A Knocking
There’s an old wives tale that says, “When you hear a knock at the door and no one’s there, that someone has died”.
Destiny Wells had just gotten her first apartment after receiving her Ph.D. She was still working part-time and would soon be starting a new job as a lab technician, at a clinic nearby. She’d always been a pragmatic individual; no one could accuse her of being imaginative or flighty; as a science major, she was interested only in facts.
Her boyfriend, Eddie Schumacher and a couple of his friends were helping her to finish moving into the apartment. They’d just brought in the last of the furniture and boxes.
“I’ve ordered some pizzas and beer to thank you guys for the help.” She said, “You can stay to eat, right?”
“Sure”, was the reply. While waiting for the pizza and drinks, the guys helped Destiny arrange the furniture in her living room and carried the bed down the hallway and finished putting it back together.
The food arrived at around six thirty. They plugged in the HDTV and popped a movie into the Blue Ray player. They were all enjoying the evening when, there was a loud knock, rather more of a banging, on her apartment door.
“Eddie stood up, “I’ll get it.” He said, opening the door to no one. He looked up and down the hallway; there was no one in sight, so he closed the door again and went back to his pizza. “There’s nobody out there.” He commented to the others.
“Maybe it was the landlord.” Said Destiny, “Although I have already paid him for three months rent. Maybe he has an extra key or something for me. No, wait, he did say that he needed to check something with the plumbing. I suppose he’ll be back later.”
The evening progressed nicely, the group finished off two large pizzas and almost two six-packs of beer. Eddie’s friends left after the movie ended, but he stayed behind for awhile, to help Destiny get unpacked. He was just about to leave for the evening when they heard the knocking again; it was now, eight o’clock .
“I’d better get it this time.” Destiny commented and she opened the door. No one was there. She walked out into the hallway, looked up and down and seeing no one, came back inside.
“That’s so weird!” She commented, sitting down on the couch. “There wasn’t anyone out there.”
Eddie walked out of the door and checked the hallway. “Somebody must be playing a practical joke on you.” He commented and continued to unpack a box of dishes.
“Maybe I should stay here overnight.” He suggested, setting a stack of plates on the kitchen table.
“You know I’d love that, Sexy,” said Destiny smiling, as she patted him on his right buttocks and planted a kiss on his cheek. “It’d sure make my first night here, more pleasant.”
He placed a stack of bowls next to the plates and smiled. By ten o’clock that evening, half of the boxes had been unpacked and the exhausted pair showered and then sank into a deep sleep, as soon as their heads hit the pillows.
Around three am, they were startled awake by the knocking again. This time, it was three times louder than before. It sounded like someone was angry!
Destiny pulled on her housecoat and Eddie his pants and they went to the door together. Eddie opened it but, there was no one, anywhere in sight. “Okay, this is crazy!” He voiced loudly. “What the Hell kind of a place is this?” He closed the door, locked it and put on the chain.
Destiny was clearly upset and very puzzled. She fixed her and Eddie a pot of coffee and they sat up talking until five-thirty, speculating about who it might have been. Since neither of them actually knew anyone in the building other than the landlord, Eddie promised to go with her to his office, as soon as it was open.
Later, they headed over to the nearby, Pancake Platter House, for breakfast around seven. On the way back, they stopped at the apartment offices to speak with the landlord, Charlie Weston.
”Well, it sure wasn’t me,” he said, after listening to their story. “You’ve already paid me and I checked the pipe in the bathroom two days ago, before you moved in. Everything was in good working order and I haven’t been there since. I don’t know who it might be but, if it keeps up I guess I’ll have to try to find out who is doing all of the knocking. In the meantime, I’ll get someone to install a peep-hole in that door for you.”
“Thanks Charlie”, Destiny replied, “I will let you know if there’s any more going on.” They left and Eddie headed home to his own place about an hour after they returned to Destiny’s apartment. That morning was very quiet and Destiny continued to unpack and put away her things.
The next day was Sunday and she spent it, in preparation for work on Monday morning. She’d been doing laundry and had met one of her neighbors in the apartment basement. Adele Petrie lived in the apartment just above her. She seemed a nice person and invited Destiny up for coffee later that afternoon. Destiny mentioned the knocking to Adele but, Adele had no idea of who it might have been.
Afterwards Destiny went back to her apartment and started ironing something to wear to work. She was interrupted by the knocking again but, it was three times louder.
Destiny walked to the door and pressed her ear against it. She listened but heard nothing, not even a second knock. Finding it rather strange, she double checked the lock and chain then, resumed her ironing. She glanced up at the door several times, The phone rang and when she answered, it was Eddie.
“Des, I’m at Mom’s house, she’s sending you some things and I’ll bring them by around six tonight, then we can go out and eat somewhere if you want, okay?”
“Yeeaaahh, uh, okay.”
He thought she sounded strange, “Are you feeling alright, Des?”
“Yeah, I...I heard someone knocking again. I think I’m going to give Charlie a call and see if he can get that peep-hole installed any sooner. I’ll see you later, baby.”
“Des, don’t open that door again unless you hear someone you know who is on the other side. I really don't like this situation.”
“I won’t.”
“I’ll get there as soon as I leave Mom’s, Luv’ya.” He hung up.
