Anonymously Yours by Shirley McCann Read Free Book Online Page A

leather chair spun around, hurling a skeletal figure onto the floor.
    My scream vibrated off the walls. My legs refused to move. Behind me, my hands scrambled for the doorknob. My back flush against the door, I finally closed my hand around the knob. Without turning around, I yanked it open. With lightning speed, I bolted around. And ran. Down the front steps, past the Toyota, and into the street.
    A patrol car entered the subdivision. I flagged him down. When he pulled up beside me, I bent to my knees, trying to slow my breath. “There’s a woman in that house,” I told him. “The address is 1342 Benton Street. Michael Black lives there. I think he killed her.”
    I finally managed to stand up straight. I turned and pointed to the house.
    And felt the blood drain from my face. The house had disappeared. A vacant lot with a “for sale” sign now occupied the empty space.
    The officer put his hands on my shoulders. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s get you home now.” He opened the back door of the police cruiser.
    I didn’t move. I just continued to stare at the empty lot.
    What is going on? my mind screamed. Why is this happening?
    I knew what I had seen. I wasn’t crazy.
    I shrugged his hand from my shoulder. “It’s Michael Black’s house,” I said again. “A woman’s been murdered there.”
    I searched his face for signs of acknowledgement, but saw nothing to indicate he believed me.
    Across the street, an outside light flashed on. A gray haired woman rocked gently on her front porch while her slender fingers sailed across a pair of knitting needles. “There’s no Michael Black on this street,” she yelled. “That house has been gone for ten years.”
    My heart sank. I glanced at the officer, tears running down my cheeks. I had to make him understand. “I’m not crazy!” I insisted. “It was there. I was just in that house. A woman needs our help!”
    When he removed his cap, a bolt of lightning zigzagged across the sky, illuminating his expression. My heart stopped. Those eyes! Those same coal black eyes devoid of humanity that now seemed to follow me wherever I went. I backed away slowly, then spun around and started to run.
    The house had reappeared. In the doorway, a silhouetted figure surfaced, her long, thin arms motioning me back inside. I tried to scream, but no sound emerged. My legs like wings, I flew down the street, right into the glare of two approaching headlights. With my hands, I shielded my face against the bright lights, mentally preparing myself for the torturous crunch of flesh on metal. But the deafening sound of screeching brakes mingled with the wake-up call of my alarm clock.
    My eyes flashed open. I bolted upright, clutching my pillow to my chest. Fear gripped me as I leaned into the soft fabric trying to quell my pounding heart.
    I blew out a long, deep breath, then focused my attention on the stuffed animals piled high on a trunk in the corner of the small room. But it was only when the reflection of my tortured, pale face in the mirror on the triple dresser came into view that I realized I was still in the safety of my own bedroom.
    A dream! I realized. Tears of relief crawled down my face. It had all been just a terrifying nightmare.
    I continued to grip the pillow as I rocked gently back and forth. When my eyes finally adjusted to the dark room, I threw back the covers and swung my legs over the side of the bed. My bare feet against the soft carpet sent a jolt of welcome familiarity throughout my body. I was home. I’d been home all night in the safe comfort of my own bed. It had been nothing more than a dream.
    I stood up and crossed the room. Locating the light switch on the wall near the door, I flipped it on. Bright light filled the room. No monsters crouched in narrow corners. Everything was as it should be. I was safe.
    From the closet, I retrieved a pair of blue jeans and a yellow T-shirt and placed them on the bed. In the bathroom, I flipped on the shower faucet