This has been partially re-worked so I would like to know please whether the changes I have made so far improve it or not? Thank you.

Jeannine made her way home from work late one night, sensing she was being spied on, maybe even followed. Her intuition told her she was not alone as she walked along the road. She felt the eyes searing into her back in the dark, watching her every movement.

Huge trees lined the route home, behind which anyone could be hiding. She quickened her pace, hastily reaching the street where she lived. Most of the houses were in darkness. It was around ten p.m. when she got to her door. Never before had she worked so late at night. She vowed never to do so again because there was no public transport that late these days.

She was jittery too because she had been receiving strange phone calls. Calls where, when she picked up the receiver and said "Hello", there would be only the sound of hissing breath on the other end of the line. It unnerved her to the extent, she now very reluctantly picked up the receiver when the phone rang.

"He...hello," she said, her voice trembled. "Who is it? Who are you? Why do you keep bothering me?"

"Jeannine? What's wrong dear? What's the matter?" Her mother's voice came up the line. Jeannine calmed herself, not feeling exactly reassured but glad it was only her mother on the phone, not the stranger. She did not want her mother worrying about her, the latter had worried enough when Jeannine first left home, telling her it was not safe out there in the World. No, she thought, I must not let on anything is wrong. She'll be begging me to come home again otherwise.

As calmly as she could, she spoke into the mouthpiece.

"Oh mum, I'm fine, nothing's the matter. Just being paranoid that's all. I must admit I find it a little daunting living so far from you but on the other hand I wouldn't have it any other way. What did you want?" she asked quietly. It was too late though, her mother had caught her tone when she first spoke, and like a dog with a bone, would not let go of the subject.

"Now come on. I know you too well not to know when something is up. I can tell by the tone of your voice that you're agitated by something or someone. Come sweetheart, it's your mother speaking. If you can't be truthful with her who can you be truthful with?" Jeannine felt her mother was just being condescending and kept quiet.

"You aren't going to tell me are you? Why? Don't you want me to worry about you? I do you know, in fact I tend to worry over the facts I don't know about more than those I do. I know what to do about most things. How can I help you all the time you remain stumm?"

Jeannine supposed she was right and decided that it would do no harm to tell her about the feelings she was having. She probably would only tell her not to be so silly, that she was being over sensitive and not to worry. The latter was easier said than done though.

"Look mum, I don't want you to worry. It's just that I've been getting bothersome phone calls and I have the strangest feeling when I go out I am being watched all the time."

"Now Jeannine dear, what are the phone calls about? Are they threatening? Rude? Or what?"

"That's just it, they aren't really any of those things. When I pick up the phone there is just this hissing breath on the other end of the line. No-one says a word, then the line goes dead again. I really can't report that type of call because there is no harm in it, except that it makes me nervous. What's worse I think, is the sensation I have that someone is always watching me coming and going, especially at night when it is dark. I guess if there is someone there, he or she thinks they won't be so noticeable at night."

"Oh, have you told the police? He could be a crazed animal, you don't know what he might do if he gets the chance!"

"Mum! I can't go to the police just because I am suspicious there might be someone stalking me. I need proof. They are going to laugh me out the door if I go to them and say I think someone might be following me but I can't be sure. They probably would not believe that I get phone calls either where the caller just hisses on the other end of the line. Don't worry, I'll be fine. What was it you wanted?"

"Don't tell me not to worry because you know full well that's all I ever do, don't you? I'll pay you a visit soon and we can talk more about this then. The reason I called? Oh yes, we've been invited to your cousin's wedding in a month, are you coming? I need to know because I have to write and let them know so they can make arrangements etc."

"I guess I ought to go I suppose, though I don't feel very much like it. Do I have to bring a gift?"

