Free Journalstone's 2010 Warped Words for Twisted Minds by Compiled by Christopher C. Payne Page B

when the refrigerator hums. I panicked, remembering how scared I was when I first heard them, and felt for my little girl now that she might experience them as well.
    “What honey? Did you hear that too?” I asked quickly, almost too abruptly, and I knew my eyes were as wide saucers.
    With her expression turning even more enigmatic, Nadia wrinkled up her face and answered, “No, I didn’t hear anything Mom.” She smiled at me and shook her head. “I was just going to say that J.P. is coming over for a while, after he gets off work. We’re just gonna watch a movie and order some pizza, his treat, you can join us if you like...or…I could tell him some other time if you don’t feel up for having anyone over. It’s your house. “
    She shrugged and looked down with her lips in a pout, as if in defeat. My daughter always did know how to work me. Pulling on my heartstrings, she could play me like a fine-tuned violin.
    Sighing long and bittersweet I answered her, “Sure sweetie that sounds good, I could use the company. Just because you live with Mom again doesn’t mean you can’t have a life.”
    I guess I’d have to get used to her not being a child anymore, though, I didn’t have to like it.
    “Thanks Mom, I love you.”
    She turned and ran the rest of the way up the steps to her room. As she disappeared around the corner, I got a glimpse of a dark shape going the opposite direction. Must be her shadow I told myself, but I had a feeling that wasn’t it. Forgetting all about my stupid hangnail, I went into the parlor to regroup for a minute. I literally hadn’t slept in days, and I was beginning to feel the repercussions. I had been telling myself the noises I was hearing, and now the shadows I was seeing, were the end result from lack of sleep. But I was still unconvinced. With unsteady legs I sat down on the overstuffed ottoman to try and rationalize what was happening to me.
    Was I going crazy? I know I heard those noises. I’ve been hearing them all week. Now, I’m seeing things? Obviously Nadia didn’t hear or see anything, but what does that mean? It’s more than just this old house settling. It’s more than just a lack of sleep. I wouldn’t have thought so before, but after last night, I know something’s going on.
    Looking at my arm, I saw that the scratches were still there, fresh, red, and swollen. Little dots of blood had hardened sporadically along the cut-marks. It resembled a Marquis de Sade connect-the-dots game. Shivering, I tried to clear my mind of the bad feeling I was suddenly getting. Maybe with Nadia here, things would be different, things would hopefully settle down.
    Shutting my eyes to the world around me I took a long, measured, deep breath until I thought my lungs would burst. I exhaled and felt a little of the stress and tension leaving my body. I rolled my head on my neck and shrugged my shoulders. I could really use a vacation. I decided to try the ohm technique I had learned when I took that meditation and yoga class at the Y. At the time, I thought it silly and pointless. But now, I was willing to try anything. Clearing my head and relaxing all my muscles, I began.
    “Ooooohhhhhhmmmmmmmmm.” “Ooooooohhhhhhhmmmmmmmm.”
    “Oooooooohhhhhmmmm.”
    Low, slow and even, I continued with the universal buzz. I let my hands rest, palm up, on my thighs and kept going. Ridiculous as it may seem, it appeared to be working. Boy, those Yogis really know their stuff.
    I was getting lost in the practice when I felt Nadia’s tender touch on my shoulders. She began massaging them, and I sighed. Having her here with me made the future seem brighter. She rubbed gently along the top of my shoulders and up to my lower neck. I felt her thumbs working circles at my occipital base and let my head tilt back into the pressure she was exerting. I’m really gonna like having her around.
    Her loving hands slid back down, skimming my collarbone, as she began working out the kinks in my upper arms.