In the light of the morning he could see it. Hovering quietly just behind the barbs of the corner bushes, it held its place. The silence left an odd feeling in his stomach. This close to the road he should hear people driving by, mere yards behind the shape in the bushes. He should feel the wind flowing through the yard, and the sounds of the neighborhood. All was still, all was silent.
Moving slightly out of the door, he thought he should feel something, anything. His fingers left the door frame behind as he slowly let the screen close behind him. Waiting on the porch was as silent and still as before. But now he noticed a denseness of air. The temperature seemed chillier, and as he looked around he noticed the shape no longer hovered in the bushes. In his ear, a quiet voice asked, “are you really here?”
==================
Copyright 2025 Russell Dickerson. All rights reserved.