The Voice Upstairs

When I was a child my family moved to a big old two-floor house, with big empty rooms

and creaking floorboards. Both my parents worked so I was often alone when I came home from

school. One early evening when I came home the house was still dark.

I called out, "Mum?" and heard her sing song voice say "Yeeeeees?" from upstairs.

I called her again as I climbed the stairs to see which room she was in, and again got the

same "Yeeeeees?" reply. We were decorating at the time, and I didn't know

my way around the maze of rooms but she was in one of the far ones, right down the hall.

I felt uneasy, but I figured that was only natural so I rushed forward to see my mum,