A Collection of Short Stories

The Girl (Revised)

     Nobody ever thinks anything bad will happen to them until it's too late. Life for a frail ten-year-old girl can be arduous at times. Of course, it's natural to think that a child of that age has no worries but what to wear the next day. That's a typical ten-year-old girl, but this was not your everyday girl. This girl's mind was always wandering around the world from place to place. She was always thinking of ways to make or break the world and those around her. Deep in thought, the girl was oblivious to her grandmother standing up and making her way to the long window at the front of the living room. Curious, the girl followed her grandmother, eager to discern what she found so intriguing on the other side of the glass barrier. All she saw were the neighbors racing up and down the streets in the dark, early hours of the morning. Only moments had passed before the men noticed the grandmother's inquisitive eyes. A look of sudden terror crossed her features and she ran to lock the doors, fumbling in her haste. Discombobulated, the girl looked out of the window once more and noticed the drunkards stumbling up the driveway as they made their way to the front door. Petrified, the grandmother picked up her phone and snapped, "Go to the basement!" The girl held her breath as she descended the staircase. She wondered what could be agonizing her grandmother. The girl heard a vague ringing in the back of her head for what seemed akin to several minutes. The sound of a door being slammed shut shook the girl from her dream-like state. Her legs seemed to carry her to the upper level and her mind commenced to race with defeatist thoughts when she saw her grandfather directing a gun out of the window. It wasn't until the girl noticed her grandmother crying that she noticed she too had a pool of salt streaming down her cheeks. Then, a faint thud was heard emanating from the hallway.

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November 30, 2016