Flash Fiction: A Writing Prompt Story

The following story is my response to a prompt on First 50. It's a good place to get a writer's imagination going. Today's prompt was A Bumpy Night. On this dark and rainy day a spooky story seemed appropriate.

Anticipation

Bump.

She could feel it, right through the mattress.

Something, or someone, was under her bed, pushing up against the mattress.

Her chest tightened.

She moved to the center of the bed, pulling the covers up from the edges so nothing could grab and pull them--and her--into the floor.

Bump. Bump.

Harder and harder. The mattress lifted off the old coil springs.

In the dark room she could see only the outlines of furniture. Even these familiar things looked ominous, unknown. Her breath came in shallow gasps.

Bump. 

She waited for the next. And the next. Nothing happened.

Minutes ticked by, hours passed. Still she waited.

Through the window came the first trickles of dawn's first light.

The bumps came no more that night.

But they would come again. There would be another bumpy night.

The only question was when.


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.