Keep Away From The Windows

Keep away from the windows.

A collection of short stories by Martin McGregor

First published in the UK in March 2016 by MDM.Publishing

ISBN Number 9781520256696 Smashwords Edition

Copyright © Martin McGregor 2016

The right of Martin McGregor to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claim damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a purely fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to any actual events, is purely coincidental.

Original cover photograph by Daniel Lowth, window frame pictures courtesy of royalty free pictures.

This book is sold subject to the conditions that it shall not, by way of trade or other means, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

While MDM.Publishing make every effort to see that no inaccurate or misleading data, opinion or statement appears in this book or any other affiliated publications. MDM.Publishing wishes to state that the data in this book and any other affiliated publications are the responsibility of the author concerned. MDM.Publishing and their officers and agents accept no liability whatsoever for the consequences of any such misleading data, opinion, or statement.

I have never been fond of writing introductions. I don’t know why, but they often seem pointless to me. When I buy a book, I just want to get stuck in to the story. I guess I should just give you a little background as to how this book came about. It’s the year 2013, and the amount of story ideas that are floating through my head is phenomenal. Most of the time they appear while I am driving, and I have no way to write them down or record the idea (note to self, buy a voice recorder). Some ideas pop also into my head while I am at work, some will come from my dreams. Others are inspired by songs and movies from my past.

Of those many ideas that I breathe life into, only a few will manage to survive the whole journey. None of them ever turn out the way that I first imagine them though. Instead each of the stories goes through a process of twists and turns and then once I feel that the story is nearly complete, it happens. The thought of ‘what if.’ will then rear its ugly head. If I had managed to capture all of my ideas, this book would be three times longer. Far too many have escaped the treatment, and I aim to fix this.

Now the year is 2016. I have short stories stored on many different devices, just waiting to be concluded. Then I get a timely kick up the arse from a friend who admires my work. I feel it is only right that these ideas (some of which were truly meant to become novels), now find their way on to my new computer, and are finally gathered altogether to be shared in the form of short stories. Some of these stories have already been fed to my close friends, and shared on social media, and the feedback has been rewarding to say the least.

I have to say that I am very excited that my stories have found a new audience who truly do enjoy the way I write. I am guilty of not providing too much detail, as I believe that your imagination might do the stories more justice. I will paint the picture, but I leave it up to you to add the colour within the lines. Now I am almost finally ready to let you read on.

First, I would just like to take the time to send you a personal thank you for purchasing this book. It is appreciated that you spend your hard earned money on my stories, and in truth, you the reader make all of my efforts worthwhile. There are a number of different shorts here, all on varying themes. In these pages you will encounter demons and ghouls, zombies and monsters in different guises, all in equal number. Some of these stories you may love, some you may hate, I just hope that everyone will have a favourite, and it will make you smile or shiver for a few moments.

I love writing, and hope that you enjoy reading them too. My dream is that one day my hobby may well become a full time job. Until then, I will keep on writing, and I will never give up trying. Thank you once again for your continued support.

Martin McGregor 2016.

This book is dedicated to all of my family, especially my mother Brenda and to my sons, Nick, Chris, Jordan, and Owen. Also I would like to thank my readers and fans, especially Giovanna, Shona, Nigel, Sharon and Michelle, and a special thank you goes to April for the gift of baby Freddie, the next generation has arrived at last! Please take this as a personal thank you to each and every one of you, as without your continued support and encouragement I might have given this up long ago.

Cover photograph used by kind permission of Daniel Lowth.

Contents

1. The Clown

2. Reboot

3. Emma’s Ghost

4. The Reckoning

5. Helter Skelter

6. The Spread

7. Lady Ice

8. The Red Devil

9. What Goes Around

The Clown

 Today Tegan was feeling much older. It had been her fifth birthday and she now knew that every year, she would be one year older. Never younger, never the same age, never again would she be four. She was so big now, that she could even sleep with the lights off! She knew of all the things in the house that were dangerous, and all the things that she could and could not touch. Tegan was a clever girl. Her mother had always told her that.

Now it was her time for bed, and that was the one time of day, that she never really liked. Today, as it was her birthday, she had been allowed to stay up late. It was now half past eight! Her tummy ached from eating so much cake earlier in the day, and she was still smiling about all the fun she had with her friends at her party. Her mum had even hired a magician to show them amazing magic tricks, but best of all, she had lots of lovely presents to open and keep. 

