The Thingys: Chapter 2
The Beginning
2 1/2 years earlier
“Psst.”
Miriam felt something hitting her shoulder. She had fallen asleep in her usual spot: the living room couch. The blue, speckled couch had faded from its years of use as a bed. She flipped over.
“Shh.”
Miriam felt as though her eyes had weights attached to them. As she opened her eyes, she struggled against the darkness to make out the face of the person standing above her. She soon heard her mother’s soft, familiar voice.
Anna put a finger to her lips. “Get up and come with me.”
“Huh?” Miriam narrowed her eyes, causing her to feel the coolness of her glasses against her cheeks and forehead. Since it was still dark, she couldn’t guess what time it must have been. She scratched her head.
“What’s going on, Mom?”
“Follow me.”
“Why?” Miriam worried her mother was sleepwalking again. It had become routine. She could walk, talk, and sing all while asleep. It was funny the first time it happened, but the frequency had begun to scare her. Anna, embarrassed, had disclosed her new behavior to her doctor, and he suggested a sleep study. But, as usual, Anna decided to worry about everyone except herself.
“Are you awake, Mom?”
Anna put her hands on her hips. “Hurry up.” She motioned for Miriam to follow her.
“Mom, you’re sleepwalking again.”
“Be quiet, Miriam. We gotta go.”
Since Anna wasn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer, and since Miriam was still half-asleep, she decided to follow Anna’s lead. The two walked down the carpeted hall and into the bathroom. Anna shut the door, creating the least bit of noise, and locked it. “We’ll be safe in here,” she said.
“But what about Dad?” asked Miriam.
“He wouldn’t come. He doesn’t listen to me. We have to protect ourselves.” Anna placed her hands on her daughter’s shoulders. “Now, pray, Miri. Pray that God will protect us and Mark, too.” Anna kneeled on the cold tile floor. She folded her hands and moved her lips in silent prayer.
Miriam, puzzled, watched her mother. She didn’t know how to wake her, so she decided to simply let her continue until the dream ended. It wasn’t long before Miriam heard footsteps shuffling across the carpet toward the bathroom. A loud boom against the door caused both women’s heads to snap up. Anna’s hand shot out to grab Miriam’s leg.
“No,” Anna mouthed the word. Her face held such a look of pain that Miriam didn’t want to take another step. Miriam tried to shake the hand from her leg, but she couldn’t.
“Hey!” It was Mark’s voice, gruff and deep.
“Dad!” Miriam shouted.
“What’re y’all doin’ in there?”
“Dad, Mom said there was someone in the house, and that we’d be safe if we locked ourselves in here.”
“Open the door.” Mark cleared his voice, trying to make himself sound more awake. Miriam stretched for the handle and opened the door. Anna, still kneeling, let go of Miriam’s leg and placed her palms on her own thighs. She looked defeated.
“I heard y’all pass by the door. Shoot, Mama tried to get me to come in here with her. I told her, ‘ain’t nobody in here’, an’ I went back to sleep. How long y’all been in here?”
“Just a few minutes, Dad.”
“Yep. I thought I heard somebody walkin’ down the hallway, whisperin’. Well, you can go back to sleep.” Mark bent down to give Anna an arm to lean on. “Come on, girl,” he said. “Let’s go back to sleep.”
“But –” Anna began to protest. Mark quickly cut her off.
“No. Nobody in here but us.”
Anna looked up at her husband and raised her eyebrows in question.
Mark looked directly in her eyes. “There’s nobody in here but us. You’re sleepwalking.” He helped her to her feet. Miriam stood in the door as they made their way back down the hall.
“Are you sure?” Anna questioned her husband.
Mark replied, “I’m sure.”