Neighbours

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON 19th OCTOBER 2006

---

Martin and I keep hearing a baby's wails coming from a house nearby. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, just before we fall asleep, we think we can hear it: a quiet sound, but very distinct. A young baby, just crying on and on. One time, I got out of bed and went to the window, to see if I could work out where it was coming from. I'm certain it's the old house on the corner, the one that looks fairly abandoned.

I asked the man at the newsagent's if he knows whether anyone lives there. He laughed and assured me it's inhabited by an elderly couple: the man used to be a dentist and his wife worked as a secretary in his practice for some time. Apparently they like to keep themselves to themselves. No, they don't have any children. No, they never seem to be visited by any grandchildren. I didn't tell the newsagent why I was asking all these questions. He seemed quite happy to keep things at the level of a gossip.

Last night, we heard the wailing again. This time Martin got out of bed too and he agrees with me. The sound's coming from the house on the corner.