I sank deeper into my duvet as I shivered from the breeze that seeped through the cracks above the tinted window. I could hear faint murmurs on the other side of the door. The Murmurs turned into harsh whispers as I heard footsteps inching closer. I...
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The room exuded a sense of quiet anticipation, punctuated only by the soft shuffling of boxes and the occasional creak of floorboards. I watched as my dad carefully set down the final box on the beige carpet, his breath slightly laboured from the exertion.
"Dad, be careful, it has...some stuff...in it, that could easily break," I cautioned, my voice tinged with concern, as I busied myself with unpacking another box. The weight of responsibility hung heavy in the air, a silent acknowledgement of the fragility of the objects within the cardboard confines.
He glanced at me with a faint smile, the lines on his face etched deeper with the day's toil. "Alright, well how do you find this place so far?" he inquired, gesturing to the spacious room that was slowly taking shape with our belongings.
"Cool," I replied, my gaze sweeping across the room, taking in the new surroundings that would soon become our home. The decision to uproot our lives and move to Vancouver was still settling within me. My father's decision to take up a new job overseas remained veiled in a cloud of mystery, leaving me with a sense of detachment from the journey we were embarking on. To be honest, I didn't know too well what his new job consisted of. All I knew was that he joined the police force after being in the army for just over a decade.
He nodded understandingly, a silent reassurance of his availability echoing through the room. "Well, I'll be downstairs. Call me if you need anything," he offered before making his way out of the room, his footsteps fading into the background hum of the house.
Alone amidst the sea of boxes, I began to unpack, my hands delving into the miscellaneous jumble of my things. It was then that a glimmer caught my eye, nestled beneath a scatter of photographs and books. I drew closer, my fingers tentatively brushing against cool metal that seemed to carry the weight of ages. As I traced the rusted symbols that encircled the gold ring of the pendant, a flood of memories surged forth, tugging at the corners of my mind...
I sank deeper into my duvet, the fabric wrapping around me like a protective shield, as a shiver coursed through my body in response to the chilly breeze that sneaked in through the narrow cracks above the tinted window.
The room was draped in a hushed ambience, the only sound was soft murmurs seeping through the door, distant whispers that tiptoed on the edges of my ears. With every step drawing closer, the murmurs twisted into harsh whispers that seemed to coil around the room, a ghostly presence that sent a tremor down my spine. I nestled further into the warmth of my bed, my eyelids squeezing shut as the door creaked open, pouring a warm dim light that danced across the room like spectral fingers.
"Who are you fooling? I know you ain't sleep," the deep, raspy voice cut through the silence, sending a jolt of recognition through my mind. Slowly, I pried my eyes open, only to meet the gaze of the old man looming over me, his smile a curious blend of warmth and mischief, his hand discreetly concealed behind his back.
