What happens in the dark

I knew something strange was happening the moment I opened the front door.  It was way too quiet.  Having three children the house was always filled with noise.  I called out to my husband Matthew, he didn’t answer.  I wondered what the four of them were up to.  I put down my groceries bags when my eight year old daughter Ella appeared.  Her hair was wind blown and she looked like she’d had a fight.  “What happened to you Ella? Where’s your dad?” I asked with concern in my voice.

“We were putting up the tent and Milo was running in and out of it.  I tried to stop him but he jumped me and wouldn’t stop licking me.” Ella told me.  “It was so funny Mum.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, that it was only our dog Milo playing with her.  “Dad said we can sleep in the tent tonight,” Ella announced. “Practice from when we go camping next week.”

Matthew walked into the house and I gave him an angry stare.  “What?” he blurted out looking confused.

“Ella just said you are allowing the kids to camp in the backyard,” I said in a stern voice.

Ella was going through the grocery bags.  “Are these for tonight? she asked, showing me a bag of chips.

“Ella put them back and go play with Chloe and Liam.” I said in a much more calmer voice.

Ella put the chips down and sprinted outside.  “I take it I’m in trouble? Matthew said looking like he had done nothing wrong.

I nodded. “Sweetheart we were just putting up the tent.  I wanted to work out how it was done.  The kids were helping and asked if we can sleep in it tonight.  I don’t see a problem with that.” he explained.

“You forgot didn’t you?  We are meant to have dinner with Michelle and Jon.  We haven’t seen them in over a month.”  I told him.

“Sorry,  I thought it was next week.”

“What would you do without me.  You’d be lucky to remember your own name sometimes.”

Matthew laughed.  “I never want to know a life without you.”

“You are so charming, too charming for my own good.

“So I’m not in trouble then?”

I laughed and shook my head.

Putting on my new blue dress,  I gazed in the mirror.  I had this dress for a month and this was the first time I was able to wear it.  Matthew walked into the bedroom still wearing the same jeans and black top he was wearing all day.  “Are you going to change?” I asked.

Matthew started to take off his clothes.  “What are you wearing? I questioned him, thinking he would put on another pair of jeans and a casual top.

“I’m thinking of going naked,” Matthew joked.

“If you're a good boy,” I started to say when I heard a loud bang.  “You get dressed and I’ll see what the kids have done.”

I ran down the stairs to see a broken window.  “What did you do?  I roared.

Ella looked at me. “Mum it was the wind. Something hit the window.”

I went to look at the window and  could see it was very windy,  A tree branch had come through the window.  “Stay where you are,  I’m going to get your dad.” 

“Mummy, I’m scared,” Chloe said with a sob in her voice.

“It’s alright Chloe, you stay with Ella and Liam.  Mummy and daddy will come back and clean this up.”

Chloe nodded and I started to run up the stairs, Matthew was on his way down.  “A tree branch went through the window.” I explained.

“Go upstairs and get changed.  A storm is about to hit. We won’t be going anywhere.” he said.  “I’ll start to clean up,”

I rushed upstairs and quickly changed and then called our babysitter to cancel.  I called Michelle who said the storm had just caused a power outage.  Going back downstairs I saw the kids watching tv and Matthew cleaning up.  “What do you want me to do Matthew?” I asked

“Sit down with the kids,  I got this.”

I sat down and started to watch the tv show the kids are watching.  “Mummy,” Liam said.  “What about the tent?”

“Don’t worry Liam if anything has happened to the tent we will get another one.  We are still going camping.”

Within an hour the storm had passed and the wind died down.  Matthew got up and looked at me.  “I’m checking on the tent.”

“If the tent isn’t smashed, can we stay in it tonight?”  Ella asked.

I was about to talk when the power went out plunging us into darkness.  “Mummy,” the kids all screamed.  

A torch light could be seen,  “Are you all okay?” I heard Matthew's voice.

“We are all on the sofa.  Can you get us some candles?” I called out.

“We have lanterns in the tent, I’ll go and get them,” Matthew told me.

“Can we sleep in the tent tonight.  We will be good,” Ella piped up.

“Yeah mummy we will be good, Liam added.

“What is like outside? I had to ask.

“The tent is okay and it didn’t rain that much,  I can take you all to the tent, come back and get some food and blankets.”

“Okay,  we can sleep in the tent tonight.  If the weather gets bad again we come back in.  

The kids all cheered.  

Within twenty minutes we were all settled into the tent.  The kids were eating potato chips and Matthew and I had snuggled under a blanket.  “We should play a game.” Matthew announced. 

Chloe looked at us pulling out her Barbie dolls.   “We can play Barbies.”

