Prompt
Caroling has been a tradition for years, so it’s really no surprise when you hear a soft chorus from outside. What is a surprise is the fact that it’s three in the morning, and the moment they start singing you feel a chill in the air. It’s a song you’ve heard a hundred times before, but something about this version makes you go cold. If you move to the window, you will find no carolers, but the song is loud enough that you know you should be able to see them. They sing one song, and then there is silence. An eerie chill lingers, and your dreams are haunted by strange voices. You’ll probably never be able to hear that song again without feeling a chill.
Mom was doing well enough in her job that late nights were a rare thing, nowadays. A rare thing, but not unheard of, and unfortunately now was one such night, and so the fourteen-year-old was home alone. Normally at an hour as late as this, especially on a school night, he'd be sound asleep, with or without his mom home. But tonight something was... off. Something - he didn't know what - had woken him up, and he couldn't bring himself to try and rest again until he'd worked out just what it was. Sitting up in bed, Owen yawned and glanced at the clock on his night stand; what time was it, anyway?
Three A.M.? What could have woken him at this hour...? He hoped it wasn't a burglar or something; this was a better part of town than his old apartment had been, so it was supposed to be safer. If it wasn't, Mom was going to freak.
"God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay..."
Wait, what was that? Was someone singing? Oh. Oh, he knew that song. That was a Christmas carol, if an oddly mournful-sounding one. It was ridiculously late for carolers, though, and something about the sound was... kind of sinister. This particular carol was sad-sounding anyway, but whoever was singing it tonight had managed to take a sad song and make it frightening, instead. Maybe it was just the late hour? Come to think of it, it felt a little colder tonight than it had when he first started to wake up. Why was anyone out in this? Still confused and just enough fuzzy from sleep to not really be frightened just yet, Owen slipped out of bed and shoved on his slippers, moving over to his bedroom window to look out.
Last year, he and his mom had moved to a nicer apartment complex, and lived on the ground floor. His bedroom window was a good few feet away from the front door, but if he peeked through the blinds and turned at just the right angle, he should be able to see who was out there, singing at such a late hour. Except... except when Owen did, he couldn't see anything. He shifted around, tugging at the blinds and finally rolling them all the way up to get a clear view, but there just wasn't anyone there.
And yet, the song was still going, even with no-one visible to sing it.
"Oh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, ohhhh tidings of comfort and joy..."
The last notes faded, and then there was nothing. No new song, no visible sign of anyone - not even a Mauvian trying to go door-to-door. The silence seemed somehow louder, the room colder, and worst of all, Owen was alone. Slowly, he let the blinds on his window fall back down, then dove for his bed and rolled up into a little ball under the covers. Just a few more hours and his Mom's shift would be over, and she'd come home. She'd come home, and he would be safe. He could make it that long, probably - but there was no way he was going to be able to sleep.
Not after this.
After all, what if whoever - whatever had been singing was still out there?
Word Count: 569
