Whispers In The Dark

you wake with a shout and bolt forward in bed
snippets of your dream slipping away
leaving traces of disquiet
flickers of panic
why did you awake so suddenly?

was it because you thought you heard footsteps on the stairs?
your dream warning of an intruder?
a person you’ve dreamt about before and recently?
someone creeping up the stairs?

you listen now for sounds in the dark
but there is only silence
and yet the house isn’t empty
you sense that

and again you hear it just like you did in the dream
a muffled footstep outside your bedroom
and then the door opens with a creak
and a vase falls to the floor with a crash
shattering into tiny pieces