Dark, wild eyes open wide, staring straight into mine. With my heart racing I continue to call out Tom’s name but instead of waking him, Rena from next door opens her bedroom window.

‘Are you all right, Sal?’ I have to drag on the air to breathe and find it hard to answer her. With one hand across my heart I raise the other one to let her know I’m all right.

‘Hang on, I’ll come down.’

‘No… No,’ I say continuing to gasp for air. ‘It’s okay, Rena. They’re gone.’

Eventually I convince Rena that all is well, she doesn’t have to call the police. My heart is still thumping in my chest as I scale the stairs to alert Tom, who has managed to sleep through the whole drama.

The light from the landing is casting a shadow over Tom who hasn’t yet stirred so I shake his shoulders. ‘Tom, wake up, Tom.’

‘What?’ His eyes flicker into consciousness. ‘What’s going on?’

‘There was someone in the garden.’

‘What?’ He sits up, rubs his hand over his face. ‘Why didn’t you call me?’

‘I did fucking call you. You didn’t hear me, Rena heard me, she came to my rescue.’

Tom moves his legs from under the duvet and sits at the side of the bed, his hand brushing through his hair as he bends over considering what I’ve just told him. I know what he’s thinking. He’s worried now.

‘Did you see who it was?’

‘I got a glimpse of their face, just for a second and the hair. I can still see the eyes staring at me.’

Tom turns and looks straight at me for the first time since I woke him. ‘Did you know them?’

I shake my head.

‘What age were they?’

‘I don’t know, Tom, I didn’t ask.’

Moving over to the window Tom pulls back the curtain and scans the garden.

‘There’s no one out there now, Tom, I chased them off.’

‘What the hell was someone doing in our garden?’

The house is positioned at the end of the road so it’s the last one in the laneway. If they came to rob us, there are a lot easier options when considering a quick escape. The Murphys at the top of the laneway don’t even have a gate at the rear, it’s been broken for almost a year now and they’ve never had any hassle with intruders, that I know of.

Tom drops his grip on the curtain and turns to look at me again. ‘You’re sure you didn’t know who it was?’

‘Positive… Should I ring the police?’

Stepping away from the window he sits down on the bed. ‘I don’t think they’d be of much use now… they’re gone.’

‘I hope it’s nothing to do with that cyclist you hit.’