“A Voice in the Dark.”

by Mary McLoughlin

Shelia entered the ballroom alone, dressed as a white witch. She was looking for David, who told her he would be dressed as a harlequin, but she could not see him anywhere. He had told her to meet him here at seven o'clock, for the works Halloween dance, but he was nowhere to be found.


She made her way to the bar and ordered herself a Gin and tonic, and sat perched on the barstool where she could see the door and watch for a Harlequin to enter.


 All of a sudden, all the lights went out, it was pitch black, the room went dark; she heard her name being called in a soft voice, “Sheila, Sheila, Sheila. Three times the voice called her, she answered, “I am at the bar, is that you, David?” No response, then she heard people saying, “Why have the lights all gone out? Is this part of the Halloween scene? Then suddenly, the lights came back on, everyone started laughing and the music came on, and people got up to dance.


Sheila looked around the room searching for David, but nobody had a harlequin costume on. Who, she wondered, had been calling her? She finished her drink and decided she would go home. David, whom she worked with and had recently started dating, has stood her up. Just as she was leaving, she bumped into Pete whom she shared an office at the Magazine where she worked as a photographer. She asked him if he had seen David, who was a reporter for the magazine. Pete said he had not seen him since yesterday and then asked her to come and have a drink with him.


She said Okay, then asked him why he had not got a Halloween costume on. He had a suit and tie; he told her he was dressed as the butler for the Addams family. She told him that was a Kop out, they laughed, and he bought her another Gin and tonic. She told him she had agreed to come with David to the Halloween Dance; they had been seeing each other for about a month, but it looks like he has stood me up. “Well, never mind, you can have a dance with me,” said Pete.


They went onto the dance floor and started to dance, when again all the lights went out. She heard her name being called again, “Shelia, Shelia. Shelia.” Pete, is that you calling my name?” He replied, “No, I cannot hear anyone calling your name, but why have the lights all gone out, and we are all in the dark? Is this a prank?”


The lights all came back on, and a man addressed them from the stage, telling them that they had an electrical fault and it was not planned just because it was Halloween; they were going to get a temporary generator, so they could continue with the dance and judge the best costume, which would then be put into the next issue of the magazine.

Shelia told Peter she had heard her name being called when the lights went out the first time, and then again, she asked him if he had heard it, he told her he had not and perhaps she was just imagining it. 


They returned to the bar, and she tried to phone David, but his phone was switched off, so she left him a message telling him she was leaving and to phone her when he got it to explain why he had stood her up.

Pete asked he if she would stay with him for a while; he did not want to have to dance with some of the office typing pool who were all dressed as bats. She told him she would stay for another hour, and then she was going home. They had a few more dances and smiled as the photographer came around taking photos of them all.


Just before nine o'clock, the lights went out again despite having fixed up a temporary generator, and again, three times, someone called her name. She asked, “Who is it? What do you want? No reply, then the lights came back on, and she again asked Pete if he was playing a practical joke on her. He assured he was not and decided that he would take her home and go home himself as this was getting beyond a joke.


They went to the foyer and collected their coats; Pete ordered a taxi, and then they left. He dropped her off at her flat, she thanked him and told him she would see him at work on Monday, she let herself in and before she could switch on the light she again heard her name being called three times in the dark room, she reached for the light switch turned it on and said “Who is calling me?” no answer, she went and put the kettle on got out her mobile phone and rang David again it was still switched off.

This is spooky she said to herself. She phoned her friend Jade and told her about the voice in the dark. Jade told her she was just imagining it and to get herself a hot chocolate and go to bed, and forget about David, let him phone you, do not ring him again. Shelia said, You are right, see you tomorrow, goodnight, Jade.


She woke up to her phone ringing at eight o'clock the next morning. It was David. Where were you last night? He said, “What do you mean? I was with you at the Halloween dance. I just phoned you to tell you we won the best costumes, and both of our photos of us dancing together will be published in the magazine next week. 


She was confused and thought have I been dreaming, after she arranged to meet David later, she phoned Pete and asked him if he was with her at the party last night, he said I was there but you were with David he was dressed as harlequin and you as a white witch, I was a wolf, she then phoned Jade and asked her if she remembered her phoning her last night, Jade said she had not spoken to her for three days.


When she met David, he showed her the photograph of him dancing with her. She asked if he remembered the lights going out three times, and he said they were dimmed, but they never went out. She then told him about her name being called in the dark and he told her I think you must have been dreaming.


Shelia knew she had not, but could not figure out who the voice was in the dark ......


The End.