, except for the wind and the rain outside. 

She picked her book back up. But her attention kept wandering back to the windows. Even with the curtains drawn, her eyes kept straying in that direction. 

She’d locked the door to her rooms. They all did at night. She’d never been sure why. But it had been impressed upon her as a child that it was imperative that she always be in her room at night and that the door to the hall stays locked. No exceptions. 

She’d tried once as a small child to go to her mother in the night after a bad dream. Only to find that the nursery had been locked from the inside. Her nanny did the best she could to sooth her, and she liked her nanny so all had ended alright. The nursery had its own whole space with halls and rooms and a small kitchen. Nanny had even made some warm milk for her before settling her back in bed. 

And usually the locked door made her space feel safer. But tonight, with the wind raging outside, she wasn’t sure. Was she secure as in safe or secure like a prisoner? 

She heard the door knob rattle. It was the house keeper and butler’s last job of the night, before locking themselves in their rooms, to make sure all the rooms were locked. 

Lucy thought this must be a tiresome job. She’d had a governess as she’d gotten older and not ever attended a boarding school, she’d never stayed the night outside of her room, so she had no idea if this was normal. Based on how many novels she’d read though, none of them mentioning locking oneself in at night, she suspected not. Especially as she grew older. 

She picked up her book again. 

The wind rampaged outside. 

And then she thought she heard something else. 

It was faint. A voice perhaps? But it wasn’t the house keeper’s or the butler’s. It was higher. Sweeter. Softer. It seemed to be singing… 

Follow me down to the well to play. 

The moon is bright to light the way. 

We’ll run and we’ll dance. It’ll be good fun. 

Come. Come. Come. Come.  

Lucy felt strangely tempted to get out of bed and investigate. 

She’d pulled back the covers and her feet were sliding into her slippers. Her robe was on and she was tying it shut. She started moving towards the door. 

The wind had stopped. 

She heard the song still echoing down the hallway. Quieter now. As though the owner of the voice had passed her room and kept walking. 

Her hand rested on the silver door knob. 

She jolted, as if she’d walked there in a dream and was now awake. 

‘Never open the door at night,’ she whispered to herself, ‘no matter what.’ 

She shook her head and walked back to her bed. Untied her robe and set it at the foot. Sat down. Slid her slippers off. And pulled the duvet and blankets back up. It was still warm where she’d been sitting. 

She left the lamp on but went to sleep. 

She couldn’t remember her dreams when she woke up. 

At breakfast with her family, gathered around the large dining table, she mentioned in passing, ‘I have the oddest feeling about me today, as though something important happened but I can’t remember what.’ 

Her parents exchanged a look with each other. She missed it though as she was focused on buttering her toast. 

She looked up then, her face clearing and brow smoothing. ‘Oh well. It looks to be a beautiful day today!’