Bits and Pieces

Day 9 - Alone

Write a scene with only one character, alone.

----------

Madeleine sat still on the sofa.

She sat very still, not even moving her legs.

If she fidgeted even an inch, the plastic covering that was spread over the sofa would make an uncomfortable squeak, and Madeleine hated those kinds of sounds.

Plus, any noise she made was surely to bring that horrible lady -what was her name again? Oh yes. Mrs. Wooldridge- back into the room, her polished black heels click-clacking against the spotless marble floor.

The small girl glanced around the room, full of delicate and tralatitious furniture, yet they looked so cold and hostile to Madeleine that she shuddered a bit when she looked at them. As she continued to sweep the parlour with her gaze, or as far as her eyes would go without moving her neck, she thought she heard footsteps out in the hall and stiffened. But it was just the dull ticking of the grandfather clock next to the fireplace.

She groaned inwardly when her eyes could go no further than the portrait of a grumpy looking old man on the far side of the room. With her back aching from sitting up so straight and mind playing tricks on her, she considered running away, but thought better of it. After all, the only door available was the one where Mrs. Wooldridge would probably meet her on the other side.

It felt like hours and hours until finally, she couldn't take it anymore and burst up from her seat, the plastic covering making a horrific squeak. For a minute, she thought someone would come walking through the door, but thankfully, no one did.

She quietly made her way to the grandfather clock and stood there for a moment, her eyes following the silver pendulum. When she got bored of that, she moved on to the fireplace. Tracing the intricate design of the mantelpiece with her finger, she marveled at how pretty it was.

Suddenly, something made a click noise when she had gotten to the middle. Pulling her hand back in fright, she watched in amazement when the back wall of the fireplace noiselessly opened into a tunnel.

Since Madeleine was a small girl and the fireplace itself was a big size, it wouldn't have been all that hard for her to climb in. She questioned whether or not she should, for even though she had grown up without anyone to teach her etiquette or manners, she knew not to go into dark places alone. But being the child she was, curiosity got the better of her, and she put a foot into the fireplace.

As soon as she was stooping into the tunnel, she heard the sound of voices in the corridor outside, and she scurried in.

When she had turned around to see who was coming, Madeleine saw a familiar-looking figure step into the room. But before she could cry out in delight, someone behind her clamped their hand over her mouth and dragged her deeper in, just as the tunnel door closed.