Page 37 of Trick or Stalk

Orange lights glow around the fireplace. Something that looks like a pumpkin sits on the mantel. Decorations fill the room.

None of that was there yesterday.

She did that today.

The little dog races across the room with something in its mouth.

The woman chases after it.

Even from here, I can tell she's laughing.

I find myself smiling.

She catches the dog near the couch and takes whatever it stole.

A few seconds later, the dog steals it again.

My smile grows.

I see her lips moving.

I wonder what she's saying.

The thought comes without warning.

Last night, seeing her was enough.

Tonight, it isn't.

I want to hear her.

To know why she's laughing.

What she calls the dog.

What she does when she doesn’t know I’m watching.

I watch her move around the room.

She picks up a mug and takes a drink.

She tucks her hair behind her ear after setting it down.

Small, meaningless things.

But I notice every one of them.

I don't know how long I stand there.

Long enough for the cold to work through my jacket. For the little dog to settle beside her. For her to curl onto the couch beneath a blanket.

Long enough that a normal man would've gotten bored and gone home.

But not me.

Eventually, she reaches for the remote. The television comes on.

I shift my weight against the tree.