The Door Knob Turned....

by Diane
(U.S.A.)

I remember my father telling us about something that happened to him earlier in his life. He talked of how he used to get out and party it up. The more the excitement and the more of a prank that he could pull on others for fun to scare them. He would sit back and laugh. He wasn't but a young man enjoying life. He thought he might as well enjoy himself. After all, life is short... To this his mother would quip.."You better be careful and quit your shenanigans or least the devil himself will be coming for you. How well he does love his tricksters!"... Now, Mother, you just hush... You know better than that.. And, if he ever comes, I'll have a trick or two just for him. You just wait and see.... Ha! He laughed...

Well, it went on for a while. Him out playing his tricks and laughing at all the troubles he had caused. He had been out for a good night one night. He was worn out and he decided to call it quits and head off home. He went down into the hollow he lived in. His houses was dark. It was all quite. He thought to himself..Such a good night for sleeping... He went about getting himself ready for bed. He went and locked his doors and lay down for a good long nights sleep.

He had been sleeping for a bit, when something awaked him. He didn't know what it was at first. He lay still and listened. Long slow seconds ticked by... Just when he decided all was well and turned over onto his pillow, he heard it.. It was the lightest sound of hooves.. Unlike a horse or animal, these had a peculiar ring... They sounded like steps of a man... He shook his head to clear the fog of sleep. There! There it came again!... He held his breath, straining his ears and trying to fathom what it was. The time was in the quietest moments of the darkness before the dawning of morn. Therefore, it could have been no one he knew to be outside.

The stillness came awake with the sounds of steps.. Slowly, but without hesitation did they proceed. Then, as he lay motionless waiting with nerves alive, the knob of his door was turning! It was trying to get inside! He froze just a moment, then he decided there was no worry. It could not enter! But the knob turned.The door opened and to his horrified eyes, there stood the devil! The terror of it caused him to jump and dive under his covers!He would not look at it! He hid until morning. He believes if he had looked and seen it when it reached his bed, the devil would have taken him that night!... Needless to say, after this, he was a very well behaved young man. No more tricks!.