The Thief of Small Things - 2. Chapter 2

I read somewhere once about 'the roar of the city'. There's some truth to that statement, if you happen to be standing on a sidewalk by one of the busier streets. New York is a busy place, congested with cars, and even more so with people. At street level it can be a little overwhelming, even.

But twelve floors up there is more in the way of peace. The Boltfort was an air-conditioned building, now. But when it had first been built that luxury was still new, and it was some years until the place was retrofitted to accommodate the technology. The original windows included sections that actually opened, with real screens in them, and that novelty had been retained even after the air-conditioning had been set in place.

So even though it was summer, and hot outside, I had opened the screened section in my bedroom window part way, feeling that somehow this would bring the outside world a little closer. It was almost too quiet here, the faint ticking of the pendulum clock in the living room being the only sound I could hear. That, and an occasional soft purr as the air conditioning started were my only company. With the screen open I could at least hear some faint echo of what was going on below.

Granddad had left just before four, looking in on me and dropping a small note card on the dresser near the door. "I usually leave my cell in a drawer in the kitchen," he told me, smiling. "If there's a reason you need to talk that can't wait, call this number and tell them who you are. Someone will come to the kitchen and let me know, and I'll call you. Okay?"

I told him I'd be fine, and held up my tablet, on which I had the newest book in the fantasy series I was reading. "I'll probably still be reading when you get back."

He smiled, said there was plenty to eat in the kitchen, and to help myself. "Fresh loaf of bread in the breadbox, and some sliced roast beef and cheeses in the fridge, if you fancy a sandwich." He grinned. "Otherwise, you'll have to cook."

I laughed at that. I could fend for myself pretty well in that area. I had not been helping granddad with food all these years without learning a few of his tricks.

And then he was gone. For the next half hour or so I simply read, immersed in my book. But then I began to notice the silence again; not just that it was there, but how deep it was. Other than the clock, there was not a single sound to be heard. That put me in mind of the fact that I was alone, and that granddad was by now some miles away, and dad even father away than that. No one here at all but me, and a city full of complete strangers.

I've never been afraid of being alone, and I didn't think I was afraid of it now. It was just that this was somehow a different sort of aloneness than I had ever experienced before. I realized then that I'd never been left alone in granddad's place until now. There was something uncertain about it, something almost eerie. I got up off the bed and opened the screen in the window a little wider, and was rewarded with the faint sound of cars moving below. I smiled at that, and turned to go back to the bed.

I heard a small sound then, out in the hallway, which drew my gaze to the doorway. For a just a second, I felt my heart pound in my chest. There was a very faint shadow on the far wall of the hallway, as if someone was standing just out of sight there.

"Granddad? Did you come back for something?" It was out of my mouth before I could stop it.

The shadow withdrew, and I heard another small sound. I could scarcely breathe for a second...and then I was running for the door. I emerged into the hallway and turned, but there was nothing there. A faint motion further on pulled at my eye, and I thought I saw the door into the big walk-in hallway closet close a last bare inch.

For a second I couldn't move. I stared at that distant door, not even sure now that I had really seen what I thought I had seen. But then a new sound came to me, very faint, one that I couldn't identify at all. It was odd, almost like the cry of a large bird. But it seemed to be within the closet, and that prodded me into action.

I ran down the hallway, knowing even as I moved that I was not acting smartly. If there was an intruder here, to confront him would be dangerous. But I was following instinct now, not reason, and when I reached the door I grabbed the knob and threw it open...

There was nothing there.

I reached out and flicked the switch by the door, and the big closet was suddenly illuminated from within. It was a rectangular area, twice as deep as it was wide, with shelves all the way around it at head level, and rods beneath the shelves on which clothing hung from hangers. Most of the clothing hung well above the floor, and I could see wall all the way around the closet. No place to run, no place to hide. The shelves had shoe boxes and hats on them, for the most part; certainly nothing behind which someone could hide.

I leaned into the doorway and looked above the door. Nothing. I stepped into the closet, pulled the clothing aside, looked behind everything. Again, nothing.

I smiled then, and then I laughed. I had imagined it. I had let the sudden feeling of being alone get to me, and I had imagined it all. Man! When I let loose of reality, I did it all the way!

I gave the interior of the closet a last look, then backed out, turned off the light, and closed the door. I realized then that I still had the tablet in one hand, and glanced down at it. That's what you get when you read about sorcerer-knights, orcs, and demons.

Goblins in the closet.

I looked both ways down the hallway, and walked on down to the kitchen. I was aware now that I was hungry. But first I went into the living room and turned on the TV, found a station with a lot of talking, and turned the volume up loud enough that I would be able to hear the voices of the commentators from the kitchen. I set the tablet on the coffee table, and headed back to the kitchen.

A sandwich would be good about now, I decided. I looked in the fridge, found the roast beef and the cheeses granddad had mentioned, as well as some tomatoes, onions, and Romaine lettuce. The bread box yielded a box of soft bagels and a half a loaf of twelve-grain bread, and I got out two slices of the bread, found a small plate, and proceeded to make myself a sandwich. The steady drone of the newsmen's voices were a relaxing background noise - relaxing, and reassuring - and when I finished making the sandwich I cleaned up after myself, and got another glass of forest fruit bash.

