In the Still of the Night...

I wake up in a strange house
in a strange bed
from the depths
of a deep
dark
drug induced sleep....

I wake up to the sound of the dog barking

not the yappy dog of my past
but the big rough baritone bark
of a full sized guard dog...

in an instant I remember
I am at the cuz's house
house sitting and dog sitting
while they are away...

I holler the dog's name
but he continues to bark....

I roll over groping for my glasses
so I can see the clock

it's 1:31 AM
I've been asleep for possibly 4 hours

my head is muzzy
and my heart is racing

it is pitch dark
in this house

I lay listening to the sound of
the wind blowing
through the leaves
of the old growth trees
in the yard and the green space
behind the house
I can hear nothing else
but for the sound of my racing heart....

why can't I still
my racing heart?

the dog begins to bark again...
he's pacing
not racing
but pacing from the front door
to the back

this big old dog that I am here
to care for
that has barked but once
in 10 days
and that was at a motorcycle
2 doors over...

the private old neighbourhood
cul de sac is quiet
traffic free
sleeping...
but for the sound of the dog barking

what do I do?
I feel vulnerable
in my own home I know where
the tools of protection are kept
a simple 2 feet from my bed

in this big old house
they could be a whole floor away
a distance of 30 seconds
can make a difference between life and death

"you watch too much tv"
I tell myself

I look at the clock again
1:40
the dog is still barking
do I turn on a light?
what good will that do in the set up
of this house...

I get out of bed and tiptoe
to the bedroom window
the size of a picture window
I now realize
I peer through the blinds
and see nothing untoward...
no people
no animals
no out of place cars

the dog is still barking
my heart is still racing
I turn on the overhead light
as I pull on my robe...

maybe that's not such a good idea?
now I can see in the room
but so can anyone outside of the room

"you watch too much tv"
I admonish myself again...

I exit the room
and
I literally creep down the hallway
towards the living room
or kitchen

I freeze as I hear a noise
and I realize the dog is no longer barking

I take a deep breath
and swing around into the living room doorway
flipping on the overhead light as I do so

there's a man sitting on the couch

the dog is standing in front of him
and begins barking again

wtf?
I grab for the phone on it's base
beside me
and race into the bathroom
slamming the door behind me
and locking it

as I look at myself in the big mirror
over the vanity
my heart is racing doubly fast again
terror written all over my face
eye's big
mouth open
panting

I realize I should dial
911

then
almost at once I realize that the dog
has stopped barking
and the man is calling me by name
through the door

WTF?

I take a deep breath
and listen to what he's saying
his name is Brandon
and he works for my cousin
he used to live here
he thought there was no one here
he's had a fight with his lady
he thought no one was here
he's had "a couple" of beer
he thought no one was here
he knows that the cousin is away
he thought no one was here
he didn't mean to scare me
he thought no one was here
he's sorry he woke me
he thought no one was here
he thought no one was here
he thought no one was here
he thought no one was here
until the dog started to bark
he thought no one was here
he'll leave....
he thought no one was here

almost in one sentence

he thought no one was here
I hear the sound of the front door closing
and I rest my forehead on the glass of the mirror
as I calm my breathing
and slow the pace
of my racing heart

out the window
I hear the sound of a car starting
and pulling away from the side of the house...
and I sit on the throne
for a minute or two
gathering my wits before
coming out of the bathroom...

in the still of the night
I realize
I watch too much tv....

I check the locks on the doors
and get back into bed
but I can't sleep now
I'm too awake now
in the still of the night
I flip on the tv...