Haunted Holiday

As she reached into the trunk, the lid came crashing down with such force that she let out a short scream.  Only her quick reflexes saved her hands from being crushed.

"Whoa!  Jimmy was right.  I should be more careful!"  Eileen quickly picked up the painting and quilt to get back down to the sunny, warm kitchen.  She had just gotten as far as the top of the stairs when the light went out with a distinctive 'click'.  The tiny half-moon shaped window at the far end of the attic was not large enough to admit much daylight.  The plan had been to go to the attic, retrieve the quilt, and get out of there with no thought of needing a flashlight.  Eileen now regretted her decision as her eyes tried to adjust to the almost total darkness.

Again, she heard that same scurrying sound, but now it was sinister.  Trying to control her fear, Eileen asked, "Who's there?"  No answer.  "Jimmy, Mike, if you're trying to scare me, it's not funny.  Now put the light back on."  There was no response to her order.

Eileen repositioned the two items she was carrying to under her left arm and tried to find the chain with her free hand.  Having failed after several attempts, Eileen started to walk slowly, but steadily, down the narrow stairs when she felt a pair of hands push her!

The quilt, still in her arms, cushioned Eileen's fall, but the painting had slid off and fell to the bottom of the stairs where she was surprised to find the door had been closed and locked.  That meant somebody must be inside the house to have slid the bolt on the other side.  Maybe the kids or Fred had returned home and didn't know she was up in the attic.  But surely they would have heard the loud thud when she fell down the stairs and screamed.

Eileen dropped the quilt next to the portrait and began to pound on the door and yell for help.  Panic had now set in and she was afraid to turn around and face whoever, or whatever, had pushed her.  She stopped to listen, but the attic was silent.  Had the hands been a trick of her imagination?  She had to calm down and not give way to hysteria.  The silence was shattered by the shrill sound of a smoke detector.