Chapter 27 - An Uninvited Phantom
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It was a sharp, distinct crunch of gravel near the dark side alley connecting our house to the street.
I turned my head toward the shadows beyond the garden fence. The streetlamp at the corner flickered, casting long, eerie shadows across the grass.
"Did you hear that?" I asked quietly, my nursing instincts instantly making my muscles tense.
My mother frowned slightly, looking toward the side yard. "It was probably just a stray cat, sweetheart, or the wind in the bushes."
"Maybe," I murmured, but the uneasy feeling in my gut flared up again—a phantom ache from two years ago that I hadn't felt in a very long time.
I walked to the edge of the patio steps, squinting into the darkness. "Hello? Is someone there?"
There was no answer, only the steady whistle of the summer wind through the pine trees.
"Sarah, come back inside," my mother called out softly from the patio door. "The guests are cutting the cake."
"I'll be right there, Mom," I said, taking one last look at the dark driveway before turning back toward the warm light of the house.
The rest of the night passed in a blur of laughter, dessert, and heartfelt goodbyes. By midnight, the last of our guests had driven away. Dr. Reynolds gave us both a warm hug, and Mr. Pendelton walked back across the street to his house, waving from his porch.
My mother and I cleaned up the kitchen together, placing the silver platters away and washing the wine glasses.
At 1:00 AM, my mother kissed my forehead and headed upstairs to bed, exhausted but radiant. I stayed downstairs, double-checking the locks on the doors and windows out of old habit.
May you like
As I walked past the front entryway, I noticed a plain, white envelope lying on the welcome mat inside the foyer.
It had been slipped through the brass mail slot in the front door.
