Post by Galaxy on May 28, 2014 18:38:35 GMT -6
Chapter One
Esther
A lone cloud hangs above the clear blue sky, small and wispy. The grass spread their verdant tendrils up, a green carpet blanketing the ground. A single fly buzzes drowsily as it settles on one of the late summer flowers, their petals streaked with red, purple, and orange. There was a brown lump in the grass, and it raises its head, revealing long pointy ears, a twitching nose, and two beady black eyes on the side of its head. The rabbit looks at its surroundings, alarmed as I approach it, and quickly turns and hops away, its white tail bobbing every step.
I carry a book by my side, swinging it back and forth, and walk toward where a gnarled tree stands, surrounded by lush grass. I sit down, criss-crossing my legs, then set the book on top it them. I slide my fingers down the crack where the bookmark was, opening the book on the page I left off on. I look at the first word and start reading, my eyes scanning line after line down the page, entranced by the world behind them, a world made of letters. A robin warbles a song, and the bushes rustle as a squirrel darts through them.
“What are you reading, Esther?”
I look up to see a girl standing over me, her thin black hair hanging in clumps from her head. Beads of sweat drip from her forehead, and more dotted her nose. On this hot summer day, it was impossible not to look like that. I had fared a little better in the shade of the tree, though my bangs were drenched with sweat.
I show her the book, clamping my finger in the book so I don’t lose my place. “It’s really hot in New Jersey in the summer, though the winter is pretty cold as well. I like spring the most. My teacher says we experience every season the way it should be.” I scoot over a bit, pressing my back against the trunk of the tree. “Sit here.”
The girl sits down next to me, pulling her hair behind her ears. “Why are you out here? It’s so hot.”
“Why are you out here then?” I say with a laugh.
“Answer my question.”
I shrug, “I don’t really have a reason. I guess. I’m just the person that hates being trapped indoors.” I gesture toward the building in a couple yards away. “That’s my house over there, though this isn’t exactly our yard. Why are you out here, Kathryn?”
Suddenly, Kathryn stands up, looking at the land behind us. “There was something going through the trees.”
I stand up too, tucking the bookmark in its place and dropping the book on the grass. There was a woods behind our house, and my little sister would frequently report ghosts coming in an out of the place where no person has ever gone. She was only a toddler, barely out of her diaper, so I didn’t believe her.
But Kathryn wasn’t that kind of person. I follow her gaze to a part of the trees, their branches swaying wildly, scattering the shadows.
“It’s probably just a deer or a bear.” Kathryn mumbles, her voice a little shaky. I got a feeling that Kathryn was just saying that to comfort herself, and the creature in the forest was definitely neither of them. The branches were still by now, leaving no evidence of what had happened. Even with the hot sun beating down on by back, a shiver creeps up my spine. I glance toward the ominous empty space through the trees. Who was the creature in the woods?
I lean on the table, bringing the bottle of cold water to my lips. It trickles down my throat, and I wipe my head with a towel. It was afternoon now, too hot to go outside. I get up from the table, pushing the chair out of the way. My slippers squeak on the wooden boards. My mom had just polished them this morning, so they would make noise until tomorrow, when some dust settles on the floor. Or maybe I can sprinkle baby powder. The thought pops into my mind, but I push it away. There was something important to do.
There is an old windowsill at the back of my house, covered in cobwebs and dotted with dead flies. It faces the woods, and I can use it to see what’s going on. Perfect. I push my glasses up against the bridge of my nose and squinted, making out the dense packed canopy of leaves. Nothing. Not yet.
I retreat from the dilapidated window and turn around, heading toward the master bedroom. There wasn’t any sight of my mom in the places I have been, so maybe she was sleeping, or at least in the bathroom. I grab the travel baby powder from a nearby counter and dust some on the soles of my slippers. Why not have some fun when you can? I slide across the floor, steadying myself on the bedroom door.
