Midnight Detective

Loud screams woke me up. I was dripping with sweat. I glanced at the digital clock beside my bed. It was past midnight.

A breeze broke in through the window just opposite my bed, and that made me quiver. I pulled the blanket up to my chin. I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep. More screams, this time accompanied by bumps and bangs.

BANG! Startled, I kicked the covers and leapt to my feet. I tiptoed to the window and closed it, trying to block out the annoying sounds. As I made my way to bed, I heard an angry man's voice, followed by a loud sound: CRASH! I climbed into bed and buried my head under the pillow. I was drifting off to sleep when I heard someone crying.

Furious and curious, I jumped out of bed, to find out what was going on. Barefoot, I hoisted myself up to the window and climbed out into the dead of night. It was cold outside, and the moon cast a grey light on the grass.

I glanced around. My eyes fixed on the Anderson's house. I saw a rectangle of light on their lawn. I walked toward their garden, adjacent to their swimming pool. As I approached their driveway, I discovered where the sounds had come from.

Cautiously, I moved toward their window, certain that in seconds I would find out what was happening. Another cry from inside their house stopped me. That's it! Someone is being murdered!

Forcing the thought out of my mind, I took a few more steps toward the window. I peeked through, and breathed a sigh of relief. A smile grew on my sweaty face, and I realised I was wrong. Something beautiful had happened in there.

Mrs. Anderson had just given birth. Everything started to make sense: The cries were from the newborn baby. The bumps and bangs were Mrs. Anderson's furniture being knocked around, in Mrs. Anderson's childbirth struggle. What I'd thought was an angry man's voice had been Mr. Anderson, encouraging his wife to push, at the top of his lungs.

The following night, I lay on my back, staring at the roof. Thinking about what had happened the previous night, I smiled. I pulled the covers up and closed my eyes. This night will be peaceful and quiet.

I was drifting off to sleep when the baby next door started to cry.

-Randall Basson