Count With Me, Nice and Slow

One, two, three, four, five.

Don't make a sound. Something's listening in the ground. Don't smile.

Don't run. They will follow everyone. Six, seven,

eight, nine, ten. Kill the lights, turn them down

low. Go hide. Don't let them see. Hold your breath

and count with me. Eleven, twelve, thirteen,

fourteen, fifteen. Fingers folded, standing still. If you giggle,

if you scream, they'll crawl out of every seam. Sixteen, seventeen,