Story #40

“I had quite the party life when I was your age,” Lucille told Hannah while sipping a hot cup of lemon tea.

“Really, grandma? You never talked about it in the past,” Hannah retorted.

“In the past, you were too young to hear my stories, darling. How old are you again: 25, 26…?” Lucille’s voice trailed off as she froze, lost in her own thoughts.

“I’m 27 now, grandma. Are you okay?” Hannah placed a loving hand on her grandma’s shoulder, a concerned look painting her worn out face.

Lucille snapped out of her trance and pet her granddaughter’s hand. “I’m fine, darling. So 27! That’s a great age. When I was 27, I was bouncing in and out of nightclubs with my friends. Oh we had the best time! My signature drink was basically anything with tequila. Back then I had no limitations or obligations. I was just free to live.” Lucille shook her head and stared at Hannah. “Hannah, I’m worried about you.”

Hannah quizzically stared at Lucille, then chuckled. “Why are you worried about me? My life is wonderful. I have a stable relationship, a career, and on the way to buying a new house with the love of my life. I’m great.” She gave a faint smile that said otherwise.

“I don’t want you to have the life I lived,” Lucille said.

“But I’m not. My life sounds like the complete opposite of yours at 27! I rarely, if ever, go out. I have too much to do. It’s not easy being this amazing AND this young in 2090.” Hannah grinned at Lucille. “You should be proud of me.”

Lucille scrunched up her face. “Of course I’m proud of you! And I meant that I want you to have at least a glimpse of the life I had. It was so much fun! You look exhausted, darling. You deserve a dose or two of fun, doctor’s orders.”

Hannah looked up at the giant clock across the room. “I’m having fun being successful, but on that note, I have to go. I have an appointment at…”

“Just leave,” Lucille interjected. She turned her head and looked out into the garden, which was projected on a giant screen that had the word tranquility written in black cursive towards the top of the screen, or “sky”.

Hannah robotically stood up and hugged Lucille, who did not reciprocate the gesture. “I love you,  grandma. Tell me some stories the next time I visit, okay? See you in a couple of days.” She bent down and kissed Lucille on the cheek.

Once Hannah was out of sight, Lucille blinked away a few tears. She thought about how her life really was at 27 and how it actually changed her. She also had a career, along with a flame of a relationship that dimmed her shine. Her granddaughter’s life was a splitting image of hers, and that made her feel sorry for Hannah. She was anxious to see Hannah blossom the way she didn’t have the courage to at her age. At Hannah’s age, she felt trapped. There were endless limitations and infinite obligations.

A nurse suddenly appeared in front of Lucille.”Ms. Lucille, it’s time for your medicine. Look into the light.” Lucille did as instructed, not even blinking when the blinding flash illumimated the room. After a few minutes, her eyes adjusted and everything looked bright again. “How do you feel,” the nurse asked.

“Like I’m 27 again,” Lucille replied, allowing a single tear to fall from one of her eyes.

Only a month of school left. I shall write more stories on the regular again pretty soon.

Story #30

There was a knock on the door. It was barely audible, but Alex could hear it. He didn’t move. The knock came again,  only this time it was slightly louder than before. Alex clenched the knife he was holding. He waited in silence for another knock or a possible jiggle of the handle. He let out a long breath, not realizing that he had been holding it. Alex quietly waddled over to the door and looked out the peephole. Nobody was there. He stared for a few more minutes, but nothing happened.

Alex walked back to his couch and sat down. There were four distinct knocks this time. His palms began to sweat. He anxiously tapped his foot.

“Please help me, sir. Someone is following me.” The voice of an elderly woman whispered through his door. She began scratching at the door and whimpering.

“Go away,” he yelled.

The scratching became louder. “Help me, sir! They’re getting closer!” She yanked at the handle. Alex was no fool,  but this lady sounded desperate. As soon as he stood up,  she banged her fist at rapid speed against the door. Still gripping the knife, Alex looked through the peephole. Nobody was there. He threw open the door and peeked on either side. Emptiness. He walked out a few steps to see the empty hallway on his floor. Nothing still.

Alex turned around to go back inside,  but his door was closed. He tried to open it and it wouldn’t budge. He patted down his pockets to discover that his keys weren’t on him. He picked up his welcome mat so he could grab the extra key. With his knife pointing forward in his left hand and his right hand unlocking the door,  he was prepared for anything. Alex opened the door and blindly walked forward.

“Please help me, sir. They’re here, ” the familiar elderly voice said. Alex turned in the direction of the voice and saw a woman with long gray hair wearing a floppy black hat that covered her face. She laughed and pointed behind Alex who reflexively spun around. A large group of shadows stood there,  flickering in the dim light of his dining room. He quickly turned back to face the lady sitting on his couch. To his surprise,  she was gone.

The fluorescent dining room bulb blazed brighter than ever,  then broke. The apartment went pitch black. Alex felt cold hands grab him. He tirelessly stabbed at the dark,  but succeeded at pricking nothing. He screamed even though he knew nobody would be able to hear him.  “We’ve been waiting for you, Alex,” the shadows said.

The shadows will probably be a recurring thing in some of my stories because that’s what I’ve always seen in my nightmares.