Standing at the edge of the bed with the fur on his back standing at attention, Chester unleashed a series of ear-piercing barks. Those poses – and noises – were not uncommon for the high-spirited chihuahua, but such behavior at 3:45 a.m. on a Tuesday certainly was.
The ruckus caused both June Stockton and her husband, Belk, to rouse from their slumber.
“What is it, Chester?” Belk asked, rubbing his eyes. “What’s the matter, buddy?”
This time the couple heard the noise – three sharp knocks on the front door.
“Nobody should be knocking this late,” June said. “Or this early.”
Their “home protection system” consisted of an aluminum softball bat that occupied the corner of the bedroom near Belk, and he grabbed the weapon and raced toward the door. A look through the peephole revealed nothing, and when he returned to the bedroom, he saw that June had separated two blinds with her right finger and thumb to get a peek outside herself.
“I don’t see anything,” she said. “How about you?”
Belk shook his head.
“Not a thing. There was nobody out there … and it’s not like we have any bushes big enough for them to hide in.”
Chester had lost interest in the drama and returned to his spot under the covers.
“Could we be mistaken?” June wondered. “I mean, we both think we heard a knock, but we were barely awake. Plus, we’ve lived here less than a year. I suppose it could be house noises we aren’t accustomed to yet.”
“Well, Chester heard something … and I’m pretty sure that something was a knock on the door – three knocks. That’s a strange prank to play on someone, though, especially in the dead of night. I’m gonna go out the back door and sneak toward the front yard and look around.”
When he did, Belk spied nothing unusual. The cul-de-sac was quiet and, best he could figure, all the occupants were inside their own homes. He made his way back in to the bedroom, placed the bat in its customary spot and crawled back onto bed. He leaned over and gave June a kiss on the cheek.
“It’s way too early to get up,” he said. “Let’s try to get at least a couple more hours sleep … if they come back, I’m pretty sure Chester will let us know.”
By morning the incident had been mostly forgotten, and when the pair turned the lights out for the evening, it was never mentioned.
Then came the barking at 3:45 a.m. on Wednesday.
Just as had occurred the night before, Belk and June were startled awake by Chester’s frantic yapping, which preceded three more sharp knocks on the door. This time Belk wasted no time. He snatched the bat from the corner, raced to the front door and quickly pulled it open.
When he did, he was greeted by … absolutely nothing.
He ran several feet out onto the sidewalk and surveyed the yard, but no creature stirred.
He came back in, made sure to lock the door after slamming it shut, and shrugged.
“Gotta give ‘em credit,” he said. “Whoever it is, they’re quite the speedster. The second they finished knocking they must’ve ran off like a bat outta hell.”
“Later today we should check with the neighbors and find out if something similar has been happening to them,” June said. “It’s just … just really unsettling.”
After breakfast Belk grabbed the trash bin at the back of the driveway and pulled up toward the street for pickup. His next door neighbor, Andrew, was doing the same.
“Morning!” Andrew shouted, giving Belk a wave.
“Morning. Hey, Andrew … have you guys had anything weird happening in the middle of the night?
“How do you mean?”
“Well, two nights in a row somebody has knocked on our door at a quarter of four. Chester starts barking like crazy, but by the time I get there they’re gone. I thought maybe somebody was pranking everybody in the cul de sac. Guess it’s just us.”
Andrew raised his brow.
“That’s funny … well, funny odd,” he said. “The old guy that used to live in your house – Paul Proctor was his name – he’d come home blind drunk in the middle of the night and couldn’t ever seem to get his keys to work. He’d wind up banging on the door so his wife would have to let him in. He had a dog, too, and it would start barking, and that’s what woke her up. She’d come open the door for him and man, she’d get so pissed. He drank a lot, so it happened a lot.”
Belk rubbed his chin.
“Drunks do stupid stuff. Could it be the guy still drinks at a bar around here? If that’s the case, maybe he thinks he still lives here.”
Andrew laughed.
“I seriously doubt that,” Andrew said. “Paul just passed away. As a matter of fact, I think his funeral was on Monday.”
