Short Stories

Halloween in Flagstaff

8:00 PM Halloween Night

As I lay in my bed, watching TV, I'm glad to be in my new home, though I'm not staying long. After a long day, I am interrupted by a sudden phone call from my mother that snaps me from my thoughts. I let the phone continue to ring, not having the energy to tell my mother all about my day. The second time she calls, I finally pick it up, knowing she won't leave me alone otherwise. Our conversation begins,

" Levante, how's Flagstaff? Have you met any of your neighbors?" She continues on bombarding me with questions about my new home, and all that comes with moving away from home. I finally stop her after five minutes of her not letting me get a word in.

"MOM!" I interject before she can ask another question. She's causing my already high stress level to skyrocket.

"What?" She asks innocently, as if she hadn't been having a mini panic attack over all the possibilities of what could've been happening to me the past few days without her. All her speculations are nowhere close to the severity of what has happened in the past day.

"I won't be here much longer. I'm going to move soon, I'll start the house hunt tomorrow." I feel bad about this, but there is no-way I'm going to stay here, after everything that has happened there would be too many memories of the dark past that took place here in this house and the one to the left. I feel bad about moving again after my parents helped me so much in finding this house.

Through the window I see the flashing lights of the police cars that are still parked outside on the shared driveway between me and my neighbor's house. Every muscle on my body throbbes in pain.

My mom, I can tell is confused just by the way she was breathing. With each breath she takes she holds it for a second, as if she was going to speak, but then lets it go, speechless. I decide to break the silence, soon to find out that that was a terrible idea.

"Mom-" she quickly cuts me off not giving me a chance to defend myself.

"After all your father and I have done for you! Finding the house and helping with your down payment, paying for the moving truck as well as emotional support! You better explain yourself young man!" I sigh thinking of the long story I'm about to tell, and all the freaking out I'm going to hear from my mom after I finish.

"It all started with a surprise visit from my neighbor..."

2:33 PM Yesterday

I watched the movers bring the last box into my new house. I began to unpack despite the exhaustion overtaking me. I use my pocket knife to open up the first box. Losing myself in my thoughts as I unpack, and organise my things. I jolted out of my thoughts at the sudden sound of my doorbell ringing. I shook off the shock of someone actually being at my front door as I pulled it open.

"Hi I'm Mike East, I'm your new neighbor. I live in the house to the left of yours." I smiled at the man who stood in front of me. He seemed kind, he had a warm smile on his face. He had short brown hair and dark green eyes. "I was going to cook something out on the grill later, I was wondering if you wanted to come over and hang out?" He continued on after he looked me over as I had done him.

"Yah sure what time should I come over?" I asked, hoping that he would say in an hour or two. I'm suddenly feeling exhaustion begging to swallow me whole. Mike thought for a moment before answering. "Around 4:30-5:00 should be fine." He answered not giving me much time to answer before turning and walking back to his house. I shut the door and locked it.

I turned back to the box I was unpacking beforehand. I was unable to fathom going back to work unpacking the box. So instead I go to my room, I curl up on my bed set a timer for 4:00. After putting my phone down I let sleep into my body, and welcomed it like an old friend.