Hello? Who’s there

Rainbow was an eight-year-old boy with a big imagination and a brave heart. Tonight, however, his house felt far too quiet and spooky. Outside, rain tapped softly against his bedroom window, and the wind howled through the tall trees.

Rainbow pulled his cozy blanket up to his chin and let out a soft breath. He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep. Just as he started to drift off, he heard a strange sound from downstairs.

*Clack! Clack! Clack!*

It sounded like it was coming straight from the kitchen. "It's just the wind," Rainbow whispered to himself. But then came another sound—a low, heavy scraping noise across the floor.

Rainbow sat up straight in bed, his heart beating fast. Someone or something was moving around downstairs in the dark!

Rainbow carefully pulled his warm slippers onto his feet. His heart thumped like a tiny drum inside his chest. He reached over to his nightstand and picked up his bright yellow flashlight.

"I have to go check," he thought nervously. He stepped out of his bedroom and walked down the dark hallway. The wooden floorboards creaked under his feet.

"Shh, keep quiet," Rainbow whispered to himself, squeezing his eyes shut for a second.

He slowly reached the top of the stairs and looked down into the shadowy living room. Down in the kitchen, a faint light was flickering on and off.

*Thud!*

Something heavy knocked against the kitchen table. Rainbow swallowed hard and took a deep breath. He cautiously crept down the stairs, one tiny step at a time, heading right toward the dark kitchen door.

Rainbow reached the kitchen entrance and stopped in his tracks. The kitchen was cold, and long shadows stretched across the floor. Standing near the open pantry was a tall, dark figure!

It was a strange man wearing a long dark coat. The man was rustling through the cabinets in the dark, looking for something. Rainbow's knees began to shake.

"H-hello? Who's there?" Rainbow called out, his voice trembling.

The tall figure froze instantly. Slowly, the man turned his head around. His shadowy eyes looked right at Rainbow. Without saying a single word, the dark figure took a giant step forward and lunged toward him!

"Hey! Come here!" the man growled in a deep voice.

Rainbow let out a frightened squeak and turned to run as fast as his legs could go!

Rainbow ran up the stairs faster than he had ever run in his life! Behind him, he could hear the heavy footsteps of the man chasing him up the steps.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

"Mom! Dad! Help!" Rainbow shouted as loudly as he could.

He burst into his parents' bedroom, slamming the door behind him. His father immediately clicked on the bright overhead lights while his mother rushed over and hugged Rainbow tightly.

"Rainbow, what's wrong?" his mother asked.

"There's a man downstairs!" Rainbow cried out.

His dad quickly hit the loud alarm button on the wall. *Wail! Wail! Wail!* The home security alarm blasted through the entire house. Hearing the loud siren, the intruder turned around, ran down the stairs, and escaped into the night.

Soon, friendly police officers arrived to make sure everything was completely safe. Rainbow sat on the sofa wrapped in a warm blanket, drinking a cup of warm milk. He let out a giant sigh of relief.

"You were so quick and brave, Rainbow," his dad said with a warm smile.

Rainbow smiled back, feeling safe and cozy once again.