The Night Watchman

It was two o'clock in the morning and Ashley Bowman was still awake. Josh, her husband of six months, lay beside her, his chest moving up and down with the slow steady breath of slumber. Seeing him made her smile. She knew it wasn't a dream.

The thing keeping her wide awake was excitement. This was their first night in their very first house. Ashley could hardly believe it. All her life, she had dreamed of marrying a wonderful man and living in a beautiful house on a quiet street. Now it seemed to be coming true.

Even though she was exhausted from hauling boxes all day, Ashley knew that sleep just wasn't going to happen. Luckily, it was Friday and she didn't have to work the next day. She decided to take this opportunity to get some more unpacking done.

She crept down to the living room where many boxes stood piled up against the wall. The light from the street lamps came flooding in through the huge windows. "Curtains," Ashley said, out loud. She would look for those first. It didn't take her long to spot the box labeled "curtains" and she quickly went over to the window an began to hang them. She had gotten one curtain up before she noticed him....

Across the street, standing perfectly still, was a shadowed figure. She couldn't see any of his features, but something about him filled Ashley with dread. She then realized that he must be able to see her staring back. Suddenly frightened, she jumped behind the curtain. Who is that man, she wondered. It took her a few minutes to work up the courage to look again. When she did, no one was there.