I grasp the lock, twisting it as slowly as I can. The door creaks as I push it open, but the attempt not to wake mom was useless. She wasn’t even there.
The beds where made and the light pours in from the windows, bathing the room with a golden glow. An empty cage hangs from the ceiling, a couple perches connecting the bars. It was once home to a trio of parakeets, Apricot, Marmalade, and Opal, but somehow they managed to unlock the gate and gain access to the outside world. I’m not really a superstitious person, but something told me then that it took more than teamwork and intelligence to escape. The only window that wasn’t protected with a screen was the one overlooking the woods, and that was a long way to go, including closed doors and wrong turns.
I check the other rooms, but there was no one there but me. Dread was starting to clog my mind. I hate being alone in a house. It was just one of my fears.
To calm myself down, I walk toward the kitchen, pulling open the refrigerator. A rush of cold air swarms toward my face as I stick my head in. Lettuce, spinach, ketchup – it only had taken me while for me to realize that I am in the wrong place. “Oops.” I say aloud, closing the fridge door and pulling open the freezer. It swings out with a pop and I look in there. I smile, momentarily forgetting about my mom and reach for the ice cream, pulling out a red bean popsicle. Those are the best.
I close my mouth around the tip swirling it around with my tongue. A sudden crash startles me so much that I sink my teeth into the popsicle.
“Ow.” I wince as my teeth ache from the cold. But there was no time to lose. The crash seemed to be coming from the back of the house, so I ran that way.
I gasp as I look out the window. Not just any old window, The Window. A woman was screaming as a hooded figure clutches her. The oval face, the soft features, it was my mom.
I realize I was clutching the windowsill, all the dead flies crunching under my fingers, and release it, disgusted and momentarily back in my little world. Then I am whisked back toward reality. I throw the baby powder that I was holding the whole time down the window. It sails into the air, and for a dreaded moment I thought that it would hit Mom. But it bonks the hooded figure in the head, and the stranger hesitates for a moment. I feel a little triumph. But the victory was short-lived.
The stranger must have known it was being watched, because it throws down my mom and runs for the woods.
For a moment, I was too stunned to do anything. After a couple seconds, I come back to my senses and run toward the door, my feet thumping against the wooden boards. I quickly leap outside, sprinting as fast as I can to my mom. As I round the corner, she came into sight, lying in the grass. I felt something catch the toe of my slippers, and I lost my balance, sprawling onto the grass, bits of dirt landing on my face. A searing pain runs through me, as if I had broken a rib. Using the last bit of my strength, I haul myself up, but the hooded person was already gone.
“Mom!” I call frantically, limping toward the body. I collapse at her side. “Mom, your not dead are you?” I try to feel the heart beat in her, but there was no need. The sun had made my mom’s temperature higher than a normal person’s, and her arm was limp when I lift it.
My vision clouds and I blink hard, pressing by eyelids together. A tear squeezes out and trickles down my cheek, leaving a wet line where it went. More tears follow, and soon I was crying. The sun was shining hard on my back, and sweat was mingling with my tears.
The woods is a dangerous place, my dear, I remember her saying, don’t ever go into the woods, or you’ll have a crying mom. The last part used to be funny, but I am in no mood to smile. She’s gone, and I’ll never see her again.
You know those times when you just want to rewind your life, go back to the place where you had made your mistake, and change it? I was having one of those crises, as I crouch, alone, next to my mother’s limp body, where nobody sees me, nobody cares. I want to rewind so badly, just that it hurts painfully when I think about it. I run my wrist across my eyes, wiping away the tears, but it was replaced by many more. Grasping the neck of my T-shirt, I dab my face. The tears were drying up, but the gash was still in me, and it would get smaller but never heal. I raise a hand, running it across my mothers cheek, and planted a kiss on her forehead. “I love you, mom.” I said as I sat up, “I’ll always remember you.”
|I'm writing a chapter book, but the first chapter only has 4 pages on it :'D|
|Also, I'm adding a boy to the story sometime. It would help if you suggested a name. Thanks <3|
Esther
A lone cloud hangs above the clear blue sky, small and wispy. The grass spread their verdant tendrils up, a green carpet blanketing the ground. A single fly buzzes drowsily as it settles on one of the late summer flowers, their petals streaked with red, purple, and orange. There was a brown lump in the grass, and it raises its head, revealing long pointy ears, a twitching nose, and two beady black eyes on the side of its head. The rabbit looks at its surroundings, alarmed as I approach it, and quickly turns and hops away, its white tail bobbing every step.
