[Drawlloween] Bumps in the Night

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 The sudden loud sound could be heard all through the barn, waking all the horses and disturbing the sleeping stable hand bundled up in the hayloft.

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 “h-hello, i-is there anyone th-there?” the boy no older than 12 called down from the rafters, hoping not to hear an answer, but to drive away whatever creature had made the sound.

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 He slid cautiously out from his sleeping sack and donned his paddock boots over his bare feet, grabbing his torch before descending down the ladder into the main area of the barn.

 He shone his little light down the corridor between the stalls, illuminating the concerned faces of his 3 favourite chestnut mares, Faith, Precious and Lass, who’d also been disturbed from their slumber by the sudden noise of an unknown origin. 

 “H-hey girls, you didn’t see anyone d-did you?” the boy spoke with mock confidence in his voice that clearly faltered- he’d been scared of the dark ever since a camping trip one time when he was 9, where his dad told him the Koala in the tree was actually a drop bear coming to eat him. Silly dads and the unknown trauma they foist upon us.

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 The same loud noise came suddenly from behind him, he swung around at lightning speed to try and capture a glimpse of the assailant, but all he saw was a shadow in the corner of his vision. There was nothing there that could have made such a sound. 

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 This time the sound came from over head, and dust fell from the rafters as they shook with the vibrations. The young stablehand jumped, his heart pounding in his throat, and tears welling in his eyes. He didn't like this, not one bit. 

 Daddy had said that the old barn was haunted, and not to sleep there on Halloween night, but the boy hadn't listened. “Ghosts aren't real, i’ll be fine! I sleep up there every day and nothing’s ever happened!” he had declared. He felt silly now. 

 He darted into the stall with Lass, the tallest and most brave of the red mares, and hid behind her large mahogany figure, hoping she’d protect him from the apparent poltergeist. She didn’t mind his sudden presence, and turned to snort a calming deep breath at him, then nuzzled his ginger hair with her lips as he sat in the corner cowering. “I shoulda listened to my daddy… I don’t like these ghosts.” he cried softly as the mare comforted him.

He eventually huddled himself in some old dry hay and laid down, still shining his torch towards the door, ever weary of ephemeral intruders, where he eventually fell asleep.

-

The loud noise didn't happen again that night, as his old man and his mumma felt bad for scaring him so hard, so they left him be after he jumped into the stall with their tallest chestnut mare. They thought it was cute that he trusted her to protect him from the "ghosts", and giggled about it as they walked up the lane back to their little cottage in the woods.

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