"Don't worry about that, we'll pick one up and say it's from the three of us. After all with you only doing a part time job you can't be expected to buy an expensive present like the well paid members of the family will be doing. Now I will be over tomorrow to see you and we can decide then what to do about that stalker of yours." At times Jeannine hated her mum and this was one of those times. She always knew what strings to pull to make Jeannine feel inferior to the rest of the family. Her mother knew full well that she did not want a full time job nor could she cope with one, suffering from nervous stress the way she always did. She held her tongue instead and said,

"Now mother it really isn't a stalker as such. It's probably just some fool kids having a lark and thinking it funny to scare lonely women."

"Ah! But how do they know you're lonely unless they have been watching you coming and going? You see my point don't you sweetie? I am coming over and I won't take no for an answer," and with that she hung up, leaving a dialling tone on the end until a hissing sound started up again. God how the devil....? How on earth did they do that? she thought and quickly replaced the receiver. Whoever it is they must be tapped into the phone-line, I don't see how they could do it any other way, she mused as she went into her bedroom to get ready for bed. She peeked out between the blinds to see if she could see anyone watching the place. Even with the streetlight just across the road, it was too dark to see anything clearly. Only the long dark shadows of the trees and the buildings opposite were visible. Not a soul was to be seen. A black cat, at least she assumed it to be black, though in this light it was difficult to tell, ran across the road, no doubt on the scrounge for tidbits from the neighbours' bins.

She tried to convince herself she was just being silly, that it was probably only stupid teenagers or kids who were just out for a good time and thought it funny to scare people. She found it hard to believe though and found it difficult to sleep again even with the thought that she would be seeing her mother the following day for which she was grateful.

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The next day was Saturday so she had no work. She still got up early as usual so she could get to the market and get in extra food. If her mother was coming she knew she would need extra provisions because the woman always insisted on cooking her a big meal when she came. Normally Jeannine would make do with microwaveable meals as they were quick and easy to deal with when she came home, tired from work all day. Her mother would always turn up her nose at them, saying,

"Now Jeannine, you aren't eating enough. These ready cooked meals aren't enough to feed a bird on." Jeannine would always agree and just say,

"Yes mother, you're right as usual," but secretly she wished her mother would not interfere in that aspect of her life because Jeannine was no big eater and would nearly always throw up after her mother had gone because she felt so uncomfortably full.

The woman arrived punctually before lunch and no sooner than she was in the door than she started in on Jeannine.

"Now why don't you tell me about these phone calls you've been getting and the feeling you have that someone is always watching you, coming and going."

"I know I have said it before, please do not worry about it as I can take care of myself. It is probably only my imagination anyway."

"Nonsense! It wasn't your imagination when you answered the phone the way you did when I called. Whatever is going on is really upsetting you and I want to help!"

"Believe me mum, you are helping just by being here. I know I said I wanted to make it on my own, but the occasional visit from you would not come amiss once in awhile. Won't you come over a little more?"

"Oh sweetheart you only have to ask and I'll be here like a shot. I would love to come over and would have done so more, only I didn't want you to feel I was interfering. I only have to be asked as I said."

"Thank you mum, I knew you would understand."

"You haven't talked about those phone calls yet, are they too frightening for you? Is that why you won't talk about them?"

"No of course not mum. It's just that I would rather not think about them right now." Ring! Ring! Jeannine looked at her mother in silence. Oh no! Not now! Jeannine thought, not while she's here. But then it dawned on her that perhaps it was for the best because at least then she would have one witness to back up her story should she need to take it to the police.

"Aren't you going to answer that then?"

"I wasn't going to, no. I am not expecting anyone to call and I didn't want our get-together to be disturbed."

"Well I should say the phone ringing has disturbed that anyway, don't you? Perhaps you should answer it, it could be something important, you never know."

"I guess you are right mum. I'll answer it but stay close in case."

"Of course dear." Jeannine went over to pick up the phone and as soon as she put it to her ear the hissing started again, only this time there were words as well.

"I..sss see..ss you are not alonesssss! Have you been a tattle tale and told your mother about me then? We'll meet soon now very soon Jeannine."

Jeannine's face blanched. Her mother hurried over to her and took the phone from her.

