Downstairs, the breaking of silence. My eyes snap open. My dog, asleep by my side, only stirs slightly as he notices the lack of movement brought about by my held breath.
Footsteps, across the floor below. I roll quietly out of bed and ease my way out of my room. The floorboards creak, and I halt my progression, waiting. Downstairs, the footsteps have ceased also. A standoff of silence between two unknowing adversaries.
Soon it starts again, only faster. I make my way into my brother's room. I shake his shoulder. "Mitch, Mitch, wake up!" He stirs ever so slightly. The footsteps are too near. I move behind his bed, putting him between this unseen antagonist and myself.
And then I see the dark form enter the room. My breathing stops. The silence overtakes the sound of the wicked footsteps and the silhouette seems to float across the room, coming to a stop at my brother's bed.
A hand reaches out, moving slowly toward my brother's head. I must do something. I can't let this go on. I reach out and slap the hand away. The figure reacts quickly, instantly exiting the room. A jingling, and my brother remains in slumber. I lie down on the floor and, exhausted, fall asleep.
In the morning, I wake up long before my brother, and wait for him, eating my breakfast. He makes his way downstairs and walks into the kitchen. "How'd you sleep?" I ask. "Great. But the Tooth Fairy only left me fifty cents, and for some reason, she didn't even take the tooth."