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from an elbow.
    Winnie's first instinct was to yell at her brother. How dare he punch her like that? But when she raised her head and looked into his eyes, she knew the poke was for a good reason.
    "Look at the wall," he mouthed, the fear obvious in his whisper. Winnie followed his finger to the wall opposite them. A bright white circle, about the size of a basketball, was moving up and down the wall.
    Alec grabbed hold of his sister, and Winnie grabbed him back. They sat there motionless, wondering who or what was on the other end of that light beam. But neither one was brave enough to move from their chairs. They simply watched the light scatter about the room, keeping them breathless and unable to talk. But as nerve-wracking as the light that appeared out of nowhere was, seeing what happened next was even worse. The beam went out like a birthday candle. The strongest gust of wind so far came billowing through the area. A strange whistling sound that accompanied it made both Winnie and Alec cover their ears. What was that sound? And more importantly, would they ever learn who or what had been outside their door?

Chapter Six

    "What was that?" Alec finally got up the courage to speak.
    Winnie sat staring out the sliding glass doors to the direction from where the light first came.
    "Do you mean the light or the sound?" she asked, feeling braver now that the light was gone and the house had stopped shaking.
    "I think the sound was just the wind," he said with confidence. "But the light?" He left the question hanging, hoping his sister would know.
    "It had to be a flashlight," she said, not totally sure, but finding this the most reasonable answer. The other choice was… well, she really didn't know.
    "If it was a flashlight, that means… that means someone is out there," Alec whispered in fear. Winnie could see the scared look on his face, even in the darkened room.
    She knew her brother was right. Someone probably was out there. But whom? It certainly wouldn't be their parents. They wouldn't be snooping around with a flashlight. They would just come in the door.
    "Maybe it was a boat on the water flashing a light as it moved by," Winnie suggested as the thought came to her. This was the best idea she could come up with. She just wanted to erase the image of a person lurking about outside. She didn't know if Alec would agree with the possibility, but it made her feel better just saying it aloud.
    "Maybe…" he said, still looking dazed and frightened. "But we've never seen boats back this way before. Dad said that opening in the back yard was like our private entrance from the bay. Why would any boats be coming in here?"
    Winnie took a deep breath and moved out of her chair and toward the window. It was another one of those times when she had to look past her fear and do what she thought her mother would do.
    "Do you see anything?" Alec asked, still in his seat.
    Winnie held her hands over her eyes blocking out the flickering light from the candles. The storm was still raging. She was almost glad it was too dark to see what was really happening outside. If she had known the porch furniture had blown away, shingles were missing from the roof, and the wind was strong enough to blow a grown man off his feet, she surely would have been more frightened. But she didn't know. She and Alec only knew the worst storm they had ever experienced was raging outside their doors, and they were left alone to face it.
    "Mom and Dad aren't going to make it home, are they?" Alec asked in a trembling tone.
    Winnie paused before answering. She wished with all her heart she could tell him otherwise. But trying to sugar coat the truth wouldn't work. He would eventually realize this storm was the monster, keeping their parents out and the two of them trapped inside.
    "I'm sure they'll get home to us as soon as they can, Alec. It just may be closer to morning." She could see the disappointment in his face, even from across the room.
    "But