The knocking turned incessant.

Which was just another way of saying 'too loud to ignore'. Three boys, each a cousin brother of hers had come here with their moms. The mothers, along with her own mother, were off on a shopping spree.

All of them lay under thick blankets of wool that had its frayed strings dangling all over it. Weird it was to hear such a noise. No. Unusual was not the noise, but the fact that it was coming from downstairs instead of the wooden door which led down the stairs.

It was as if someone was knocking on the ground.

But who would be knocking on the ground this late in the evening? She shivered and pulled her own blanket tighter around her chest. It scared her. It was mid-winter and the tenants who lived below and above them had gone off to their villages. Such an oddity it was to hear these sounds from a place that is empty.

It could be a mouse.

Shadows grew around the corners of the area. The room was small. Haphazardly put into place were a few huge objects; the vanity dresser, the queen-sized bed supported with a royal bed frame, a table, and an almaari, all royal brown in color. As magnificent these things were, they were all too old. The pieces of the bedding and vanity were chipped off from places. Rickety was the table once furnished with the finest wood, and the metal almaari had been ripped off the metal bar that used to open it. Another problem was the loss of space.

With all these objects covering the place, there was a little space left to walk on.

Three doors made an exit through this room. One led to a spacious balcony, the other to the kitchen, and the last one to the stairs. In a manner of speaking, all we're interconnected. Even if someone broke in, they could always escape through the other two doors. That, to her mind, sounded very much like a plan.

This shabby house with a single room was more or less an indication of the poverty of her family.

The peach-colored walls brought back memories of her mother painting them in the midsummer. Not for creativity, but for the mere purpose of hiding the ugly monotonous white paint.

Agitation filled her to the brim.

Ceased was the knocking now. Calm wafted through the air, and she slipped into a comfortable position. It was easy to doze off. If not for the fear clouding her mind, she would've already done it.

Conformity built up in her mind. There was indeed someone in these houses comprised of three floors and three different families. Among all the other facts, the fact that they were all alone was more horrifying than the others.

Whoever it was, she wasn't going to open the door and check.

If the intruder wouldn't enter this place, they were safe. She just needed to keep her quiet. That particular thought eased her worries, and soon, she dozed off to a sweet slumber.

***
Comfort was a short-lived thing in her life.

The silence she had been keeping to delude a possible intruder broke away with the ringing of the phone beside her. Snatching it away, she picked up the call. A fortune it was to see that none had been disturbed.

"Vayshali, we will be coming home around ten today. Handle the boys till then, would you?"

It was her mother.

Rubbing away at her eyes, she stifled a yawn. One glance was all it took to see that they were still asleep. Ah, the only sweet thing about this day!

"That won't be a problem, maa."

When the call hung up, the knocking began. This time, however, it was on the door.

637 words

Author's Note

So, I had this really strange dream today. Luckily, I remembered it and took the decision to pen it down. So, there you go.

Fun Fact: I was the main character. *wheezes* I just changed the settings to make it more realistic. Also, my name is not Vayshali.