"Now look here, whoever you are I want you to stop harassing my daughter right now, do you hear? Right now! If you don't I will definitely go to the Police with her and get them to look into this is that clear?" She slammed the phone back down then and put her arms consolingly round her daughter. Gently, she guided Jeannine into the bedroom and helped her onto the bed.

"Now you aren't going to tell me that was a figment of your imagination because I heard the hissing too. I really do think you should go to the authorities with this you know, Jeannine."

"No, no it was different this time."

"Oh, how?" her mother asked innocently.

"There was a voice this time, a rasping one but one all the same. It said we would meet very soon now and they knew that you were here. They must be watching this place or how would they know you were here? Oh I wish dad were still alive, he would know what to do. He was always the strong one wasn't he?" Jeannine said reminiscing over the good old days she spent on her father's knee.

"Oh darling, you mustn't look back and believe you me, your father was no saint. You say he was the strong one? Many's the time you don't know about he came to me and asked me for help and for my opinion about things. Your father was not as strong as you think he was I can assure you. Anyway, don't think about him now. It's you we have to worry about. What do you want to do then? I still say we should go to the authorities and let them deal with this."

"No! I have a strong feeling that if we go to the police, whoever is doing this may not hurt me at first but could very well hurt you to get back at me for some unaccountable wrong he or she thinks I may have done them. No I think as long as I humour him or her, I may be playing for time; at least that is what I am hoping for."

"And then what? It may still end the same way, with you dead most likely. I tell you here and now Jeannine, I will not be a party to this and I certainly do not want to follow the coffin of my only daughter and see her laid in her grave before I am. I am going to the police with or without you. Somehow I am going to get protection for you."

"No mother! You do that and you needn't come round here again. The police are not going to believe us! They'll think we're just a pair of lonely women, out to get attention and that we are just imagining it all. No I think I may be able to reason with whoever it is and make them see sense."

"And supposing they aren't the sensible type? What will you do then? As I said I will not follow your coffin if you are killed before me."

"Well I will deal with that as and when it crops up. Look, it's getting dark out there now. Why don't you stay overnight in the guest room? There are fresh sheets on the bed so you needn't worry about catching anything. I also have a lovely new negligé which I think will suit you to a tee; you still have the figure to carry something like that off you know," Jeannine said tongue in cheek and crossing her fingers behind her back. She knew her mother would know she didn't really mean it but she knew her mother liked hearing compliments all the same, well meaning or not.

"Thank you dear. I would love to stay the night, but are you offering for my protection or could it be you want someone with you should anyone decide to break in? I can tell you I won't be very much use against a burglar you know."

"Don't be silly mother. It's for both our protection, neither of us will be alone tonight whatever happens. Now why don't you go and have a nice warm bubble bath and I'll make us a hot sweet milky drink. We can sit having it on your bed and then I'll return to my room."

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A couple of hours later they sat on the guest bed, both in night wear and with towels around their drying hair. Jeannine had made them mugs of cocoa which they were sipping slowly. Tonight would be the night that all the months of planning had been for. Jeannine knew her mother had been arrested for the murder of her father but the case was never proven. A not guilty verdict at the trial, resulted in her mother being released again into society. Jeannine had no compunction against doing what she was about to do because she had discovered that her mother had hired someone to do the same to her. Not being happy with killing her father and getting the money he had left in his will, she now wanted the money that Jeannine had inherited too and so she had planned for some one to kill the young woman. Jeannine had no idea how that was to be achieved but she did manage to persuade the man who was to kill her to kill her mother instead by promising him double what her mother had.

The idea for her plan had formulated itself in her mind when she had first met the man her mother had hired. He was tall dark and handsome just as her father had been. He was of the same body frame and build as her father had been and with the right clothing and colouring, in the dark shadows of the guest bedroom, he would be easily mistaken for her father; at least that was what she was counting on, that and her mother's weak heart which she had learned about recently.

