22. The Sentinel's Hiss
The Sentinel's Hiss is about meeting his future wife at the last possible moment,
moving to her parents' house near a cemetery where the shadows followed, and the
night his cat arched her back and chased a full-black phantom down the hall with
a hiss — leaving the whole house shaking and his wife calling up from below
asking what he was doing with the vacuum.
By Thomas J. Allen, © 2026
Spoken Word
I was done, about to delete my dating profile,
about to close the door on love forever.
Then, at the final second, she appeared.
My future wife. She moved in,
but on her very first night, she saw something terrifying.
It wasn't the lady in white lace; it was an all-black phantom,
hovering right over her in my bed.
I wasn't sure if the woman in white lace was mad that she was there,
or if she was still trying to protect me in some way.
I had never seen her look all black like that before.
But life was moving on.
I left the band, started my own business,
and we moved in with her parents.
As we walked out of that old apartment for the last time, I looked up.
There she was again.
On the upper staircase, standing in the hallway,
looking down at us with a profound sadness.
A silent goodbye from the ghost who saved my life.
Verse 1
A new foundation, a brand new start,
The web design, the work of heart.
No longer playing for the midnight crowd,
Building a future, silent and proud.
The kittens grew, a family of fur,
Safe in the quiet, a rhythmic purr.
But her parents' house sat near an old cemetery,
And the shadows were watching, lying in wait.
Pre-Chorus
Why does the static follow my lead?
Why is the darkness the garden I seed?
New walls, new floors, but the same old chill,
The air turns heavy, the room turns still.
Chorus
Why are they drawn to the light in my soul?
Why do the phantoms demand their toll?
A magnet for spirits, a beacon in night,
Caught in the middle of shadow and light!
The lace is behind me, but the void's at the door,
And I'm asking the questions I've asked before!
Verse 2
Working late in the flickering glow,
The cemetery winds beginning to blow.
My main cat sat on the chair by my side,
The only witness when the darkness would glide.
A full-blown phantom, a shadow of black,
Stepped into the room with a void on its back.
No face and no features, just ink in the air,
Coming for me while I sat in my chair.
Bridge
But the sentinel rose with a back like a bow,
She saw the intruder, she told it to go!
With a hiss like a blade and a leap through the room,
She chased the dark specter back into the gloom!
It zipped down the hall with a mechanical whir,
Like a vacuum's motor, escaping from her.
A dust buster sound as it vanished from sight,
Leaving the other cats trembling in fright that night.
Chorus
Why are they drawn to the light in my soul?
Why do the phantoms demand their toll?
A magnet for spirits, a beacon in night,
Caught in the middle of shadow and light!
The lace is behind me, but the void's at the door,
And I'm asking the questions I've asked before!
Outro
My wife and mother-in-law heard that loud noise from the floor below.
"What are you doing with the vacuum?" they asked.
They heard that weird, whirring sound.
I just looked at my cat. She saved me this time.
But the cemetery is right there, and I can't help but wonder...
Why is this happening?
What is it about me that they keep coming back for?