Whatever was up there was ripping furiously at the attic floor, scratching and clawing its way through the wood. Outside, the wind screeched and howled and hurled itself against the glass, as if it too was trying to force its way into my bedroom. The darkness seemed to close in. It wrapped around me like an icy shroud, squeezing the air from my lungs and making my heart thud faster and faster and faster. My head went light and I felt the carpet turn to quicksand below me, sucking me down. I dropped to my knees, choking and struggling to breathe, as the world began to spin. The sound of that scratching grew louder and louder until it was the only thing I could hear. I covered my ears, desperately trying to block it out, but still it grew louder until I was sure my head was going to explode with it. With a faint clunk the room was filled with light, and the scratching came to an abrupt stop. ‘Nothing to worry about, just a fuse,’ I heard Mum shout. ‘You OK?’ I opened my mouth to answer, but barely a whimper came out.
