The morning fright

You know what will make your heart stop? A door opening unexpectedly when you're sure you're alone at home, that's what will make your heart stop.

Our kids all live out of state and have been home after the Holidays for a couple of weeks now. My wife was gone to work. So when an unused bedroom door opened as I walked down the upstairs hall this morning it, ah, bestilled my beating heart.

Cr-ee-ee-eek, it said as it slowly slid open before me. Yes, I was startled. Because no one was home.

I stood perfectly still for a moment. Then I needed to reassure myself that no one was in fact there. So I stupidly reached inside the open door to turn on the light I knew was on the wall just inside that door. I did it so slowly that if the boogieman had been inside my arm would have been ripped from my shoulder as he impatiently waited to attack. Then I even more slowly opened the door fully to step into, as I expected (intellectually at least), an empty but now well lit room.

But I was no longer afraid. Nope. Not a bit. And I did not check every room in the house after that before finally relaxing and getting my morning coffee. I. Did. Not.

Really.