Night Glow

(work in progress)

"What is that?" she wondered, gazing at the eerie glow in the sky to the south. It was a dark, moonless night, which made that strange glow even more obvious as she peered out her bedroom window. The large house was silent, all the inhabitants long since gone--except for herself and Nelson, her three-year-old St. Bernard.

She looked back at him sleeping on the floor at the foot of the bed. His sheer size made her feel secure, although he wasn't a vicious animal. If any intruder did enter the house, Nelson would no doubt smother the villian in wet doggie kisses. The only plus about him doing that was the fact that he'd probably knock the person down in his exuberance, giving Nisha time to escape and get help. She sighed, looking toward the southern sky. The light seemed closer now, or was she imaging it?

As she watched, she thought about how things used to be in this large Victorian house that had been her home for two-and-a-half decades. She had been born right here in this room on the bed Nelson was guarding even in his sleep. Her parents had been wealthy, and there had been servants who enjoyed the task of helping Lady Marsha with the baby. A brother arrived when Nisha was a toddler, followed by a brother and sister a year later--the first twins in the family's history.

As they grew older, the house was filled with childish laughter. They chased each other up and down the stairs and through the huge rooms, their feet echoing on the marble floors. Her parents gave them free rein of the house when there were no guests.

Time marched on, and the children became adults. Life was good--until the day her brothers and sister vanished into thin air, or so it seemed. They had all been out riding through the forest on the east side of the estate when it happened. Nisha and her parents had stopped to remove a pebble stuck in her horse's hoof; the others kept going.

When Nisha and her parents rounded the bend, the others were nowhere in sight. When they still hadn't returned several hours later, a search ensued. They were never found... not even the horses they'd been riding. That was five years ago.

Two years after they vanished, Lord Jim--Nisha's father--died in a hunting accident. After that, Nisha's mother pined so much for her lost loved ones that she eventually died of a broken heart a mere six months after her husband's death. She had lost the will to live. Nisha sighed again. "At least they're all together now," she whispered.

Last year, Nisha decided to let all the servants go. Watching them every day had brought back too many painful memories, and their constant looks of sympathy were more than she could bear. She had closed off most of the rooms in the house, making it easier to manage.  She and Nelson lived in five of the twenty rooms. It was enough for them.

The light came again, closer. It seemed to be an oval type of glow. As she watched, it didn't seem to be moving, yet it had definitely gotten closer.     

"What can it be?" she said.

Glancing at the clock, she was startled to see how late it was. Letting the curtain fall back into place, she approached the bed. She needed to get some sleep. Tomorrow she would set in motion her plan to turn her house into an orphanage. She could afford to do it since she had inherited more money than she could spend in a lifetime from her parents. The orphans would have a happy home with her and Nelson. She knew her parents would approve of her decision about the orphanage if it were possible for them to do so.

*****

Nelson suddenly raised his head, ears twitching.  He turned towards the window, listening. Finally, he lumbered to his feet and approached the window, nudging the curtain aside. He growled. The deep rumble filled the room. Nisha stirred. The dog raced downstairs to the kitchen. A glance out the kitchen window was more than enough to cause Nelson to bark and snarl, and lunge at the glass pane.

Nisha bolted upright in her bed. The clock read 3 a.m. Throwing on her robe, she raced out of her bedroom. She had never heard Nelson do this before. He actually sounded vicious and she knew he wasn't.

"Nelson?" she said, skidding to a stop next to the kitchen counter.

The dog didn't even glance at her as he focused on whatever was beyond that window. Fear suddenly gripped her. Her heart pounded and she began to tremble. Her legs felt weak as she slowly approached the window and Nelson, grabbing a cast-iron skillet on the way. Holding the skillet like a baseball bat with one hand, she drew the curtain aside with the other hand. Nelson went beserk, nearly knocking her over as he reared at the window with renewed vigor. She squeezed her eyes shut, suddenly not wanting to see whatever was out there... see whatever it was that could cause her gentle dog to act so crazed.

"You have to know what the threat is," she admonished herself.

Taking a deep breath for courage, Nisha snapped her eyes open.

"Oh my God!" she screamed, hastily closing the curtain, holding it closed as if that would erase what was out there. Her trembling legs gave way and she sank to the floor, pulling Nelson down with her. He broke away from her and attacked the window again. She tried to rise from the floor, but blackness descended upon her.