Writetober 2019 Collection

Day 8: A Creak From The Attic

Ccrreeeaaakkk!!! Came the obnoxious sound above Doug's head.

"Boys! What did I tell you about going up into the attic?" Doug hollered to his two sons across the house.

"We're not in the attic Dad!" Came the response from the eldest of his two sons, Hank.

"Then why do I hear a noise from the attic Hank?" Doug said. "Don't make me come in the other room."

"I swear Dad, it's not us!" Hank said. "Maybe its the ghost!"

"There are no such things as ghosts Hank," Doug said, rolling his eyes.

Hank ran into the room. "What about The Pale Lady, Dad?"

"What Pale Lady, Hank?" Doug asked, putting his newspaper to the side.

"The pale lady that comes down in the middle of the night and visits me," Hank said innocently.

"There is no 'Pale Lady,' Hank," Doug said. "It's just your imagination."

"Why don't you just go to the attic and meet her?" Hank offered. "She said we can visit her anytime."

The hairs on the back of Doug's neck stuck straight up. "She said to visit the attic?"

"Yep, and she said we'd have so much fun and have grand adventures!" Hank said.

"Maybe it wouldn't hurt if I took a look in the attic and met this 'Pale Lady.'" Doug said.

"Tell her I say hi!" Hank said as he went back into the other room to play.

Doug stood up and made his way up the stairs and to the small door that lead to the attic. The door was about half the size of a normal door and opened to a steep staircase leading into the attic. As Doug slowly climbed the steps he could hear whispers coming from the attic.

"I can't believe the humans haven't found us out yet." Someone whispered.

"Especially since Esperanza insists on visiting the older child." Another voice added.

"I see no harm in revealing ourselves to the children." A feminine voice piped in. "Human adults never believe children. It is one of their greatest weaknesses."

Doug peaked over the floor, trying to see who was speaking. Standing in a circle were three very peculiar beings. One was a tall, pale woman who floated just above the ground. Another was a short maybe two feet tall man with a gruff beard. He looked kind of like a garden gnome come to life without the pointy hat. The third being was a man with a face shaped like a dog's, complete with a long snout and everything.

"How long are we going to stay in this run down realm anyway?" The Gnome grumbled. "I'm getting sick of the realm of humans. I'm ready to go back home and lead a rebellion."

"Patience." The Pale Lady said. "We need to still gather our strength back. Once that is done, I promise we can return to our own realm."

"If we don't get discovered by the father before then." The Dogman grumbled.

Just as the Dogman finished speaking, Doug shifted his weight. A loud squeak filled the musty attic. All three of them looked right at Doug. After a moment of shock, everyone started moving at once.

"Who or what in the world are you?!" Doug said, charging up the remaining steps.

Not responding, all three beings turned and ran to a door on the far side of the room. Doug didn't remember any door ever existing up in the attic. A bright white glowed from the other side of the old metal-bound door. The Gnome, Pale Lady, and Dogman ran through the door, disappearing right before Doug's eyes.

Without taking the time to think it through, Doug charged through the door after them. As he went through the door and into the light, the door slammed shut behind him. Doug turned around at the sound, only to watch as the door vanished into thin air. Standing in the middle of a forest, Doug didn't have a clue where he was.

The Gnome turned around to look at him. "Well, now you've done it. Now there's no way back."