“What about I spy?” Matthew announced.

The kids all shook their heads.  I laughed, I spy was his go to game in the car when the kids got too noisy. “And you can come up with something better?  Matthew told me,

“Have you got your phone?”

Matthew hands me his phone.  “Okay what about the dancing game.  I play some music and daddy waves the torch around and when he turns it off you have to stop dancing.”

The kids all cheered.  “I should haven’t even tried.” Matthew told me.  “You are so much better than me at what the kids like.”

“Don’t worry, you're a good dad.”

I turned on the music.  Katy Perry’s Teenage dream played and the kids all started to dance.  Ella and Chloe tried to dance like Katy, while Liam was being goofy.  Matthew waved the torch.  “Liam dances like you,” I said to Matthew.

“I showed him my moves,” Matthew said proudly, before turning off the torch.

“Where is Milo? I asked as Matthew turned the torch back on.

As if hearing his name Milo came pounding over, making his way through the tent flap.

The game went on for over a hour before the kids got tired, even Milo had fallen asleep.  I turned off the music and Matthew turned off the torch.  Within five minutes the kids were asleep.  “I’m exhausted,”  I announced.

“I feel like I have run up a mountain,” Matthew added.

Both of us flopped down onto the air mattress, I gave him a kiss and he pulled me close for a cuddle.  Before either of us knew it we were asleep.

Milos barking woke me up and I sat up and opened the flap on the tent to let Milo out.  I then noticed shadows moving in the house.  I grabbed Milo and started to stroke him so he would stop barking.  Matthew sat up and wiped his eyes.  “Let Milo out will you?”

“I think there is someone in the house,” I explained as Matthew moved toward me.

He looked out the flap.  “Someone is in the house,” he told me.  “Pass me my phone and turn out the lantern.”

I quickly handed Matthew the phone and leaned over to turn out the lantern.  I could hear Matthew call the police as I continued to stroke Milo.  I looked over where my children slept.  I couldn’t see them.  I started to crawl over toward them. “Mummy,” I heard Liam call out.

“Mummy’s here baby.  Milo, go to Liam.  Liam, Milo is going to look after you.  Stay down.”

“Mummy,” I hear Chloe cry out.

“I’m here you lay down and go back to sleep.”

“I’m scared,” Chloe sobbed.    

I crawl toward where Chloe laid.  “Quiet baby, mummy’s here.”

A loud bang could be heard.  Ella sat up.  “Mummy, Daddy,” she wept.

“Lay down Ella,” Matthew told her.  

“What was that noise?” I asked, as I reached out to Ella.

“Looks like they knocked something or threw something over,” Matthew replied.  “I can see shadows moving up the stairs.”

I was shaking,  I was more scared for my family than I was myself.  “I should go in,” Matthew announced.

“No,” I snapped.  “Stay here with us.”

“Okay,  I’ll stay but if they come anywhere near the tent, I’m going after them.”

I knew Matthew wanted to protect us, but I was scared he would get hurt, or worse.  We had been married nine years and I couldn’t bare for him to be taken from me.  I heard another loud bang and jumped a little.  “It’s okay, I think they are back in the living room,” Matthew told me as he watched what was happening from a small part in the flap,  “It looks like they don’t know we are here.”

The sound of police sirens could be heard getting closer.  “They are coming out the back, there are three of them,” Matthew explained.

There was a loud bang and I shook.  “Looks like the police,” Matthew disclosed.  “The intruders are trying to climb the fence.”

I felt a sigh of relief that the intruders would be away from us.   I cared that the police would apprehend them, what I cared about more was they would be away from my family.  Shouting could be heard and the children woke.  I tried my best to comfort them.

Suddenly the tent flap opened and the light from the torch could be seen.  “Are you all okay.?” the voice questioned.

“We are fine,” Matthew acknowledged.  He then got up and went outside the tent.

I could see a light and I got up and opened the tent flap and noticed the lights in the house were on.  “Finally,” I whispered.

I turned back on one of the lanterns. Looking over at my children I noticed they were all asleep.  I sat there for what seemed like ages staring at my babies.  Matthew came back into the tent.  “The police have taken them in.  They created quite the mess.  The door is broken,  I was able to get it back up,  we are going to be quite busy tomorrow.”

“Should we go in?” I inquired.

“No, it’s a mess in there.  I got Liams cricket bat, Matthew said as he lifted the bat.  “It’s three in the morning,  we should get some sleep.”

Matthew crawled under the blankets and I crawled under after him.  I was feeling exhausted but also blessed that we were all safe.  Before I knew it I was asleep. Lost in the sweet dreams of my family.