I carry a book by my side, swinging it back and forth, and walk toward where a gnarled tree stands, surrounded by lush grass. I sit down, criss-crossing my legs, then set the book on top it them. I slide my fingers down the crack where the bookmark was, opening the book on the page I left off on. I look at the first word and start reading, my eyes scanning line after line down the page, entranced by the world behind them, a world made of letters. A robin warbles a song, and the bushes rustle as a squirrel darts through them.
“What are you reading, Esther?”
I look up to see a girl standing over me, her thin black hair hanging in clumps from her head. Beads of sweat drip from her forehead, and more dotted her nose. On this hot summer day, it was impossible not to look like that. I had fared a little better in the shade of the tree, though my bangs were drenched with sweat.
I show her the book, clamping my finger in the book so I don’t lose my place. “It’s really hot in New Jersey in the summer, though the winter is pretty cold as well. I like spring the most. My teacher says we experience every season the way it should be.” I scoot over a bit, pressing my back against the trunk of the tree. “Sit here.”
The girl sits down next to me, pulling her hair behind her ears. “Why are you out here? It’s so hot.”
“Why are you out here then?” I say with a laugh.
“Answer my question.”
I shrug, “I don’t really have a reason. I guess. I’m just the person that hates being trapped indoors.” I gesture toward the building in a couple yards away. “That’s my house over there, though this isn’t exactly our yard. Why are you out here, Kathryn?”
Suddenly, Kathryn stands up, looking at the land behind us. “There was something going through the trees.”
I stand up too, tucking the bookmark in its place and dropping the book on the grass. There was a woods behind our house, and my little sister would frequently report ghosts coming in an out of the place where no person has ever gone. She was only a toddler, barely out of her diaper, so I didn’t believe her.
But Kathryn wasn’t that kind of person. I follow her gaze to a part of the trees, their branches swaying wildly, scattering the shadows.
“It’s probably just a deer or a bear.” Kathryn mumbles, her voice a little shaky. I got a feeling that Kathryn was just saying that to comfort herself, and the creature in the forest was definitely neither of them. The branches were still by now, leaving no evidence of what had happened. Even with the hot sun beating down on by back, a shiver creeps up my spine. I glance toward the ominous empty space through the trees. Who was the creature in the woods?
I lean on the table, bringing the bottle of cold water to my lips. It trickles down my throat, and I wipe my head with a towel. It was afternoon now, too hot to go outside. I get up from the table, pushing the chair out of the way. My slippers squeak on the wooden boards. My mom had just polished them this morning, so they would make noise until tomorrow, when some dust settles on the floor. Or maybe I can sprinkle baby powder. The thought pops into my mind, but I push it away. There was something important to do.
There is an old windowsill at the back of my house, covered in cobwebs and dotted with dead flies. It faces the woods, and I can use it to see what’s going on. Perfect. I push my glasses up against the bridge of my nose and squinted, making out the dense packed canopy of leaves. Nothing. Not yet.
I retreat from the dilapidated window and turn around, heading toward the master bedroom. There wasn’t any sight of my mom in the places I have been, so maybe she was sleeping, or at least in the bathroom. I grab the travel baby powder from a nearby counter and dust some on the soles of my slippers. Why not have some fun when you can? I slide across the floor, steadying myself on the bedroom door.
I grasp the lock, twisting it as slowly as I can. The door creaks as I push it open, but the attempt not to wake mom was useless. She wasn’t even there.
