Short Stories

Lady Valentine

It was an extremely hot August night and Paul was lying in the bed. As he tossed and turned, he could hear the strange sounds of the unfamiliar city in the distance. How the train rumble reminded him of a simpler time, and how he regretted every decision he had made so far. He got up, walked to the window, and looked outside for a few seconds. "What am I doing here? I don't belong here." he mumbled to his reflection on the wet window. After overthinking every possible scenario, he grabbed his leathery old suitcase and then started packing everything that was in his room. There was only one destination in his mind; the old house in the countryside that the young boy called home.

The blonde 15-year-old boy picked up the suitcase and made his way to the nearest bus stop, sat down on the wooden bench, and waited for his transportation to arrive. As the lonely cold night was the only thing keeping him company, he assumed that the bus would not be arriving anytime soon. With both of his hands clenching, Paul kicked his suitcase as if it were the reason why he was having such bad luck that night. He only wanted to go home. He then grabbed the green handle and decided to walk to the nearest bar when he heard a soft voice.

"Hello there! Are you waiting for the bus as well?" imposed a young brunette with a wide smile on her face. But the young man ignored her, for his parents warned him about the risks of talking to strangers. She even looked a little strange. Her entire outfit looked like a Halloween costume that was out of style, and that long orange scarf was the most suspicious part of her ensemble. But putting her appearance aside, he also remembered it was wrong to be rude to others. And so, he decided to answer.

"Yeah, I was. But I don't think it's going to be here for a few hours. So, I thought of looking for a place to stay. At least for the night."

"Oh, nonsense! You can stay at my place!"

"But... you're a stranger."

"Then, let's get to know each other! I'm Vanessa Valentine." Exclaimed the green-eyed girl as she extended her hand towards young Paul, who was a little afraid of the friendly stranger.

"I'm... Paul... Paul Jenkins."

"See? Now we are not strangers!"

"Yes, we are! We just know each other's names! I know tons of strangers' names!"

The girl sat down on the dusty bench with an odd expression on her pale face. As if she were thinking of ways to get the young man to stay with her. With just one idea on her mind, the girl crossed her legs and asked him a question.

"What do you want to know?"

The boy was stunned at first, but then decided to play along. They talked for almost 30 minutes, when they heard the bus approaching.

"It's 3:17! I thought busses came in the morning!"

"Not in this town." Smiled the girl while hopping on the bus.

They both sat down next to each other and looked out the window. Appreciating every pine tree they passed by and every star they were able to spot from the moving vehicle. Vanessa placed her bony hand on the boy's shoulder and then whispered "What about now? You know my age, favorite color, favorite food, favorite book, and favorite movie. Come on! You have nowhere to go! Besides, we're almost there!"

The boy took her hand and kissed it as a joke. He then added "Alright m'lady. I'll be staying at your place for the night!"

Paul's answer made the young teenage girl blush a bit, and due to her complexion, the reddish tone on her cheeks was difficult for her to hide. So, the first thing she thought of was to turn her head and look out the window for a while. At least until her cheeks turned back to their natural color. But she didn't have enough time, for they had to get off the bus. She took advantage of the fact that the boy was still holding her hand and she gripped his even tighter and screamed "COME ON! WE'RE HERE!!" They jumped off and found themselves in the middle of a dusty old road, with no sign of life anywhere.