A soft, melodic humming sailed through the air like coloured leaves in the breeze. It flowed passed the kitchen, through the hallway, and into the room with the slightly open door. The mellifluous tune gently met the ears of a human conquered by deep slumber. Two small, but dark eyes opened to meet the velvet darkness around them, and a miniscule form drearily forced itself into a seated position upon the mattress.

She simply sat motionless, nearly inanimate for a few moments, taking in the eerie, but appeasing melody. And for those few moments, the two small, green eyes could do no more than stare towards the doorway, bathing in the almost nonexistent light from beyond the door. The body paralyzed itself, either demanding that the child stay put, or simply frozen with unanticipated fear. The breaths came shallow but silenced, not so much as daring to rein over the soft humming.

The young one, finally incapable of self control any longer, turned to her left, swinging her delicate, untainted legs over the edge of her bed. Her feet took less than seconds before they hit the cold, firm ground. Her figure rose once more, this time all the way until she stood with all her weight upon her feet. Then, drawing in a deep, steadying breath, she took her first step toward the half-closed door.

Her steps were uncertain, but curious, and as slow as molasses. The arms hung almost helplessly at her sides, once in a while wandering to cross before her chest, or to allow the hands freedom to fold. One step after another, she made her way to the door, where she managed to conquer her fright and coil her hand around the brass knob, drawing it back towards her; opening it.

Without a second thought, she began to travel into the abandoned hallway, a dim and distant light guiding her way to that ongoing eerie score. The short, black strands of hair occasionally fell into the widened green eyes, but she took little notice. She did not need her eyes to find the source of the sound; her ears would lead her.

As the child's form entered the deserted kitchen, the sights and sounds of the night began to make themselves known. Although her eyes never wandered, nor blinked, her ears could still make out the infrequent cracks or creaks that seemingly occured from everywhere at once. But nonetheless, she walked on, step by step, breath by breath.

The dining room. The uninhabited seats around the table suggested invisible presences in the dark of the night. The walls, white by daylight, appeared black as death, and appeared to indicate death as well. Still, she walked slowly and steadily passed the wooden table and turned robotically, as if in a trance, towards the basement stairs.

She descended, one stair after the other, too afraid to really feel the fear. The air became moist and cold. So did the flesh. Even so, she continued to follow the light, the sound, curious as to how such a dim light could reach all the way up to the hallway from the basement.

She turned the corner. The room before her appeared pallidly illuminated. The melodious song was coming from inside. Drawing in that final breath of courage, she slowly entered, anxious to see what thrived within.

The light went out.

The humming ceased.

The child screamed.

It was a glass-shattering shriek that could be heard from even her parent's room. And dispite the depth of their slumber, both awoke immediately, the girl's father bolting upright. His thick, black hair stood on end as he realized all too well what this meant.

"Alicia!" came his cry as he bolted from the room toward the stairs.

The mother simply lie frozen in terror. Her sky blue eyes gazed straight up at the empty ceiling, praying for answers. She was too moritfied to weep, too terrified to scream, too shamed to follow her husband as he dashed towards their helpless daughter.

"What have I done?" were her only words, distant and monotone.

The screaming ceased.

The girl's father entered the room, equally green eyes narrowed. They widened in distinct horror, disbelieving the scene before them. His face became ghastly pale, white with terror. He wasn't certain whether he was going to throw up or faint, but one of the two events were undoubtedly about to occur. But no matter what the outcome, one thing was an absolute fact:

Alicia was dead.

A/N: Well, that was the first chapter. Hope you liked. Please R&R. Thanks. I just felt like trying on something new.