An Ordinary Life

Chapter 13: Intruder

     With a soft gasp, Clara opened her dark green eyes, slightly sitting up in her bed. Miraz was sleeping beside her, and his warm body was underneath the covers; however, his head was lying upon his soft, plump pillow. What had caused Clara to stir was the sound of heavy footsteps ascending the stairs. "Miraz! Honey, please wake up." Clara whispered into her husband's ear, shaking his slumbering body with her two clammy hands. "What is it?" Miraz groggily grunted, turning his head to stare up at his fretting wife. "Someone's in the house." Clara whispered in response, anxiously staring at the threshold to their bedroom. The door was wide open, but she didn't see anyone in the dark hallway yet. I don't see a person yet. Oh, I hope Mercy is okay! I'm so concerned. Clara thought, her anxiety rising.

"I'll take care of it." Miraz whispered, shifting his body as he got out of the warm bed. He tossed the covers aside in his haste. Miraz pulled open the top wooden drawer to his bedside table, grabbing a knife by its smooth handle. "Do be careful, darling." Carla worriedly whispered, watching as Miraz cautiously headed towards the bedroom's threshold. "Don't worry about me, sweetheart. Please stay in here, and don't leave the room. Hide if you have to." Miraz looked back at Clara as he spoke. "You should probably find Mercy and hide with her." With that said, Miraz exited the bedroom, leaving Clara by herself with a worried look on her face. She was deeply concerned for her husband.

After having turned his body to face the stairs, Miraz was greeted by the silhouette of a person in the dimly-lit portion of the stairs. The glint of a knife in the person's right hand screamed at Miraz that whoever this was was armed. I need to be careful. Miraz thought, gritting his teeth. My family is counting on me. "This is my house. Leave now!" Miraz demanded, his voice loud and firm. "If you do, I won't press charges." Miraz added in less of a loud tone, but he was still serious about it. The intruder said nothing in response, but stepped back when Miraz threateningly raised his knife in a warning, signaling the intruder to back off. Stepping back even more, the intruder kept his knife lowered as they descended the steps and left by going through the front door.

With a sigh, Miraz went down the steps to examine the front door. The lock had been picked, and that was it. No glass had been broken at all. We certainly got lucky. Praise the Lord! God protected us. Miraz thought, locking the door back after having closed it. There's really nothing I can do about the door, but I hope it is enough. Miraz went back upstairs, raising his voice a bit so his family could hear him from wherever they were. "It's okay! The intruder is gone." Miraz called. "Good!" Clara called back, sounding relieved. Miraz set the knife down on the floor, stepping over it as he entered Mercy's room.

"Mercy, are you in here?" Miraz gently called for his daughter, scanning her room as he looked for her. Suddenly, Mercy's wardrobe opened, and the door creaked open. Patches hopped out of the wardrobe, and soon enough, Mercy stepped out of the wooden object herself. "There you are!" Miraz smiled, walking over and pulling Mercy into a gentle hug. "Is the person gone now?" Mercy asked, looking up at her father with a curious look. "Yes. You don't have to worry about that anymore. You're safe now." Miraz said, relieved that nothing bad had happened. "Thanks for keeping us safe, dad." Mercy said, smiling up at Miraz. "Don't mention it. It's what I'm here for." He grinned, ruffling her hair. Mercy giggled as a smile lit up her face. "You can go back to bed now, okay? See you in the morning, Mercy." Miraz kissed his daughter upon her cheek, then tucked her back into bed like he used to do when she was a mere youngster. "Goodnight, dad. I love you." Mercy said, then yawned. "Night, kiddo. I love you, too." Miraz said, smiling down at Mercy. As soon as she fell asleep, Miraz left the room to let Mercy slumber.