Impact by Jan Darrow

Impact by Jan Darrow

It was exactly 9pm when Harper left the library and started her walk home.

After reaching the corner of University and Main she turned left into downtown. The wind picked up. Blowing rain hurled sideways across the pedestrian signs. Traffic lights changed and changed again. The clock above the coffee shop struck a quarter hour. Harper ducked inside to tuck her scarf into her hood. For the end of October, it was cold.

When she got to the corner of Fourth and Main, she stopped in front of the drug store to look at the decorations in the window. She loved Halloween. A rustic cabinet held green faced witches. A vase filled with Chinese lanterns sat against a backdrop of lit ceramic pumpkins and branches of bittersweet.

She took a couple of steps back and by accident bumped into someone. For a moment she lost her breath.

With their hood pulled up, the person barely turned back to look at her.

While regaining her balance she saw the figure turn the corner. The impact was enough to make her think it had been a man.

She was a little shaken but continued down the street and turned right onto Walnut. The lighting was less intense as she headed south and by the time she got to Wilcox and Fifth the lamp post lighting was gone and there was only an occasional overhead streetlight. Harper adjusted her backpack and as she turned, she looked back and saw the figure from Main Street walking in her direction. She hurried on, past the cemetery and up the hill.

She was relieved when she finally turned onto her own street but became alarmed when she saw the figure coming up behind her. Freezing rain pelted her jacket now. Up ahead her house was dark. She ran toward it and pulled the key from her pocket. Once inside she locked the deadbolt behind her.

Harper let her backpack drop to the floor. She quickly lifted a living room curtain to see the figure outside walking up to her front door. The wind rattled the windowpane.

The doorbell rang.

She stepped back into the foyer. In the distance she heard a siren blaring from downtown. Harper flipped on the porch light and looked through the peep hole. The large hood hung down still covering his face.

Sirens continued to multiply.

What did he want?

Still thinking, she rationalized … he isn’t very tall.

All at once she felt more confident and turned on the foyer light.

When she opened the front door, the figure pulled back the hood.

And Harper saw herself standing on the porch under the light.

The horror was as sharp as the ice falling from the sky. 

* * * * THE END * * * *
Copyright Jan Darrow 2025

Image Source: tweetyspics from Pixabay