I carried everything back to the living room, sat in front of the coffee table, and made myself at home just as granddad would want me to. I turned down the TV a little, picked up the sandwich, and held it over the plate as I bit into it. Mmm!

And then I went back to the world of orcs and demons, and forgot all about the goblin in the closet.

* * * * * * *

"David?"

I felt a nudge, and opened my eyes. "What?"

Granddad looked down at me, smiling. "It's after one in the morning, son. Why don't you go to bed?"

I looked around the living room. The TV had been turned off. My plate and glass were still on the table, and my tablet lay next to them. It had gone to sleep, as apparently, so had I.

"It's that late?"

"Uh huh." He laughed. "You certainly looked comfortable. I almost let you sleep. But I think you'll feel better in the morning if you sleep in the bed."

I sat up and stretched. "Wow. I don't even remember falling asleep."

"It was a long day for you. Did you mind being here by yourself?"

I considered telling him about the freaky incident with the shadow in the hallway and the closet door, but then decided against it. No use having him think I couldn't stay by myself. It was just a little bit of nerves over everything that was going on with mom and dad, and being away from home and my friends. Granddad had a life of his own, and a job, and stuff to do. I didn't want to be a burden to him.

"Nah. It's quieter than I remembered it being, but I'll get used to it."

He smiled. "It's one of the things I like about living up high. Noise travels, but up this high there's enough of a consistent breeze to blow a lot of it away."

"I guess. It's not any quieter than our house. I just didn't expect it here in the city."

Granddad reached out and patted a wall. "They built them good back in the old days. This place was intended for the monied class. The builder paid attention to soundproofing. I've never once even heard my neighbors."

I stood, and picked up the plate and the glass. "I'll put these in the dishwasher."

Granddad smiled at me, and accompanied me to the kitchen. "You found the roast beef and cheeses?"

I rinsed the dishes, and put them in the dishwasher. "Yep. It was really good. Thanks."

He looked pleased.

I must have left the door of the breadbox open, as he moved then to close it. "Wow. You did like it. The bread, too, I see. You had several sandwiches?"

It wasn't an accusation, but a pleased question, as if he was happy that I had enjoyed the food.

But I had only had the one sandwich. "No, just one."

He looked at me, and frowned. "Just one?"

"Yeah."

The frown deepened, and he turned back to the breadbox. "That was a new loaf of bread. I thought."

I shrugged. "It was half gone when I got to it."

He nodded, and closed the breadbox door.

I sensed then that something was wrong, and asked him what it was.

He smiled again. "Nothing. I'm getting forgetful in my old age, I think." He patted his stomach, which was still almost as flat as a board. "I'll get fat if I don't pay attention to how much I'm eating."

He turned then, and put an arm around my shoulders, and urged me back towards the living room. "Get your tablet, David. And then I say we both should get to our beds."

We exchanged a good night hug, and granddad walked me down the hallway. "It's fun having you visit. I don't see Sid enough during the week, and it gets a little lonely here. It will be nice to know that someone is just down the hall."

The feeling was mutual, and I said so. I have never been a guy who gets the creeps, but the idea of being alone all night did not appeal to me just now. "G'night, granddad."

He squeezed me a last time. "Goodnight, David. I'll probably sleep later than you." It was a gentle hint to be quiet when I got up.

I smiled at him. "I won't wake you." Each bedroom had its own bath, so I could shower without disturbing him. The way this place was built, he'd never know I was here.

We parted, and I went into my room and shut the door. It was a comfortable room, and made even more so now that granddad was home. The silence seemed to have gone away completely.

I noticed I'd left the window open, and went to close it. I stood there a moment, looking out at the lights of the city. They were everywhere, and for each one I figured there were one or more people associated with the glow. The Boltfort had been a tall building in its day at twelve floors, but now it was a pygmy among giants. The lights beyond the glass were above me, below me, and in every direction I looked. People, everywhere.

So it was kind of amazing that you could live in a place with millions of other people all around you, and still feel alone.

I drew the curtains, and got my suitcase and took out my clothing and put it in the drawers of the dresser. I'd only brought enough for about four days, because granddad had a washer and dryer in a closet by the kitchen. I'd been doing my own wash at home for years, and was used to that, too.

I brushed my teeth in the bathroom, watching myself in the mirror. I'd long ago determined that I was not hard to look at. Brown hair, blue eyes, high cheekbones, nice smile. Dad's side of the family was nice looking as a rule, and I had been lucky to inherit that. I wasn't heartthrob material, but I was nice enough looking that girls had chased me, and that I had attracted at least two other guys, even if they had not had the will to follow through with a relationship.

So there had to be some nice guy out there, somewhere, that would eventually smile at me, and want to get a little closer. Right? I sighed. Finding someone wasn't that hard. Like granddad had said, you drop your line in the water, and you see what bites. I'd had a couple of bites already, and there would surely be more to come.

But finding the fish you wanted to keep...that was another story. So far, that had not happened to me. There had to be someone special out there. Someone I could fall in love with. All I had to do was find him.

I rinsed, and then got undressed for bed. Even though I'd already slept a little, I found I was not especially tired right now. So I plugged the tablet in to charge, and got into bed with it.

Maybe slaying another demon or two would put me in the mood for sleep.