The Owl on Her Window

I t was 2:00 of the dawn and she was alone in home, sleepless, in alert. Her name was Anne Suditore, she was Italian, and were living, when she was about 15 years old, in a city named Veneza, also known as la Serenissima. She was average height, about 1,65m, long brown hair, light skin, slim, beautiful, and had eyes as dark as the night.

She was unquiet that night, her remedies had ended two days before, and this was no good to a schizophrenic and hyperactive girl. But anyway her parents left her alone.

Was Thursday and her parents would come back just on Saturday, at morning. She sat up on the bed. Verified her heartbeats, they were okay, she was okay, but looked like anxious. Were 2:16 of the dawn and she was certain would be a long night.

Drank a cup of water, and stayed there, inert, for one hour more. Was almost 3 and a half of the dawn when she heard a noise from the kitchen, as if a cup fell on the ground. The lights were not turned on and the noise had gone, but she needed to verify, after all, probably there was someone or something there. Next to the bed there was just one of her sandals, she preferred to go barefoot, also to be more quiet.

She didn’t turn on any light. Passed by her parent’s room, to defend herself decided to catch the hockey stick that they bought the week before. Walked to the kitchen, along the corridor. Before she walks in, saw a shadow moving, two big brown eyes faced deep in her eyes. So, she turned on the lights, prepared to hit anyone that were there.

She screamed when a little piece of glass cut her foot. She had forgotten the damn broken glass. Almost hit the invader, stopped with the hockey stick close to the “target”: Was an Owl

She had forgotten the window opened, before go to sleep, and, because there is no a single tree close to there, the damn owl chose that window to pass the rainy night, and, when it went in, probably bumped in a glass that was there.

Because of the Anne scream, the owl got scared and ran out of there, while the girl walked to the bathroom, limping. Left behind a blood trail where she passed, and, when she went in she took the medic kit and treated her superficial wound.

She closed the kitchen window, turned off the light and went to the room. Only now she noticed that were raining lightly. The soft sound of the water dropping on the window and the smell of the wet ground calmed her down, but the night was just starting for her.

She decided to take a shower. Went back to the bathroom, with the lights off, noticed that the mirror was broke in four pieces, as a cross. She turned on the lights, without wonder about the mirror. Started to undress, then noticed that 2 of the 4 parts of the mirror were not reflecting she anymore, and, behind her, there wasn’t a shadow anymore, but a X drawn with blood.

Her heart started to beat harder. She looked the ground and noticed that her foot was not hurt anymore. The x on the wall had disappeared and now 3 of 4 pieces of the mirror were reflecting her.

The heart was beating harder, she, scary and without t-shirt, tried to open the bathroom door to run away, but it was locked. “Weird”, she thought, “I don’t remember lock this door”.

The fear consumed her, when she noticed that the key wasn’t on the door. Looked around, with fear and teardrops on the eyes, and saw the key the bathroom background. She walked to there and crouched.

When she tried to pick up the key, a chill ran across his column. The key wasn’t there, she felt the hand wetting and when she looked at the hand she noticed that was fresh blood. Where she touched had a written: “Look behind, my lady”.

When she read it, her heart, that was finally calm, back to beat strong, and your head hurt as someone had hit it. Even no one had did anything, she fell on the ground, unconscious.

She woke up about 15 minutes later, still woozy. Looked to the ground. It was all clean, the mirror was right. All was okay. She was still without the t-shirt, that wasn’t in the bathroom anymore.

The door was open.

Anne rubbed her eyes. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Could even swear that before she got unconscious the door was locked and your clothes were on your feet. She leaned her head, looked better… She closed and opened again her eyes. Besides all, your foot was bandaged again, even there were not a single drop of blood on the floor.

She stand up, leaning in bathroom stall and on the wall, and walked out the bathroom. She went to the kitchen. The window was opened again and the owl still there.

Confused, just astound the owl and closed the window. She drank a glass of water and thought about calling someone. Was sure there was someone inside the apartment. She took the telephone. The line was cut, but it was still sounding as if it was occupied, and bottom she heard the whispers saying: “Leave the phone and Jumps from window! End it all, now!

She left the phone fall out. Your eyes became full of teardrops, and she ran to her room, scared, almost having a heart attack. She remembered that wasn’t wearing the t-shirt.

When she went in the room, saw all the drawers of the wardrobe on the floor, empty. The bed was without sheet, the pillow without pillowcase, the window opened. When looking through the window, before close it, noticed that your purple curtain was on the parking, torn. Closed quickly the window. She looked under the bed and upside the bunk bed, looking for something different.

There were nothing.

She was still trembling with fear. She took the cellphone on the nightstand, turned off the light and went to the parent’s room. After look under the bed, looking for some invader, she decided look for some clothes there.

Everything was right, except for that there were any clothes there. Nothing but a note where she read: “Look behind you, my lady”. Her heart began to pound hard. She, breathless and frightened, only obeyed.

When she looked behind, saw the opened window, and the same owl. When approaching, trying scare it, she noticed that the owl had different colored eyes, one eye was brown and the other was red as blood.

Anne scared the owl again. When she looked through the window saw that the rain stopped. She thought about run away. Maybe she could do it, but she remembered that still without her t-shirt, and, unbelievably, there was nothing to wear there.

Anne reminded of an automatic gun that your father bought the year before. She didn’t know anything about theory, but she was great in practice. She had eagle eyes, and hit targets at 30 meters of distance without difficulties.

She took the gun, there were two bullets. It would be enough.

Out the parent’s room, she walked to the dead sister’s room, looking for some clothes. When she went in, saw the opened window again. The owl. But, this time, the owl brought in the beak a note. Fearing, she took the note, and saw the message again:

“Look behind you, my lady.”

Again, she obeyed. She saw a shadow passing fast into the door and felt something on her shoulders. It was the damn owl. Screamed and got unconscious, again.

It was already 4:30, daylight saving time. In one and a half hour the sun would rise. In three hours the maid would come. Anne just had to stand there.

Anne woke up. The owl had gone, and the window was closed. She searched the entire room but didn’t found anything, even the clothes that she came to find.

She stand up, with wielded weapon, prepared to shoot. She went to the living room. Saw that she got unconscious for a half hour.

When looking the living room, noticed some furniture out of place. Closed the eyes for a few moments, and, when she opened they, saw the empty living room. The opened window. The owl. This time, under the window there was, written with blood, the message: “No, my lady, don’t look behind you”.

When she read that, noticed that was in the middle of the living room, feeling a strange heat behind her. Anne wasn’t with weapon anymore. She looked behind and saw a face. He was beautiful.

If she wasn’t the damn invader, she would fall in love. Her heart beat increasingly strong, while the fear was mixed with the shame of being without a shirt. The killer looked at her blankly, analyzing, pointing the gun at the Anne’s head.

Paralyzed, she felt the proximity to the boy, who wrapped her waist with a hand, while the gun was still aiming for her head.