306. The midnight visitor

 The setting is romantic. The music soft and the pink Champagne is resting in a posh ice bucket, ready to be popped in the next twenty minutes or so. The food is delicate and beautifully presented. The conversation is on topics we both care so much about: practice runs for the TGA. The fire is roaring and the dog is lying on the rug, so blissfully happy he might be dead.

'WOOFWOOFWOOFWOOFWOOFWOOFWOOF!' 

We both look at him, incredulous. 

He sits up and cocks his head, listening. That is when I hear the front door. 

'Was that the door? Somebody's just opened the door.' I look at my husband who looks at the dog who barks some more.

'Someone's come into the house!'

My husband gets up. I sit up and curl up in the corner of the couch as far back as I can. The dog has stopped barking and if I'm honest, is looking a bit sheepish. My husband walks to the door ... opens it and ... goes into the corridor. There is no noise, no sounds of fighting so I get up too. The dog stays on the rug by the fire.

'So?'

My husband is silent and is looking around.

'Well, the door was slightly ajar. Did we leave it like that?'

I do not know. All I know is that our front door is always unlocked. But I am not going to admit to that right now. I go back to the couch. I check the ice in the bucket. All good. Then my husband pops his head back round the door.

'Some keys are missing.'

I jump up this time and rush into the corridor. My husband is going through the key rack.

'Look ... Garage: gone. Pink car: gone. Wolf: gone.'

Oh dear oh dear oh dear. This cannot be. The Wolf! The TGA vehicle! This is quite serious.

'Someone must have come inside and grabbed a handful of whatever he could get his hands on. He can't be far.'

He calls the dog who jumps up, happy at this unplanned midnight walk. His short memory means that he has forgotten about the potential danger.

And then they're off into the night. I realise I am left at home alone. No dog. No husband. And I cannot even lock the door as my husband has left without a key.

Should I pop the Champagne open?