Paige stood in silence, her forehead resting against the inside of the wardrobe wall. Surrounded by clothing she stood inside a box full of shoes. Hidden in darkness, she took silent breaths while listening for footsteps. Where had Frank gone?

….. Two Hours Earlier …….

It was boiling. Sitting on the couch, the pathetic breeze from the small fan did nothing to cool Paige. Perfect domes of glistening sweat lingered on her skin as the 39 degree weather refused to let up. The drama on the television could not distract her and it was time to try a new approach.

The sun had set a little while ago and Paige considered that perhaps it was now only the house that was hot and hoped that a cool night would surprise her as she exited the sauna. Unlocking the main lock and the dead bolt, she grabbed her keys and the torch and stepped outside. The air was still hot but breathable, unlike inside. Locking the door and pointing the flashlight out to the farm she could see her albino cow, Pepper, and her white sheep, Salt. A collector of unusual looking farm animals, Paige only had a small collection but they were nothing if not intriguing, which is how the farm made the small amount of money that it did by charging passers by to come in and spend time with the curious creatures.

Walking down the path toward the small barn the wind had picked up a little and cooled the moist skin, letting out a sigh of relief, she removed the hair tie from her long red hair and adjusted it back up and off her neck. Adjusting her bra and top to wipe the sweat off the skin she turned around and began to head back home.

Inside was worse than before, knowing what it was like outside made it hotter. Instead of sitting back on the couch she grabbed a cold beer from the fridge and went to return to the porch to rock in the breeze until bedtime.

The glass beer bottle dropped to the floor, smashing, sending glass all over the entrance area. A small, breathfilled scream released itself involuntarily from Paige’s mouth as she saw the figure in front of her. Standing on her front porch was a tall person in a costume. Face hidden, the costume was of a goose, white with a yellow beak it stood there motionless. It did not react to the scream or the broken glass. It just stood there.

Paige was frozen. She was unable to move and it felt like she also couldn’t breathe. Before she had thought to close the door the person removed the head section of the costume and revealed himself. “I am so sorry! Please do not be afraid. My name is Frank and I was on my way here to offer my services for the time that I am staying in town.” spoke quickly ans seemed panicked that he had disturbed her. “I stand outside businesses and hold signs to entice customers to come in. I stupidly thought it would be funny to have the costume on, and apparently come at night, I really didn’t think this through. I’m such an idiot. Sorry.” He seemed very sincere in his apology. Paige stood silently, staring at him in disbelief. He continued his strange speech. “The problem is, because I came here in the dark I couldn’t really see where your driveway was going and I managed to drive off the road and hit a tree. My phone is back at the motel. The only way this night could get worse is if you say no to me coming in and using your phone to call for assistance. Walking back in this heat, as I also didn’t wear anything under this costume, would probably kill me.”

Paige was still frozen. Taking it all in. She closed the door and locked it. “I appreciate your response. I am so sorry for showing up like this. I will come by another time, during the day, in normal clothing, to apologise. I’m sorry! Goodnight” The goose apologised through the door and began to walk away. The door reopened and Paige said to wait, she walked out and handed him her mobile phone and told him to call whoever he needed. As it was cooler outside she said to sit down on the porch and she will get two new beers.

Returning with those beers she saw the goose placing the phone on the table. He sat in the chair beneath the kitchen window. Handing him a beer and walking over the other chair, she sat down. “They should be here soon”.

Paige asked for his name and where he was from. “Frank, I’m from Listfel, it’s about a days’ drive from here. I’m visiting a sick family member and am hoping to get work to keep paying my rent back home. It's not cheap to get up and leave for a while.” Paige felt sympathy for the idiot. What person in their right mind thought anything that he did tonight was a smart idea. Even for his own safety, driving to a farm without knowing if the owner is armed, no phone, middle of the night, the man could have been shot and killed without warning.

They drank the beers and talked basic topics until Frank decided to ask if he could call them again for an update. Paige agreed but first Frank asked if he could use the bathroom. Paige gave instructions to find it and Frank went inside.

The breeze was getting cooler and the heat had let up enough that there were no more droplets on her skin, she even considered putting a shirt on over her singlet while she had a guest. Stepping inside she went upstairs, passing the bathroom he was using, and grabbed a lightweight shirt from her wardrobe. She too needed to use the bathroom so she stepped in to the ensuit. A few minutes later, walking back down the stairs she passed the bathroom, the door open now, and assuming Frank was back outside she called out to ask if he wanted another beer. But there was no answer.

Paige looked outside to find that Frank and his head piece were gone. Maybe the car showed up and she didn’t hear him leave? Can’t have happened that quickly. Unless he was still embarrassed, did a runner to avoid saying goodbye.

Picking up her phone she went to call the assistance number to make sure everything went well but her last call in history was to her mother, three hours ago. Where was the call he made to get picked up? What was going on?

“Frank?! Where are you? Do you want another beer before they get here?” She called out, trying to not sound panicked, if he was still here, he wasn’t a friend.

She looked around the house but he was not there. She double locked the front door and turned on all the farm lights to illuminate outside in case he came back. Checking the house again she looked in all the cupboards and under furniture but she was confident he was not inside.

A confusing night for sure. Not understanding what had happened or where he had gone was going to drive her mad all night, she knew as she laid down and became comfortable in bed that her thoughts were going to run wild and keep her up.

She was wrong, she passed out quickly. Deeply.

She awoke suddenly after what felt like only a short time asleep, looking over at the clock she had fallen asleep and woken up again in less than an hour. A bad dream had shocked her awake, she had imagined a loud bang. Getting her breathing back under control she brought the thin sheet back up to her chin and closed her eyes.

Creeeeak. Creeeeeak.

Her eyes wide and alert, she heard footsteps slowly make their way up the stairs. Without hesitation she gently floated out of her bed and tip-toed over to her wardrobe, climbing in and hiding herself amongst the clothing she pulled the door closed behind her.

Her bedroom door opened and a low voice began to reach out in the quiet night. “Awww, where did you go? I wanted to watch you sleep. I didn’t mean to make such a loud noise as I broke in, I wanted you to be asleep when I got here, I wanted to be the one to wake you. Where could you be?” He opened the wardrobe door and spread the clothing down the middle. Trying hard not to make a sound she was to the far left of his hands and narrowly avoided being detected. He sighed in disappointment and left the room, checking the rest of the house he made his way through the upstairs and then back down.

Paige stood in silence, her forehead resting against the inside of the wardrobe wall. Surrounded by clothing she stood inside a box full of shoes. Hidden in darkness, she took silent breaths while listening for footsteps. Where had Frank gone?