Destiny, dialed Charlie’s number but, there was no response so she left him a voicemail. She figured that he might be busy in another apartment.
Two hours had passed when Eddie arrived. He pressed the bell and Destiny went to the door but, didn’t open it.
“Des...it’s me, Eddie.”
She unlocked the door and it was Eddie, holding a large cardboard box, there was another on the floor beside his foot.
“What’s that?” she asked as he placed the first box on a chair and went to get the second. She closed the door behind him and locked it.
“Mom sent you something for a house warming. She doesn’t use them anymore and I told her you didn’t have them so she thought you might like them.”
“What is it?” She asked, opening the first box, she peered inside.
“A Cuisinart and some attachments,” Eddie told her. “Mom had two that she’d gotten for different Christmases and she thought you might like the other one. There’s a couple of other dishes too.” He said, pointing at the other box.
“That’s so sweet, Eddie. I’ll stop by tomorrow and thank her, after I get off of work.”
She turned and looked at him as he sat down on the couch, “I called Charlie and left a message since he wasn’t available. I hope he can get someone here soon.”
“Has it happened since I talked to you?” He asked.
“No not again.”
“Good.” He responded.
Eddie watched some television while Destiny got changed for dinner. They left for their favorite Chinese restaurant where they had a sumptuous meal with some rice wine. When the fortune cookies came, Destiny opened hers and read the fortune.
“You are going to receive some news, soon. I wonder what that means?” She looked at Eddie as he opened his, smiling.
“A friend is in need of your support.” He read. “I wonder who that is?” He said, placing the fortune on his empty plate.
They left the restaurant around nine and made their way back to Destiny’s new apartment. Her cell rang as they were entering; it was Charlie, her landlord.
“Ms. Wells, I’ve got a man coming Monday morning around ten to install a peep-hole for you. Will you be there? If not, I can let him in, just let me know.” She quickly returned the call to let him know that she would be at work, so he’d have to see to the man.
With a quiet evening, Eddie left, telling her to be certain to lock the door after him. She did and put on the chain, then headed to the bathroom to wash up before bed. She’d planned to be well-rested for work the next morning.
Confident that everything would work out alright after the peep-hole was installed, she easily fell asleep. There would be no restful night though; distorted dream images flooded her head and she spent much of her night tossing and turning.
She was awakened by the same loud knocking two hours before her alarm went off. Looking at the clock, she noticed that it was three-fifteen, am. She opted to try and ignore the noise and go back to sleep but, it kept on for almost fifteen minutes. Finally she got up, put on her robe and slippers and went to the door. She debated for a few seconds about whether to open it or not, and then walked into the kitchen; she selected a butcher knife from the oak block on the counter and went to the door.
She pressed her ear against it...no sound. Perhaps whomever it was had given up, she thought. She was just about to put down the knife when an even louder banging jarred the door. Destiny had it this time; she pulled off the chain and turned the lock, throwing open the door to an empty hallway!
She stood there in the doorway, the knife in her hand looking up and down the empty area, there was no one. Destiny spent the rest of the night, drinking coffee and trying to figure out what was happening. With no sleep and exhausted, she called in sick that morning.
Around eight o’clock, she called her Dad to talk, she felt that surely there was some explanation and maybe he had some idea of what might be happening within the building that was causing the knocking. Perhaps, she thought, there is something else wrong with the pipes or the ventilation system that was causing the noise. There just had to be a logical explanation, in her mind, unless she was losing it.
“Morn’in sweetie.” Her dad said. I’m glad that you called, I just got a call a few minutes ago from your Aunt Anne, baby and I have some bad news. Your Uncle Bobby passed away this morning, at the hospital.”
“No!” She cried out, tears ran down her cheeks. She hadn't even know that he had been in the hospital. She hadn't seen her aunt or uncle for over two years. She'd hoped to visit them in Tennessee on her next vacation.
“Yes baby, he was in a wreck last Friday night and they thought they had him stabilized, according to your aunt. Anne just called me this morning to say he had passed away. I know he was your favorite uncle and I had planned to call you after you got off work to tell you the news.
Destiny was so upset that she decided not to mention the knocking to her Dad; after all, he’d just lost his brother and she didn’t want to add to his stress. She did mention that she hadn’t slept well and would be by his home in about an hour; she’d pick up some breakfast for both of them.
When she arrived at her Dad’s home, he wasn’t hungry; he was drinking coffee but had no appetite. He told her all that he knew of his brother’s accident and what they had done for him at the hospital.
“Anne said that some driver T-boned him on his way home from work Friday around six forty-five. That he was in a coma after the wreck, that he never came out of it but, they made him as comfortable as possible. She’ll let us know the funeral arrangements and you and I can go to Tennessee together if you’d like, baby.” He explained.
A chill slithered down Destiny’s spine and she shivered and turned pale. She tried hard to hold back the tears for her Dad's sake but they freely flowed. “Did you say, it happened around Six Forty-Five, Dad?”
“Yes.”
For some reason, that time stuck in her mind, though she didn’t realize it until she got back to her apartment later that evening, six forty-five, was the exact time that the knocking began on her apartment door. Eddie reminded her later that evening, as he drove her back to her Dad’s house, to spend the night, with him.
Old wives tale or not, Destiny never found an explanation for the knocking and she never experienced it again.
Copyright, 2020, M.L. Kiser
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