fishing rod

...'there's someone in the wardrobe!'
'ssssh go to sleep'
    ...'there it is again,
    ...i can hear them moving about'
'no you can't, nobodies there now go to sleep'
 
hiding in terror under my bedcovers
the bedroom i share with older brother Rod
i'm five years old
at the foot of my bed a big tall old wardrobe
piled 2 feet deep with toy junk
above that nothing till the single rail at the top
where a few old wire coat hangers languish

   ...'there is, there is' i whisper now,
                              quite terrified
there are those clanging noises again
from that spooky old dark and towering wardrobe
'ssssh, you're dreaming, hearing things'
      silence,       ... trembling minutes pass
was I dreaming it?..  i don't like being afraid
maybe it was a bad dream
think about nice things
Pauline is nice but she plays with dolls
sleepy Pauline thoughts  .....   dozing

CLAAANGG CLAAAANG CLUNK
there it is again not a bad dream
now in sheer terror i leap out of bed
running for the door to the safety of mum
     but what the....
      something catches my ankle and snaps
terrible clanking and snapping noises
                     coming from the wardrobe
   ...'SCREEEAMMMMMMMMM'
the wardrobe door comes flying open
I'm gone out of that room like a bat out of hell
screaming and crying out
   ...'MUMMEEEEE'  at the top of my voice

Rod's calling out 'shut up! come back!'
but no, mum's come to the rescue to save me
jumping into motherly hugs i cry,
     ...'there's a man in the wardrobe'
'no no, there can't be, you've been dreaming'
     ...'but there is, there is, i heard it
                and they opened the door to get me'
'calm down, there's nobody there
                      come on, lets go and see'
     ...'no no, i don't want to'

'look, there's nobody here
                 but,....   whats this?'
mum has something in her hands
backing away from the wardrobe
what is it...  she's lifting something into the air
now on all fours she's searching
      ...'mummy what is it?'
'ssssh...  there's a fine string like thing'
      ...'i don't like it'

'Roddy what's this?'
mum has turned on the light
she's holding up a length of....
           .....its see through fishing line
leading from Rod's pillow to....
  .....to where i tripped on it and snapped it
when i ran to the door
'what have you been up to?'
Rod's pretending to be asleep

'Your brother has been frightening you
look at this fishing line
it was tied to the old coat hangers
leading from there and under your bed
to his pillow so he can tug on it,
each tug causes the hangers to clang'
       ...'but the door opened'
'yes, you tripped on it and just before it snapped
it pulled the hangers down and the door opened'

'now get back into bed
i'll bring you a glass of warm milk
i shall deal with your brother in the morning'