I peeked around the corner looking towards our glass door.
The blinds were pulled shut, but I could still see the hairy feet of an old man. When I saw the doorknob twist, my heart jumped.
Why didn't I lock the door like I always do?
This one time I forgot and I have a stranger at the door?
I heard the door creak open. Dad, for the past 2 years, had
forgotten to oil the rusted hinges. I hid behind the wall.
I'm not even sure if I was breathing. I could see a long shadow of a figure cast across our kitchen floor.
"Hello, hello is anyone there?" The man repeated.
Something inside of me wanted to yell back. My mouth dared not move.
"Hello!" The man yelled again. I heard him walking towards me.
Staying crouched down… I crept into my parent’s bedroom. I hid underneath their bed, where the ruffles of the long sheets could offer me protection as they softly draped along the floor. Once there, I turned my head away from the door, too scared to take a breath.
To my surprise, just under the draping sheets was Mum's phone.
I could remember her running around this morning trying to find it before she left.
I carefully grabbed the phone. I heard the man head down the hall towards the bathroom. I heard him chuckle as he opened the door, knowing what he would find on the counter.
He probably felt like a millionaire letting the expensive jewelry slip through his fingers.
I slowly dialed those three single numbers that I needed the most.
My heart raced even more when I heard the floor creak as the man came out of the bathroom, headed to my bedroom where I knew he'd find even more.
Trying to collect my thoughts, I heard someone on the other end of the phone.
Hello, Hello is anyone there?
I whispered so low, I'm not even sure she heard me. By now, I was shaking so much I was sure that the old man would feel the floor rumble. I never moved, not even once, until I heard the sirens.
That's when the thing I least expected happened.
The man, scared by the noise, jumped under the draping sheets and laid down beside me.
