Watcher in the Night
Kumari watches, unseen, as Seth’s car pulls into the driveway, confirming that this is indeed his house. A woman, must be his new wife, steps out to wait on the front step, a baby in her arms and another child tugging on her leg. A third child skateboards up the drive moments later, throwing himself at Seth for a big hug. Kumari is mildly surprised at how big the children are; she’d lost track of how much time had passed while she’d tracked down Seth and his family.
She watches as he walks over to the stoop, takes the baby, and kisses his new wife before the whole family heads inside and closes the door. She continues watching as evening falls and lights come on in the kitchen, where they make dinner and do homework, then in the living room where they watch a movie. Slowly the children are taken off to bed, until it’s just Seth and his new wife curled up together on the couch before they too move upstairs. A light briefly comes on, then off. The house is dark.
Kumari watches the house as the moon travels across the sky. When it passes behind a cloud and the night shadows solidify and creep towards the windows, she stands and walks towards the house.
“He is mine,” she hisses into the night.
The clouds drift away and the moonlight again shines down on the house. The shadows are gone too, and the next day she knows that Seth and his…
