Noises in the Night
Last night, around four in the morning, I woke to gunshots. Or rather, I woke to a loud banging that sounded something like gunfire. From the frequency and distance, it could have been firecrackers. It was, I'm sure, what Shirley heard and called the police about a month ago. It was very close, probably in the small arboretum or courtyard, but it certainly wasn't ten feet away. The first time the noise woke me, I was startled enough to roll over and blearily wonder what the hell it was before I fell back asleep. I was too tired and it wasn't loud enough to merit me thinking logically or waking up Justin. The second time I woke up, which could have been anywhere from two to twenty minutes later, I came to my senses a little more. What was that exploding noise? And what the hell time was it anyway? I looked at the clock and woke up a little more. It certainly sounded like a noise that comes from a gun. And BANG- BANG- BANG, it came at a pretty regular frequency... but sounded kind of SMALL to be a gun. I don't know if I'd reognize real gunfire if I heard it. But anyway, I was curious, so I listened for a second before shaking Justin. There must have been six or so "shots" before I shook him, then another two or so before it stopped. Not enough for him to wake up and care. Beneath us, I could hear Shirley talking, probably frantically contacting the police again. I went back to sleep. At least she knows now it wasn't us.