7th Grade Writing

Dearly Departed

This one from what I saw was a Mystery Horror... enjoy

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The newspaper boy had come around her block by the time Ana woke up. She had slid out of bed and put on her slippers and fluffy robe to go downstairs, for it was extremely cold that day. Ana had been working all night with some research she had gathered from a crime scene a few days ago; hence, her sluggishness. The young woman made her way down her stairs and into the kitchen to start her "Hug MUG" Coffee maker after cleaning out its filter and putting coffee grounds in it. She also filled its water tank. Ana pressed the buttons, "Bold" and "Brew"; thus, the coffee maker began to make coffee.

Ana sat at her breakfast table for a few minutes before deciding to go out and get the newspaper; she wondered what would be on headlines. After a few minutes, she rose from her chair by the window where the morning sun hit her back and warmed her, walking to the front door. She gripped the cold door knob, turning it until she could pull open the door.

Outside, it was peaceful and cold. There weren't kids on the streets playing tag and riding bikes like usual. Instead everyone was inside. Ana decided not to think about it and walked out, shutting the door a little behind her. Ignoring the shivering she felt, she ventured off the steps of her porch, walking into the iced-over grass of her front lawn. After reaching the spot where the paper laid, she bent down and picked it up. The newspaper had been thrown into her yard by the boy who rode his bike every day to deliver the papers. The newspaper itself was inside a plastic bag that was knotted closed so that way the paper didn't get messed up.

Ana walked back inside, and, with the click and creak of her door shutting, she walked back to her seat. She set the paper on the table and continued with her every day schedule. She walked over to a cupboard which held a few mugs and cups. Ana grabbed her usual mug, a light blue cup with a twisted blue handle and a red hawk on the side. She set it on the counter and went to the fridge, grabbing the coffee creamer from it, coming back to the mug and pouring just enough in it for her coffee. Ana closed the creamer's lid and put it back in the fridge after pouring her coffee into the mug.

After that was done, she made herself a bowl of cereal and took both of her breakfast items to the table. She sat and grabbed the newspaper, tearing the plastic open with her thumb nails. She set the plastic aside and read the front lines first.

"ANOTHER MURDER, QUITE THE VICTIM" the newspaper read on the head line. Ana continued reading, eating her cereal every now and then. The article had been about a young boy, around age five, who had been killed the day of his birthday. His body was sent to the house of the family in a big, wrapped box with a party hat.

"This murderer has a knack for kids," Ana whispered to herself, disgusted. This was the latest murder of the murderer since the one she was investigating. She skimmed the rest of the paper until she found the obituary column of the newspaper. She began to read.

All the victims of death were ones that had died recently. "Duglas Higgens: age 42. Died from being drowned," one the them included. She read about three others until she found one unusual death.

"Annemarie George, age 25. Murdered brutally on her way home from work," the paper read. Ana stared at the paper for a long moment, examining the picture of the 25-year-old female on the paper. The picture had been taken a few weeks' prior, for work purposes. Ana reread the paper, looking to see if she had missed something. But the newspaper clearly said, 'Annemarie George'.

"What in the world?" Ana asked herself. She stood from her chair and went to her bedroom, where her phone laid charging on her night stand. She picked it up and unlocked it, going to her contact information. She scrolled through her contacts until she found the name, "Nickolas Sechury" and clicked on it. She clicked the phone number associated with it.