In the privacy of her own room, she thought over the last few days. Oh how easy it was to fool mother into believing I was being stalked, she thought, then realized that probably her mother was counting on her being stalked anyway. Well that part of the plan had gone smoothly enough, she just prayed that the rest would follow suit. She just had to sit patiently waiting until Mick the man, came and threw some pebbles at her window. Her room was at the back so no-one would see her let him in.

"Do you remember what I told you?" she asked him.

"Yes I am to stand in the doorway with the light behind me. I am to call her name in as near to your father's voice as I can and also stand the way he would. I am only to remain around for as long as it takes her to say she thought I was, rather your father was dead and that she killed him. I have a tape recorder with me as you suggested and I will send you the tape when I receive my money."

"Uh-uh! You get your money when I get the tape and not the other way round, is that clear? No tape no money and it's no use threatening me you'll go to the police about this because I anticipate they will pick me up sooner or later. They are bound to find out that her heart wasn't bad enough to cause her to die under normal circumstances so they will obviously investigate and that is when I intend to produce the tape with her confession on. You had better not be recording this conversation on it too or it will only incriminate you as accomplice. Now do I get the tape before the money?"

"OK you win but how do I know you won't just use the tape to put the blame on me?"

"You don't but all I want to do is use it to accuse my mother of killing my father and to get the police to close their books on the case once and for all. As I said I anticipate I will be going to prison for premeditated murder but if you stick to our deal you will be entirely in the clear."

"Well you can't be fairer than that, okay."

"Yeh, well you had better go to the room now and do your stuff, just don't leave until you are sure she is dead. I don't want her surviving to say that she thinks I was responsible for giving her a heart attack."

"Don't worry, I know what to do," and with that he headed to the guest room, opening the door so he could stand there with the light behind him. The noise he made disturbed Jeannine's mum who rolled over to see who it was. She was very dopey from the pill Jeannine had administered in her evening cocoa. She called out,

"Jeannine is that you? What's wrong honey?" Her eyes grew focused on the open door and the expression on her face became one of incredulous amazement. "No!" she screamed, "No, it can't be! You're dead! Dead! I killed you by..." the sentence remained unfinished as the woman began gasping for breath and putting her hand to her chest she fell back on the pillows, dead from heart failure. He waited a few moments to see if she would move but when she remained motionless and appeared to have stopped breathing, he closed the door again and left by the back door. Unlucky once more, Jeannine's plan did not run smoothly. A neighbour happened to look out of her window and saw the strange man leaving the house in the middle of the night.

In the morning Jeannine went into the kitchen and acted as if nothing was wrong. She got the breakfast ready and set two places. When the tea was ready she poured two cups and took them into her mother's room. Setting them down on the bedside cabinet she drew back the curtains and said cheerfully,

"It's going to be a lovely day today, what shall we do mother?" She turned when there was no noise from the bed. She had her doubts about her mother being dead but thought she had better act as normally as she could under the circumstances. She went over to the bed and sat down.

"Mother?" She shook the motionless form. It never even tweaked a muscle. She knew then that that part of her plan at least had been successful and aloud she said, "So mother, a jury found you innocent of killing my father but now you have been tried, sentenced and condemned. You have finally received your just deserts as they say and I can go on and live what little life I will have left to me now, in peace at last because my father's killer has finally been punished."

Jeannine then went to phone for a doctor, telling the person on the other end that her mother had just had a fatal heart attack. She was told a doctor would be over as soon as possible and they would also have to notify the police because it was a death in unsual circumstances. It was just a matter of routine she was informed. Jeannine said,

"Fine, I half expected to be told that, thank you." She replaced the receiver then and tried hard to cry because that is what people would expect her to do. She found it hard to do, knowing full well that her mother had, had every intention of killing her. It was a matter of self defence in Jeannine's eyes but she knew the authorities would not see it that way, so she resigned herself to be arrested for her mother's death. At that moment she felt more alone than she had ever done in her life and prayed the end would come soon.