 It had been snowing all throughout the day. It had begun to settle in the afternoon and it was still gently flowing as she made her way up to bed. Her mother held her hand and they walked up the stairs together. They were a special team. Daddy hadn't been to see her today, they both hoped he might, but Daddy now had Emily to love, and they lived a very long way away. Tegan sort of understood why he never came around to see them anymore, but she still didn’t like it. 

 As they reached the bedroom door, Tegan slowly pushed it open, she was always wary in case someone might be on the other side, just waiting in the room. Her mother switched on the light, and walked into the room with her. Tegan had once seen something on the television a few months back that had given her a little scare. Now every night before she would go to sleep, she had to be reassured that her bedroom was safe. 

Monster check mummy! She told her mother, and she would not enter the room any further until her mother had complied with her request. Her mother shook her head.

How many times do I have to tell you honey, there are no monsters. Her mother still continued to shake her head in disbelief, but now she was smiling as she did so. She was only twenty seven, but the last few months had been hard on her. Tegan would often hear her cry when she was alone in her room at night. It was worse the last time Daddy came, there was a lot of shouting, and Nana had to come and collect her. Now small wrinkles had started to appear on her mother’s face around her eyes and forehead. Tegan didn’t like them. They made her look more like Nana. 

 The first place to check was the wardrobe. Her mother opened the door and moved the clothes from side to side. Let’s see. In here….no monsters. She stated. Then she knelt down on the floor, and looked all under the bed. She beckoned Tegan across the room to join her. 

Come look, and see for yourself. No monsters are under here either. Tegan peered under the bed, and carefully looked from side to side in the shadows. Once she was satisfied that she was safe. She jumped up on to the bed. 

Check out of the window mummy! Tegan shouted. Her mother, now familiar with the nightly pattern, was already walking toward the window, ready for the third and final check of the night. She pulled the curtains slightly apart, and saw that the snow now covered the landscape for miles.

No monsters outside either. Her mother concluded.

 The house that they lived in stood alone in the heart of the country. The next house was about half a mile away across a large field. It was lonely here sometimes, but at least it was peaceful. The snow continued to fall; only now it seemed as if it were becoming heavier once again. The sky was white and the glow of the white clouds seemed to light up the room. Tegan liked it being light outside at night.

"Can you leave my curtains open please mummy?' She asked. 'I want to see the snow falling!' Deciding it wouldn't do any harm, her mother left them open and walked back over to Tegan's bed.

  She tucked her snugly in, and kissed her on the forehead.

Goodnight my baby girl. I hope that you had a great day? She said.

I had the best day ever mummy, thank you! Then she reached up and squeezed her mother tightly around the neck. Her mother gulped her own saliva backward into her throat, and swallowed hard. She was immensely proud of her daughter, but she knew she was sad her father hadn’t come. She kissed her on the forehead once more, and then made her way out of the bedroom, and she closed the door behind her.

 Tegan was not yet ready to go to sleep just yet though. It might have been the bright light of the skyline keeping the room lit up, or maybe it might just have been those sugary treats she ate so many of earlier, but an hour later, she was still awake. She played quietly with her dolls whilst sat upright in the bed, she was ready just in case she heard her mother coming up the stairs, already prepared so that she could dive quickly back under the covers. She sang simple little songs to herself that only she knew all the words to.

At ten o clock, she had grown bored, and now she was just laid down whilst fidgeting in her bed. Try as she might though, she could not go to sleep; such was the excitement of the day. 

 As Tegan lay still, she placed her hands behind her head and cupped them together. She placed her head back down on her hands and looked up toward the window. The snow was still falling. Then something magical happened. In the window, there appeared a bright red balloon! She closed her eyes and opened them again, but she wasn't dreaming. It really was a balloon that she was seeing! Then another balloon appeared, but this one was blue. Both appeared to hover at the same level, right outside of her window. 

 It was simply too much for an inquisitive mind to ignore. She sat upright in her bed, and slowly pushed her covers over to one side. She then carefully dropped her feet down to the floor. It was important her mother did not hear her walking around, or she might get in trouble. Slowly she walked across the room until she reached the window. It was a little too high for her to see out of, so she took the books from her bookshelf and gathered them into a pile under the window. Then she climbed on top of the books.

 The balloons weren't floating. They were being held on strings, the strings were being held by a clown. He saw Tegan's face appear at the window and he waved to her. Tegan instantly ducked down out of sight, but after a few seconds of caution she felt brave enough to stand up again. The clown waved at her once more. This time Tegan gently waved back to him. 

 The clown then started