2702. Home not alone © Bruce Goodman 22 April 2023

My parents said that I was old enough to look after myself and be responsible. And I was, even if the government thought that thirteen was too young to look after the house for a few hours while the parents went out. But my parents trusted me and went off to the movies. I had their phone number if need be. The first thing I did once they were gone was to check that all the doors to outside were locked and that the windows were shut tight. They were all shut and so I drew the curtains in my bedroom, turned the bedside light on so that it looked cosy, and went down stairs to raid the fridge and watch television. All went well and after an hour or so I was starting to feel sleepy so I went upstairs to my room. The curtains were drawn back and the window was open. I shut the window again and drew the curtains. I wondered if I should phone my parents but decided not to. After all, I was thirteen and old enough to look after myself. I wasn’t going to let it get to me, so I went downstairs and raided the fridge again and turned the television on. That was when there was a knock at the door. It wouldn’t be my parents of course; they have a key. “Who is?” I called. There was no answer. And then there was a knock on the door again. That was when I opened the door. Contact Author Back to Index Next Story Previous Story