Genre: Horror
3 A.M.
By James Darko
Debra
Singer glanced at the clock on her nightstand. The solid red numbers glared
back at her, practically taunting her.
For
hours, sleep had evaded her. She hadn’t slept all night and now it was 3 A.M.
For
insomniacs like Debra Singer, it’s the worst time of night.
The
mind races. Your thoughts run wild and free as you toss and turn in bed. The
silence can be maddening. And there’s never anything good on TV.
Debra
rolled onto her side, her back to the alarm clock. She closed her eyes and
tried to find sleep.
The
silence was exasperating. It made her feel isolated and cut off from the world,
like she was trapped inside a soundproof bubble.
But that silence was short lived
as Debra sat up in bed, disturbed by a noise she could not place. It sounded
like ringing or a beeping noise.
It wasn’t the house alarm. Debra
was familiar with the sound and she’d know in a heartbeat if there was a
break-in.
And it wasn’t the phone. She had unplugged
the house phone and turned off her cell phone in an attempt to get one good
night’s sleep. A lot of good that seemed to do.
But now, the noise was all she
could think about.
It
sounded like beeping, like the sound a delivery truck backing up.
A
delivery truck? At three o’clock in the morning? Debra thought. No way.
Then
it dawned on her.
It
wasn’t beeping, but ringing that filled her ears.
A
repetitive jingle.
The jingle of an ice cream truck.
She heard the patter of tiny footsteps through the hall,
footsteps that continued down the stairs. She heard the lock snap on the front
door, and the alarm sounded as it opened.
"Hali!" Debra shrieked, calling out to her only
child. No response.
"Hali, is that you?" Debra called out again. “Please
answer me!”
"Don' worry, mommy," Hali replied. "I'm just
gon' get some ice cweam."
Debra leaped from her bed, sprinted down the hall. She
practically flew down all twelve steps.
The front door was ajar and it swung back and forth in the
breeze.
Debra raced outside, into the street.
But the ice cream truck was already gone.
So was Hali...
. . .
Debra snapped awake, her nightgown
drenched in a cold sweat.
“It was all a dream,” Debra said aloud
just to reassure herself.
Just to be safe, Debra got up and
checked on Hali. She was safe and sound, tucked away in bed, cuddling her
favorite stuffed animal.
Debra breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
She returned to bed and stared at the
alarm clock that was stuck on 3 A.M.
She rolled onto her side, turning away
from the alarm clock and closed her eyes. Ten seconds later, her eyes were open
wide.
She could hear it from all the way down the block. It was the
distinctive jingle of an ice cream truck.
