THE ANGRY CLOUD

Stacey had been around the block twice before she realised that the cloud was following her. Well, not following, leading. Whichever compass point she was heading towards, there it was at about 65°, small, oval, grey with a large dark mouth and small dark eyes. It reminded her of Imhotep from the 1999 Mummy, except it was static and not roaring towards her.

She shook her head. This was nonsense. Clouds looked alike and it was a still day so the ones in the sky were keeping their shape for longer than usual. When Stacey got home she went inside for a glass of water and to go to the loo, convinced that when she went on with her walking she would see that nothing was amiss.

After a ten minute break, Stacey went back outside and turning to the north, started walking again, her head down. A few steps in, she took a deep breath and looking up saw Imhotep was still there, between her and the sun so the rays fanned out from his head like a halo. But now he seemed closer than before, taking up more of the sky, casting her into his shadow.

She turned around and headed south, trying not run, and he was there again, right in front of her but, of course without the halo. Closer, closer. As Stacey came to her own gate she abandoned her exercise plan and ran up the path to the front door, fumbling for her keys as if the cloud was going to follow her into the house.

Against her better judgement, before she went inside she turned around and Imhotep was right in front of her. On the path, and his mouth was stretching wide, wider until it was big enough to swallow her. At the last moment before she was engulfed, Stacey slammed the door shut, an action followed by a dull thud. She looked out through the spy hole and all she could see was blue sky. Tentatively she opened the door a crack and on the door mat was a small pyramid of soft sand, which was immediately dissolved by a gust of wind.