"What the heck was that?"
Doug sat up in bed and rubbed his head. He had been sleeping next to his beautiful wife, Kathy, when he heard a racket. Whether the sound came from inside the house or outside, he could not ascertain.
"It's late hun, just go to bed."
Kathy yawned as she spoke. She had heard the noise as well but seemed much less concerned than her husband was.
"I don't know if that came from just outside the house or inside..."
Doug spoke as he reached over the turned on the lamp on his bedside table. He squinted as his wife yawned and rubbed her eyes.
"It's just the cat or something. Turn off that light and go back to sleep."
Kathy appealed, tired but grabbing at her husband's arm. She stared at him intently with her pretty green eyes.
"I'll go check, be back in a few minutes."
Doug button upped his blue pajamas and threw his legs over the side of the bed.
"Hun, I'm serious. Stay in bed. I've got that trip on the weekend and I need my sleep. I really feel it's best for you to just stay in bed right now."
Kathy spoke more firmly now, clearly both annoyed and serious. She tugged at Doug's arm but to no avail. He stood up and pulled his arm from her grasp with not an inconsiderable amount of effort. Sliding on his slippers, Doug slowly walked toward the door.
"Be back shortly."
Doug replied, his tone conveying that he was not even considering his wife's words. Doug loved his wife very much - they had been together since their teens 20 years earlier, had a daughter very early in their relationship and a son a few years later. She was smart, supportive, and with her long blonde hair and curvaceous figure very attractive. Doug had a tendency to dismiss his wife's suggestions from time to time though, and this time proved no different.
Doug walked through the cozy bungalow style home he shared with his wife and his two children, Grace and Patrick. Doug had made a good life for his family. He was successful in the financial field, his beautiful blonde wife kept their home warm and happy, his beautiful daughter Grace was nearing the completion of her high school education and had a whole world of possibilities ahead of her, and his son Patrick was just a few years behind her with a future no less bright. The noise that woke Doug up seemed as though it was no more than the tiniest blip on a life that was progressing very nicely.
The husband and father walked through the house and flipped light switches as he entered each room. Nothing was amiss, so he progressed further. All the bedroom doors were closed, the bathroom was empty, all things looked as they should in the living room, the kitchen, and the dining room. A quick look outside confirmed that there was nothing wrong with any of the family cars, and in fact no other cars were parked near the house. Doug furrowed his brow as he looked out the window near the front door. Something had disturbed him, that mysterious noise, and he felt a sense of unease that he wanted to relieve before returning to bed. He heard a soft series of creaks, muffled by distance, which only compelled him to continue his search.
The only place remaining was the basement. The basement was composed of a utility room, a small bathroom, and his daughter Grace's bedroom. Grace moved her bedroom to the basement two years earlier, as a 16th birthday present, as she felt that she needed more space as she became a full-grown woman.
It was Doug who had been grateful for the space recently, as he had been fighting with his daughter for the previous week. He was very uncomfortable with his daughter's new boyfriend, Duquan. He was a student at Grace's school and also in 12th grade, though Doug suspected that he was older than a typical 12th grade student. Duquan was a star athlete at school and he made the most of it by using his star status to get out of the spots of trouble he ended up in from time to time. Doug didn't like seeing his little girl with the big, rough-looking black man. He disliked how his daughter acted, so submissive and docile where once she had been sweet but assertive, around him even more. After a few weeks Doug, always somewhat intimidated by Duquan's size and demeanour, finally stood his ground. He forbade Grace from going out with Duquan, citing the trouble he had heard about her black boyfriend getting into and Grace's poor grades since the beginning of the relationship, careful to keep his racial misgivings as mere internal concerns. Grace reacted with hostility, and even his wife Kathy pleaded for him to reconsider, citing several positive qualities she claimed Duquan held, but surprising it was Duquan who settled the issue. He told Grace that it was alright that they couldn't go out together, gave her a kiss, and moved on. Doug was happy, Kathy seemed on edge, and Grace was mostly miserable.
Kathy had inadvertently prompted Doug to forbid the relationship, when she had casually mentioned in bed one night that Duquan and Grace were probably sexually active. Doug had never even considered the possibility - he knew that Grace was very attractive to boys as she had her mother's curvy body and pretty features though she had his pale skin and black hair, but he never considered that she would go very far with someone like Duquan. Kathy claimed that Duquan himself was quite good looking with his athletic body and very charming - he would have no trouble getting women. Doug has just considered Duquan a big, dumb... thug, but Kathy's words ate away at him until he acted. Grace had cried, then screamed at him in anger, and then settled into not speaking to him but glaring at him whenever their paths accidentally crossed.
Sighing as he thought about the tension between himself and his own daughter that week, Doug began descending the basement stairs. He was careful to walk quietly, as he did not want to disturb his daughter and possibly trigger yet another argument, when he heard a soft call.
"Daddyyy"
Doug's heart jumped into his throat. He wondered if something was wrong with his daughter and he descended the stairs more quickly. The lights were off in the basement, but the utility room was illuminated by the moonlight that poured in through the large windows he had installed when Grace moved to the basement. Nothing seemed out of place in the room. Doug pushed forward so as to investigate what was really going on.
"DaddyyYYYY"
He heard the call again, this time less soft and rising in intensity during the last syllable. His daughter, his little girl, needed him. Doug stubbed his toe on the vacuum cleaner that has been haphazardly placed in the middle of the room. He brought his fist up to his mouth to stifle any noise, an unconscious reaction given the circumstances. As he lingered for a few seconds and rubbed his foot, he heard new noises emanating from Grace's bedroom ahead of him.