The beds where made and the light pours in from the windows, bathing the room with a golden glow. An empty cage hangs from the ceiling, a couple perches connecting the bars. It was once home to a trio of parakeets, Apricot, Marmalade, and Opal, but somehow they managed to unlock the gate and gain access to the outside world. I’m not really a superstitious person, but something told me then that it took more than teamwork and intelligence to escape. The only window that wasn’t protected with a screen was the one overlooking the woods, and that was a long way to go, including closed doors and wrong turns.
I check the other rooms, but there was no one there but me. Dread was starting to clog my mind. I hate being alone in a house. It was just one of my fears.
To calm myself down, I walk toward the kitchen, pulling open the refrigerator. A rush of cold air swarms toward my face as I stick my head in. Lettuce, spinach, ketchup – it only had taken me while for me to realize that I am in the wrong place. “Oops.” I say aloud, closing the fridge door and pulling open the freezer. It swings out with a pop and I look in there. I smile, momentarily forgetting about my mom and reach for the ice cream, pulling out a red bean popsicle. Those are the best.
I close my mouth around the tip swirling it around with my tongue. A sudden crash startles me so much that I sink my teeth into the popsicle.
“Ow.” I wince as my teeth ache from the cold. But there was no time to lose. The crash seemed to be coming from the back of the house, so I ran that way.
I gasp as I look out the window. Not just any old window, The Window. A woman was screaming as a hooded figure clutches her. The oval face, the soft features, it was my mom.
I realize I was clutching the windowsill, all the dead flies crunching under my fingers, and release it, disgusted and momentarily back in my little world. Then I am whisked back toward reality. I throw the baby powder that I was holding the whole time down the window. It sails into the air, and for a dreaded moment I thought that it would hit Mom. But it bonks the hooded figure in the head, and the stranger hesitates for a moment. I feel a little triumph. But the victory was short-lived.
The stranger must have known it was being watched, because it throws down my mom and runs for the woods.
For a moment, I was too stunned to do anything. After a couple seconds, I come back to my senses and run toward the door, my feet thumping against the wooden boards. I quickly leap outside, sprinting as fast as I can to my mom. As I round the corner, she came into sight, lying in the grass. I felt something catch the toe of my slippers, and I lost my balance, sprawling onto the grass, bits of dirt landing on my face. A searing pain runs through me, as if I had broken a rib. Using the last bit of my strength, I haul myself up, but the hooded person was already gone.
“Mom!” I call frantically, limping toward the body. I collapse at her side. “Mom, your not dead are you?” I try to feel the heart beat in her, but there was no need. The sun had made my mom’s temperature higher than a normal person’s, and her arm was limp when I lift it.
My vision clouds and I blink hard, pressing by eyelids together. A tear squeezes out and trickles down my cheek, leaving a wet line where it went. More tears follow, and soon I was crying. The sun was shining hard on my back, and sweat was mingling with my tears.
The woods is a dangerous place, my dear, I remember her saying, don’t ever go into the woods, or you’ll have a crying mom. The last part used to be funny, but I am in no mood to smile. She’s gone, and I’ll never see her again.
You know those times when you just want to rewind your life, go back to the place where you had made your mistake, and change it? I was having one of those crises, as I crouch, alone, next to my mother’s limp body, where nobody sees me, nobody cares. I want to rewind so badly, just that it hurts painfully when I think about it. I run my wrist across my eyes, wiping away the tears, but it was replaced by many more. Grasping the neck of my T-shirt, I dab my face. The tears were drying up, but the gash was still in me, and it would get smaller but never heal. I raise a hand, running it across my mothers cheek, and planted a kiss on her forehead. “I love you, mom.” I said as I sat up, “I’ll always remember you.”
|I'm writing a chapter book, but the first chapter only has 4 pages on it :'D|
|Also, I'm adding a boy to the story sometime. It would help if you suggested a name. Thanks <3|
