Short Storyby Brittany Lane |
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Hot summer days usually brought stormy summer nights. Some of the most terrible storms you recall only in your childhood. But why is that? Could it be because children are much simpler beings than adults and think that there is nothing worse in life than the horrible sounds of thunder or the bright flashes of lightning bolts? Children do have vivid imaginations, maybe what may seem disturbing to an adult is ten times more treacherous in the mind of a child. It was 8:30 on a Sunday evening. She sat upstairs alone in her room, which is how she usually enjoyed her time, by herself. Jessica like most young children were frightened more than anything else by the dark. In the room next to Jessica her younger sister Gracie played. Like in almost all sisterly - relationships Jessica was annoyed by Gracie`s presence and preferred to play solo. Downstairs in the kitchen is where you will find Carla, Jessica and Gracie`s mother and only parent. Carla spends her time thinking of new dinner recipes then prepares them for her girls, they're never really good though. It had been a hot day and all of them were exhausted but restless, it was going to be one of the longest nights in Jessica's life. The storm will be starting soon. Drip drop, drip drop, was the repeating sound of the rain drops hitting Jessica`s windowsill. A slow storm had started nothing serious just a few faint bangs of thunder and flashes of lightning, but Gracie as her sister would say " like the chicken she is" frantically ran downstairs to be in the company of her mother. Jessica had been left completely alone which she did not yet mind. Only a few seconds had passed when the rain began to rapidly increase. Then with one loud bang and flash the lights had went out. Panic and fear slowly began to set in as the beating of her heart increased. The rapid flashes of lightning casted shadows on Jessie`s bed and toys. In the light her toys seemed harmless and her friends but in the dark they smile and silently laugh at her for believing in their devious tricks and their friendly faces. The shadows seemed to slowly creep up with every flash of lightning and reach out to her. She was unable to bring her fragile body to move. She sat there in the dead of silence with nothing but the loud bangs of thunder, waiting for something to grab her. Jessica heard faint footsteps begin in the hall approaching her room slowly. She could hear something like breathing through a grin. Jessica had pictured this thing to be small and disturbingly happy. Unable to handle the thoughts racing through her mind of what might happen she closed her tearing eyes. A small hand had reached out to grab her shoulder but in a swift frantic turn Jessica smack the hand away. To see what she had hit she quickly opened her eyes to see the doll like figure of her younger sister Gracie. Jessica took her eyes away from Gracie noticing something strange in the scenery. The lights they were on and the storm had ended. Was it over? It was as if it had never even begun. " Dinner time" was the message Gracie was sent to deliver. Jessica got up off the floor and took small confused steps to the door following her sister. She turned to look at her room. The clock read 8:35 p.m., she out loud asked herself "was I dreaming" then focused on her toys still grossly grinning at her. She left the room carefully then closed the door behind her. |
| © 2004 Brittany Lane |
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