1, 2, 3 SHE SUNG

A Story by Unknown

“1, 2, 3” a soft strange voice kept singing.

It was quiet, soft and real creepy; especially while you’re lying in the pitch black with no one else in the house except yourself.

I’m pretty sure I’m just imagining things.

“1, 2, 3” the singing happened again. It sounded like a woman.

“Hello?” I said.

No one replied back, it was complete and utter silence all except for the pounding wind.

“1, 2, 3” the singing got louder.

“Who’s there?” I yelled sitting up staring into the darkness.

“Your mother” the woman said in a screeching voice.

I jumped back in my bed terrified of the screech.

“Mum?...”

“April fools” said the screechy voice.

“It’s not April?” I said curiously.

“Trick or treat”

“It’s not Halloween?” I said.

Suddenly the house started shaking and objects were falling off the shelf. “Shut up little boy” she yelled.

“Who are you” I shouted.

The house no longer shook, but I could feel this strange thing breathing on my neck as if there was someone sitting behind me.

“1, 2, 3” the voice whispered in my ear.

I swung my arms back hoping to hit someone, but, there was no one there. I tried finding the edge of the bed to slide off, instead I fall face first in the wooden floors.

“Owe” I said sarcastically.

“Someone must have moved the bed” I said joking around.

“1, 2, 3” the singing started again.

“What do you want? Who are you? Just leave me alone!” I yelled furiously.

“1, 2, 3” she kept repeating.

The grandfather clock started ringing, not sure what the time was. Realizing that the singing had stopped I stood up, finding my way over to the light switch. The lights shown bright, it was like the sun had moved into my room. I looked around to see nothing, no marks anywhere, no signs that anyone had been in my room.

I must be going insane. Or I’m just extremely tired.

“well time for bed” I said smiling while flicking the lights off and trying to find the edge of my bed, I missed and smacked my head on the side table.

Waking up to the bright sun shining through the window, “Why the hell am I on the floor” I said to myself “s**t, feels like I’ve been asleep for decades” shrugging my shoulder. I get up and walk into the kitchen to make myself some cereal, grabbing my phone off charge trying to comprehend why my phone had seventy- two messages and one hundred and thirty- six missed calls. After cereal I rinsed my bowl out, when only I start felling the burning sensation come from my right hand. Watching as my skin was slowly being eaten away.

Freaking out like a chicken with its head cut off not knowing what to do I was holding my hand as tight as I could, I quickly rinsed my hand under water hoping it’d help, the burning became more worse and it felt like as if I was holding it in a fire. I started screaming like a four year old girl that had just gotten her candy taken off of her. I then passed out.

Waking up to the sight of a white paneled ceiling that I didn’t recognize, I jumped and sat up seeing my parent’s right in front of me.

“Hey honey, are you alright? How you felling?” mum asked worryingly.

“I’m fine?” I said, Realizing that I was in the hospital. “Why am I here?”

“There was an acid leak that occurred into your water system at your house, it ate half your hand away and got into your body. You, you were gone for almost three minutes” she said and started tearing up.

“Your mother and I would be devastated if you didn’t come back” Dad said hugging mum.

I gave my parents a weird look and then looked down at my hand, understanding that I actually was in hospital and that my hand was bandaged. I didn’t at all feel any pain.

They probably have me on morphine or something.

“Are you alright hunny?” mum said. “Where taking you home shortly. The doctor says you have to rest more, because your body could still be in a lot of shock”

“how did I even get here?” I asked.

“your father and I stopped in because you hadn’t answered anybody in months” she said.

“huh? What the hell are you talking about?” I said.

“mate watch your language” dad said.

“I was talking to you like yesterday about holly’s birthday cake?” I said.

“Ryan, that was two months ago” she said. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine mum, I just. I don’t know what’s happening...” I said.

“Its okay baby, just get some rest. We’ll sort it out when we get you home.” She said while rubbing my forehead.

I slowly closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

BANG!!

I jumped up in my bed. A big noise had come from the kitchen.

“1, 2, 3” someone sang.

“Whoever keeps singing, piss off. I don’t want you hear!”

“Mum?” I yelled out, “dad?”

“Anyone?”

No one responded but I could hear noises coming from the kitchen and the smell of chicken soup filling my room. I quietly got up out of my bed and moved towards the bedroom door which leads to the kitchen. Slowly pocking my head around the corner I see... no one, absolutely no one. There was a pot on the bench and all the dishes were washed.

“Mum must have done this before she left” I said out loud. “gotta love mum”

Suddenly the chair behind me at the dining table knocked over.

“Oh, that’s very cliché for a ghost that could do many worse things!” I said.

The house started shaking as if it was an earthquake; I got under the table and held my head.

“1, 2, 3” the singing started again.

“Stop!” I shouted.

The house stopped and so did the singing. I crawled out from under the table and looked around. I found a note that was on the table, it was from mum.

“Hey hunny,

Sorry we had to leave so soon, your dad wanted to go because he doesn’t like it here.

Your water got fixed while you were at the hospital.

I didn’t want to wake you, so I did your washing, laundry and I made you a pot of chicken soup just how you like it all you have to do is take out the trash.

Love you lots, mum xoxo

p.s. we will be back tomorrow, well probably just me. See you then.”

I looked down at my stomach as it was grumbling like a monster. I took a bowl out of the cupboard and searched for a ladle, I couldn’t find one.

A normal spoon should work

I took five minutes trying to scoop half a bowl of soup in, but it’s worth it. I placed my bowl on the table; picked up the chair and sat down at the table. Then I saw the ladle in the dish rack; face palming myself “such an idiot”

I finished up my soup, just placing the bowl in the sink. Too scared to use the water again then taking out the rubbish out to the big bins, my next door neighbour was mowing his lawn. I stopped. “Why the hell is my bin knocked over in the middle of the road?” I said out loud to myself.

“Oi, Gary” I said.

“Oi Gary” I yelled.

He still didn’t hear me.

I picked up a small stone and threw it at him.

He pulled down his ear muffs and looked at me. “What was that for mate?” he said.

“Turn of your mower for a second”

He turned it off.

“Aye do you know why my bins knocked over?” I asked.

“Nah mate didn’t even notice it” he said.

“Alright, thanks mate”

He continued mowing and I place the rubbish bag on the ground and walked to the middle of the road, picking up the bin. A car obviously going over the speed limit just missed me by centimeters.

I had my hand to my chest felling like I was going to have a heart attack, realizing my hand was still bandaged but it wasn’t exactly my whole hand. I only had three fingers, my thumb, index and middle finger.

“Oi mate, you alright?” Gary shouted.

“Yeah, bit of a scarer though” I said.

Gary keeps mowing and I take back the bin to the curve and stick the rubbish in the bin. Walking back inside, in the corner of my eye I saw something flick at me, hitting me in the eye and suddenly dropping to the ground.

“1, 2, 3” the woman sang.

“You’re dead” the same voice sang.

- �-� �-� �-� - -

Ryan was loved by many. He was a very outgoing boy and was taken too soon.

We are here today to show our love and support for Ryan’s very precious family. Not only have we sensed our own personal feelings of loss over Ryan’s passing, but our hearts have been drawn toward them, and will continue to be with them.

It is our human nature to want to understand everything now, but trust requires that we lean and rely heavily on God even when things seem unclear.