They are here, darkening the entry to my hallowed home.
At first meeting, some two months ago at the town square, I took them into my heart, these newfound friends. They were, I was certain, that rare breed who shows a genuine concern for the weight of one's words. I have always felt myself to be an excellent judge of character and reader of the heart.
My irrational but, nevertheless, substantial fears and misgivings over this recently acquired relationship with the old couple have been realized. The once cheerful aspect of my beautiful home has grown opaque, a dark and murky atmosphere bleeding muddily into every room, spreading like deadly contagion from floor, to wall to ceiling. The brooding, pestilential pall has insinuated itself into my cherished home. It has sickened me and the children, not only physically, but likewise in spirit and soul. Who or what has brought this disease upon us?
The intruders. No bolted door holds them back.