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...I was alone. Completely and utterly alone. Nothing but me and darkness. And the noise of the screen door, which chose that very moment to squeak open and slam shut again.
I thought of Buddy, the camp goat. It was on this very mountainside he’d committed suicide. Okay, so maybe the hill was too steep. Maybe it was just a slip of his foot. Or maybe it was a night like this when Buddy was so scared he ran – right off the mountain – forgetting there was a rope tied around his neck.
Whatever the case, I wasn’t taking any chances. I slammed both doors tight. I double-checked the windows – the ones that could be secured, anyway. I hunkered down in a corner… and tried to sleep.
But the questions haunted me. Why the sudden darkness? Was it a downed power line? Or something more sinister? Why hadn’t I brought a flashlight? And most importantly… how could I know for sure I just peed in the toilet and not my suitcase?
Love the dark humor! What is this a piece from? :) Very chilling, yet still relatable!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Betsy. It's from my current NF book for teens, called When the Lights Go Out -- Finding God in the Dark.
ReplyDeleteHow fun!
ReplyDelete"From that day forward, every afternoon Melody scuttled over to Mr. Linden’s house for peppermint tea, a pleasant chat, and more importantly, for Mr. Linden’s Library. Mr. Linden’s library was a thing to behold; hundreds of books assembled on the shelf, beckoning. Often, Melody borrowed one or two books, and discussed their content with Mr. Linden once she finished them. Mr. Linden allowed her to borrow any book she pleased, except for one large book, which sat aloft the highest shelf. He told her that terrible things could happen if she read that book. Of course, she had more curiosity than the cat did, so this was a hard thing for her. However, she obediently complied, and continued reading other books."
Cool!! Thanks for sharing!! And Libbi, I love yours, too! I wanna know more... ;)
ReplyDeleteOooh, Libbi, the part about the book being forbidden really makes me wonder what's going to happen!
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome, great idea! I love that paragraph--it brings up a lot of questions!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I'm curious, Libbi!
Even as she reassured herself, she realized that the echo of her footsteps was not moving as quickly as she was. There was a delay of several seconds before the echo quickened its stride. Forgetting her comforting thoughts in a rush of blood to her heart, Cecily gave a stifled cry and ran with all her strength through a music room, a room hung with green, a hall with a painted ceiling, and down one or two flights of stairs before she found herself on the wrong side of a door that refused to open. Nearly crying in frustration and growing terror, Cecily wrenched at the handle and banged loudly on the door, frightening a pair of doves that had taken up residence in the rafters above her. There was absolutely no doubt of it now. Her “echo” was still walking—and not crying or pounding—swiftly and steadily through the maze of passages toward her. Silent with helplessness, wondering what kind of person could live in a house like that, and throwing desperate prayers up to Heaven, she waited with her hand on the door handle, her back to the other entrance. The sound of feet suddenly stopped. She kept perfectly still, though she could hear heavy breathing and knew that her shadow was in the room. Suddenly a smooth, low voice said,
“Welcome to Roseburn Hall.”
My novel's blog is at www.BeastAndBeauty.com
Abby, super cool!
ReplyDeleteCool! Thanks for sharing, Abby!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds interesting Abby! ooh, scary! I can't wait to read the rest!
ReplyDelete