Things that go bump in the night...

There's a typhoon heading this way and I wait until after dusk to walk Elbi...alone.

The wind is picking up slowly but surely and you can see the clouds moving swiftly through the night sky.

The walk begins with a small toad, dead on the road. Poor thing. Was he eaten? Was he hit?

We walk on. The bats are out in full force, as always. They hover overhead threatening to fly into your face, but never doing so (unless you are my husband!). While, my face is safe, I don't feel safe.

To say that the mood is ominous is such an understatement. The wind blows just as I steady my pace, but a cyclist without lights creeps up behind me knocking my sense of balance and judgement.

a glimpse of the moon through the fast moving clouds...

From that moment on, my heart is weak and even a leaf blowing over my toe, (or at least I am hoping it was a leaf), scares me silly.

We have to walk through a hedged path. To my left, the thick of trees, leaves and bushes hides the unknown. To my right, a dip down to an overgrown dry part of the lake, more unknown, only a small trip away.

I hum some random tune, not too high pitched, I am no longer a soprano anyway, but low enough for the bats to hear and to steer clear.

We bump into two dogs and their owner turning a corner. My heart jumps again.

Perhaps, Elbi is as nervous as me. He pulls to go home. The wind pushes us along a road that may as well be a deserted highway, although it is only five minutes from our house.

We walk past the front of the scrapyard from where many creaks and squeaks emerge. Once the lights disappear, we are left alone in the dark street passing some plots of land.

Elbi stops to sniff the earth, but the strings marking the land suddenly shake with vigour as the wind reminds us of its presence.

We both jump with such a fright that we start a quick shuffle back.

One huge lorry comes towards us, lights beaming in my eyes reminding me of far too many a horror film I have seen.

We dart in front of a second lorry, turning into our drive to avoid it.

I can breath a sigh of relief now I am home, but then I remember we have typhoon lock-down and we have rented some thrillers and screamers!

Brace yourself.