Sometimes At Night A Street Seems Much Longer (a short story)
Stella
Sometimes at night a street seems much longer, and things not noticed during the day are much more apparent...
Stella sat on her porch, her ancient chair rocking beneath it’s even older owner. Her eyes scanned the street. The houses lay dark, all except one. The house sat at the dead end of her street.
It was surrounded by a high brick wall and a padlocked iron gate sealed the fortress. The windows were cracked and dirty, but flickering candle light still shone strongly through them. In the silence she could hear the screen door slamming against the house. Bang. Bang. Bang.
She shuddered and wrapped her shawl more tightly around her shoulders. She looked at her watch. The time read 12:48 am. She sighed and lent back in her chair. She kept her eyes on the path across the road and sure enough along came Kathy, her red hair in a frizzy mess around her head.
“Evening, Kathy.” Stella called her voice hollow in the vacant night.
Kathy turned to her and nodded once. Then she straightened her head and kept walking.
Stella uttered a whispery laugh. She was a strange girl that one. She noticed Kathy was carrying something in her hands. Stella couldn’t tell what it was and, to be perfectly honest, she didn’t want to know.
With a groan Stella got up and headed inside. She walked into the kitchen and found Lee sitting by the phone, staring at it dejectedly.
“Sugar, you’ve been sitting by that thing all day. Go get some rest.” she said, placing her hand tenderly on his bony shoulder.
“Christ Stella, she could call at any moment! She’s our little girl, what if something has happened to her!” He cried, putting his head in his hands.
“You’ll hear the phone ring and if you don’t I will. Now come to bed.”
Weakly he let her lead him upstairs. Gently she dressed him and put him in bed. As soon as he let his head sink into the sweet fluff of dreams he was snoring. With a small smile Stella got dressed for bed and hopped in next to him. Pulling the covers tighter around herself, she flicked off the lamp and let the darkness lead her into slumber.
***
A shrill screaming awoke Stella at a quarter past six. She jolted upright with a gasp and tried to figure out what was happening. Soon she realised it was the phone that was drilling into her head with its insistent yelling. With a moan she swung her legs out of bed and winced when her bare feet hit the cold floorboards. Just as she was about to push herself up though, the phone stopped mid ring. She let herself plop back into bed, puzzled, but too tired to be overly concerned. With a contented sigh, Stella snuggled deep into the bed and dozed off.
Stella sat on her porch, her ancient chair rocking beneath it’s even older owner. Her eyes scanned the street. The houses lay dark, all except one. The house sat at the dead end of her street.
It was surrounded by a high brick wall and a padlocked iron gate sealed the fortress. The windows were cracked and dirty, but flickering candle light still shone strongly through them. In the silence she could hear the screen door slamming against the house. Bang. Bang. Bang.
She shuddered and wrapped her shawl more tightly around her shoulders. She looked at her watch. The time read 12:48 am. She sighed and lent back in her chair. She kept her eyes on the path across the road and sure enough along came Kathy, her red hair in a frizzy mess around her head.
“Evening, Kathy.” Stella called her voice hollow in the vacant night.
Kathy turned to her and nodded once. Then she straightened her head and kept walking.
Stella uttered a whispery laugh. She was a strange girl that one. She noticed Kathy was carrying something in her hands. Stella couldn’t tell what it was and, to be perfectly honest, she didn’t want to know.
With a groan Stella got up and headed inside. She walked into the kitchen and found Lee sitting by the phone, staring at it dejectedly.
“Sugar, you’ve been sitting by that thing all day. Go get some rest.” she said, placing her hand tenderly on his bony shoulder.
“Christ Stella, she could call at any moment! She’s our little girl, what if something has happened to her!” He cried, putting his head in his hands.
“You’ll hear the phone ring and if you don’t I will. Now come to bed.”
Weakly he let her lead him upstairs. Gently she dressed him and put him in bed. As soon as he let his head sink into the sweet fluff of dreams he was snoring. With a small smile Stella got dressed for bed and hopped in next to him. Pulling the covers tighter around herself, she flicked off the lamp and let the darkness lead her into slumber.
***
A shrill screaming awoke Stella at a quarter past six. She jolted upright with a gasp and tried to figure out what was happening. Soon she realised it was the phone that was drilling into her head with its insistent yelling. With a moan she swung her legs out of bed and winced when her bare feet hit the cold floorboards. Just as she was about to push herself up though, the phone stopped mid ring. She let herself plop back into bed, puzzled, but too tired to be overly concerned. With a contented sigh, Stella snuggled deep into the bed and dozed off.
♠ ♠ ♠
there are only four chapters to this, each is from different p.o.v's as the chapter titles suggest.