"I just heard that someone I know has died. He was at the student clinic and they finally figured out he had tetanus, but nothing they did helped. He must have stepped on a rusty nail or something. He's dead. God, I knew him. He was a pretty good guy."

My sister had come in with her news after her last class on campus. She lived with us in a spare bedroom at the back of the house. She told me the name of this fellow, but I had no idea who he was. It really didn't matter to me. I didn't know him. Besides, people died all the time. I had other things to worry about.

My sister is adorable. She has short black hair. She runs every day, and even so, she maintains the legs of a dancer. Even if she is my sister I know she is a beauty.

Several days back I had been in the sun room about two o'clock in the morning. I was up late reading. The sun room actually is right behind my sister's room. It is an attachment at the back of the house, and the walls are covered with windows. We had never bothered to put curtains up. It was a sun room after all. I often read there because it was quiet and was away from my bedroom with my wife. I didn't want to disturb her sleep.

It had occurred to me that anyone outside in the neighborhood could see in, but it didn't seem to matter to me. I was just reading after all. I had little fear of being observed.

Anyway, this particular night I was reading some Jane Austen and as I read I thought I heard something. It was a creaking sound. Our yard is surrounded by a wire fence. The kind made up of squares, you know? Anyway, it is years old and rusty, but it does its job of keeping the dog in the yard when he is out doing his job.

Suddenly it came to me. Someone was climbing over the fence and, stepping on the wire fence, they were causing the creaking metallic squeaking sound. I could feel my heart beat increase as the adrenalin started coursing through my veins. Whoever it was could surely see me easily from the outside darkness. Not quite completely dark. There was a full moon tonight, but we were having an total eclipse later, and it would darken into a blood moon.

I thought quickly and decided that I would put away my book casually and rise to leave the room. As I did I turned out the light. Knowing that I could not be seen now I dropped down to my knees and crept back into the room. I was carefully peeking out of a window. I was trying to see if there was anyone in the yard.

I moved my eyes first to the back of the yard where I expected the intruder had climbed the fence. He would not have come from the sides probably, because they were neighbor's yards he would have had to enter.

Then I saw a shadowy figure behind a tree. He was slowly creeping over towards my sister's room, where she had a window at the back of the house. He was bent over and moving slowly but surely. I had no idea what his intention was, but I crawled back into the main part of the house to retrieve my rifle. It was only a .22 but it could do some damage if he tried to get in.

While I was doing that I was also calling 911. I thought I could use some cops in this situation. They were on the way and said they would come in silent mode so as not to scare him off. I had been whispering to them on the phone but they heard me. Besides, I didn't want to frighten my wife or my sister.

I had my rifle trained on him as he was nearing my sister's window when something spooked him. He turned and ran to the back of the yard and scrambled over the fence, slipping and falling as he did it. The police pulled up about three minutes later and I met them at the front of the house.

After lots of discussion they decided there was not much to do except search the neighborhood. They went to do that and I tried to get to sleep. No one else had been bothered in the house or area. With that on my mind I finally drifted off to sleep.

The next day I decided to check out the yard and the fence. I went out early and scouted around. I found the dip in the wire fence where someone had stepped on it. But I also found something else. Blood.

There was a trail of blood drops from the fence into my yard and almost to my sister's window. That's when he ran away and left off dripping blood so profusely.

Now it was days later and my sister was still chattering about her friend.

"So some friends think we should go to the funeral, if it's here in town. He was an okay guy. I didn't know him well. But too bad he's gone."

I was busy cleaning my .22 rifle. It was empty now. I made sure before I started cleaning it. But I could load it again rather quickly if necessary.