Love Story

I Sneak Out to the Garden to See you

The slow turning of fan blades were the target of a predatory gaze as Alex lay on his back, staring at his ceiling. All he could think about was Morgan and how much he missed that strange, quirky little nerd. It had been two days since he'd received a postcard from the other, and it was gibberish. The hero was sure it was some sort of code, but try as he might, he couldn't decipher it.

For a moment, he wondered how angry the other would be if he showed up. Even a few minutes would do the lonely hero some good. But no. He needed to respect Morgan's wishes. He let out a heavy sigh and rolled onto his side, glaring out the window at the nearly full moon as if this was somehow it's fault. The thought of taking his pent up frustration out on the celestial body briefly occurred to him. The feeling of obliterating such a massive object was so tempting, but he shook his head. No... Morgan liked the moon... so the moon was safe.

Slowly, the feline eyes closed, and Alex let his body relax, ready to get some sleep.

.-- .- -.- . ..- .--.

His eyes snapped open at the sound of a strange, rhythmic tapping noise. The pattern seemed almost familiar, but Alex couldn't place it as he looked towards the source.

On his nightstand, his wallet lay open, and beside it was a polished metal card, standing up on four thin, pointed legs like a spider. One of those legs was the cause of the sound as it tapped on the wood.

Alex was confused, and he propped himself up on his elbow, reaching out for the card.

It skittered away swiftly, hopping onto the floor. Alex watched as the card climbed up the wall to his window, seeming to defy gravity as it started to tap on the glass.

--- .--. . -. .. -

The pattern was different this time, and Alex gave an irritated sigh. There was no way he could get to sleep now. The hero crawled out of bed, pulling on a pair of fluffy plaid night pants, and stepping into some slippers. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he stepped over to the window, and eyed the card. As he approached, it stopped tapping, almost seeming to look up at the tired man. Was he dreaming? "What, you want out?"

-.-- . ...

The card tapped again, before backing up once more.

Alex rolled his eyes and moved to slide the window open, letting in the cool, early fall air. As soon as the path was clear, the card hopped out onto the ground, and skittered off into the grass.

The sound of an owl hooting broke up the drone of chirping insects as Alex simply stared at where the card had vanished, utterly bewildered. A few moments passed before the card reappeared, seeming to look at Alex again. One leg reached out to tap at a stone.

..-. --- .-.. .-.. --- .-- -- .

Alex arched a brow, glancing around him to see everything else seemed normal. He looked back at the card, and chuckled as it did a little shake, as if beckoning him forward.

"Fine... I'm coming." He said, climbing out of the window. The card gave a little hop, then skittered away again, closely followed by Alex. It led him to a well-worn path up towards the barn. The building was old. Red paint pealed away, revealing the dull, weathered wood beneath, and a thin layer of rust coated the metal hinges.

The card scurried inside, and Alex paused at the sight of the door, unlatched and ajar. That wasn't right...

Suddenly on edge, the hero stepped forward, the door opening with a slow creak. He peered in, scanning the room. Everything seemed normal. Dirt and straw littered the floor, the horses were content in their stalls, and the cat snoozed on a beam.