Short Stories

Story #1

The wind lashed against my forehead as I stumbled on the ground in search of my glasses. The deafening crunch and the fading sound of laughter told me all I needed to know. I stood up blindly and attempted to make my way home without bumping into anyone else. As I dawdled down the sidewalk I noticed the traces of dried paint still remained on my hands, the colours ranged from black to Orange, and I noted that I would have to clean them up when I arrived at the house. Night was settling across the sky in a beautiful array of pastel colours that seemed to spill out onto the blank page, but it didn't last long. The street lights flickered as I passed under them, threatening to turn off completely.

Finally I made my way home, eyes drooping, hunger gnawing at the inside of my stomach, as the sound of my parents fighting filled my ears. I trotted slowly to the fridge in search of food to calm the hungry beast that lived in my gut. I found some leftovers from dinner sitting just waiting to be devoured on the middle shelf. I grabbed it and ran downstairs to my bedroom. The mellow greens calmed my senses as I stepped foot into the room. I unwrapped the leftover supper and started eating, I could almost feel the hatred lingering in the air from my parents newest fight. I imagined what it was this time, something stupid definitely as it always is when they fight. Maybe my dad forgot to make his side of the bed, or didn't get the mail on the way home, maybe my mom went and splurged all of our money at the mall. My dad was an architect and had salt and pepper hair, and a beard that would emerge every so often when he forgot to shave it. My mother on the other hand was an assistant to the richest woman in the city, Clara Jones. But it didn't matter, after all these years I learned to never care about their petty fights that filled all hours of the day. After inhaling my food like my life depended on it, I cradled the food baby that was developing. The bruises around my stomach hurt to the touch so I walked to the bathroom to get some Advil, and remembering from earlier that I needed to put on my old pair of glasses, they would have to do for now.

As I surveyed the bruises on my lower abdomen the high-pitched laughing from earlier today weighed heavily on my thoughts. The feeling of those girls punching me in the gut over and over flood my thoughts.

But I did nothing to stop them today, I never do, I just stand right back up, not letting them take my pride like they had everything else. My life has been this way for a long time, so long that I lost track and am used to it by now. I haven't told my parents yet, because they have their own problems and they don't need the burden of mine on top of it. I just wish that they would sort their problems out, it makes my life more miserable than it already is. Hearing their booming voices yelling and screaming at each other just makes me sick to my stomach. I don't even know why they fight, they just do. Sometimes I want to escape everything and start over.

The thoughts rattled around in my brain for a bit as I looked self consciously at the new bruises that had joined the fading ones. If I just dissapeared, no one would notice, right away at least. So I waited for the fighting to stop and until I could hear the snoring that I was used to coming from our couch. It sounded like a freight train blowing its horn non stop, but like everything else in my life I am used to it.

I slowly creeped up the stairs that led to the living room, edging closer to the couch that just happened to be close to the kitchen and back door, my heart seemed to beat faster and faster in my chest. I successfully made it past the couch where my dad lay, but it was almost impossible to wake him up. I took the backpack that held necessities that I would need off my back and placed it in front of the fridge. I opened the silver fridge that I had become accustomed to, it held some of my best friends in it. I grabbed anything that looked good and stuffed my backpack full to the brim, almost unable to close the zipper. I pulled the hood of my sweater over my head that had a goosebump the size of an ostrich egg forming on it. Closing the fridge I slipped the backpack over my shoulders once more and made my way to the back door. This is it I am leaving...

The night sky above shone brightly, it seemed, with billions upon billions of floating gems. I thought about how far away they were, some it seemed you could touch, and others you could barely see. They held the one thing that I used to hold too, hope. I hoped that my parents would stop fighting, I hoped that I wouldn't be bullied, I used to hope a lot. Until I realized that having a false sense of hope would just damage me more than I had originally thought. But all that was behind me, I didn't need hope, I had myself and that is all I needed, not hope, not other people, nothing. I set out , wondering what journey awaited me.

I had been walking for at least an hour or two, before I stumbled upon a path that led deep into the forest. I paused for a few minutes, rethinking my decision, and eventually I stepped foot onto the path. If I somehow found a bench or a park I could sleep in that would be great. I continued down the path, slowly the magnificent and lovely terrain of the forest was changing into thistles, thorns, and trees that seemed to stare directly into your soul. The distant sound of owls could be heard, as well as my heart thrashing around in my chest. The once beautiful pine scent has left and is replaced by an old musty smell that invades my nostrils. It reminds of an ancient house that has been abandoned and vacant for many years. The sudden crack of branches under my feet startle me as I continue down the path. Dark trees tower over the crooked path casting their eerie shadows on the ground under the moonlight. Quickly the once wide path begins to narrow, thorns start to invade my space, pricking and prodding at my sides. The supposed light at the end of the tunnel that is always talked about in books is not there and it seems that this pathway is not leading to my escape but is leading me off into a direction unknown. Thorny bushes start to meld with the already present trees above my head forming a room around me, red flashing eyes seem to follow me wherever I look. My heart is pounding so loud that it sounds like a thousand drums in sync beating faster and faster until they quit completely. The darkness engulfs me, my eyelids fly open and I hear a bird chirping outside my window.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I actually wrote this as a school project! Any thoughts? What do you think happened at the end? Hmmm?