As thunder crackled in the air, Layla hugged her fluffy, pink flamingo pillow close to her chest. Lightning flashed in the sky and thick, grey clouds hovered above. Her mum’s shout startled her. “Tea time!” Her mum shouted. Layla was about to go down for tea when something caught her eye. There was an eerie glow coming from her neighbours bedroom window. There was a flash of lightning and a crackle of thunder and Layla could have sworn that she saw a thin, pale, bony hand on the window sill before the curtains slammed shut. What should she do? She thought. Should she go down to tea and pretend she never saw anything? Or should she go and knock on the door and find out if what she had seen was true? 

She could smell pizza and decided to decide what to do whilst she was eating it. She ran downstairs knowing that her mum was impatient and that she would be wondering what she was up to. She walked into the kitchen and saw her mum’s special pepperoni pizza and couldn’t wait to tuck in. She had a good view of her neighbours bedroom window from her seat at the kitchen table. The curtain was still closed. She wondered what Miss Smith was doing with her curtains closed at 6:37pm. She was usually watching a Christmas movie (even in May) at this time with all her curtains open and all of her lights on. Not just one, orange, eerie light. When she had finished her pizza Layla said night to her mum and went upstairs to investigate more about what Miss Smith was doing with a creepy hand.

When she was upstairs her clock was 10:28pm. How could that be? When she had finished her tea it was only 6:54pm, Layla thought. Her thoughts were interrupted by a movement in the corner of her eye. Miss Smiths curtains were open again. And there it was. The same thin, pale, bony, hand. Before she could reach for her phone to take a picture of proof the hands fingers clicked and Layla fell onto her bed, her eyes closed and she was plunged into darkness.