I have a really brilliant sister-in-law, Cassidy Liston. She’s a conservatory-studied actress, comedienne, make-up artist, blogger, and talented writer. That last attribute is one you’ll get to see her flex today on our blog. For our October’s Month of the Macabre celebration she offered to submit something no one else had and something we hadn’t thought of: an original short story. She sent this to me late last night, and it made it hard for me to fall asleep. Enjoy!
I daintily stepped out of bed onto the cold wooden floor of my room. The boards moaned beneath my feet and the house swayed, banishing my hopes of making my way to the bathroom quietly. Meanwhile the icy wood sent a chill through my feet that made its way up my body until I was shivering all over. Quickly, I took a step forward, I just wanted to take care of my business and get back into my warm bed. As I walked into the hallway a wave a freezing cold air tossed my hair and froze me to the core. “What the..” I whispered to myself. The window at the end of the hall was wide open. Wind poured through it. The curtains danced with the winter, billowing and twisting, creating and destroying shapes with every new move. Who the hell would leave the window open this time of year? If moving to this house wasn’t enough, this was definitely proof my dad is an idiot. I tip-toed my way to the window, every shiver inducing step heightening my pace. Just as I reached the end of the hall a loud slam compelled me to turn back towards my room. My door, which I had left open, was now closed. ‘The wind must have blown it shut,’ I thought to myself and I uneasily looked away.
Adrenaline still pumped through my veins from the surprise of the slamming door, making my hands shake even worse as I tried to push the frame of the window downward. It seemed nearly impossible but finally the wood slid against its housing until it arrived at the sill with a thud. The knock seemed to echo behind me. I spun on my heel searching for the cause of the sound but there was nothing to see but more darkness. I strained to make sense of the shapes and figures that seemed to be lurking just out of sight. Unsuccessfully I tried to shake off the awful feeling that I was being watched and with every step I took towards the bathroom my heart sank further and further into my stomach. Footsteps rattled the floorboards behind me. I turned and backed into the wall searching, straining, for the source of the disturbance. My heart pounded in my ears but that didn’t hinder me from hearing the movement all around me. The whole house seemed to be moving and breathing around me. My senses were bombarded by a combination of undefinable movement and overwhelming sounds. I screamed for my dad until I was hoarse but my salvation never came.
All at once the house fell silent. I fought to look up through my tears and saw light streaming through the window. Had it really been so long that the sun had risen? I ran towards the only thing that made sense to me, diving for the safety of the light. My skin warmed, calming my shivering body and I relished in the joy I felt. Slowly, I opened my eyes to something I wasn’t expecting. My body lay in my bed, tucked away and still. I watched for a moment until my father entered the room. Panic crept across his face as he tried to wake my lifeless body.
