Sometimes At Night A Street Seems Much Longer (a short story)
Lee
Lee waited for the phone to ring...
Any slight noise would cause him to jump and grab the phone receiver and press it eagerly to his ear, but it was never his precious Beth.
She had left almost twenty-four hours ago and he felt as if he was losing his mind. No clue had she left to depict her whereabouts except for a short note that read:
Dear mum & dad,
Don’t worry about me, I will be back soon. I just need to know.
PS: I’m closer than you think.
When he had read it, it meant nothing to him. He had no idea what Beth was talking about. He had asked Stella, but she had just shook her head and refused to look at him.
Although his daughter was almost twenty-five, he was still worried to almost breaking point. She had come down from the city to visit them, but now it seemed as if there was some unknown reasoning behind it.
Just then he heard Stella come in the front door and walk into the kitchen.
“Sugar, you’ve been sitting by that thing all day. Go get some rest.” She told him, placing her hand demandingly on his shoulder.
“Christ Stella, she could call at any moment!” He cried angrily, feeling as if she didn’t even care. “She’s our little girl, what if something has happened to her!” With a sigh he put his head in his hands.
Stella said something about going upstairs and he agreed just to save his energy.
Slowly they trudged upstairs and he allowed Stella to get him dressed and put him in bed. As soon as he lay back his mind went blank and he fell deep into slumber.
***
People swarmed towards him as Lee desperately tried to get to Beth. He pushed and shoved, screaming at people to get out of the way. He could see his daughter. She was standing atop a pile of rickety crates, flaming torch in one hand, and a megaphone in the other. She was holding down a button on the megaphone causing it to emit a loud ringing sound. Her black hair was flying around her face, giving her the look of a wild lion. Suddenly he found a break in the crowd and ran through it, reaching for his daughter.
“Jump!” he yelled, holding out his arms. “I’ll catch you!”
She looked at him, her blue eyes blazing, and then dropped the flaming torch setting herself alight. Lee watched as Beth burned and saw as her hair changed to a wild frizzy mess of red. Slowly she raised her arms above her and in her hands she held a human skull flaunting it as a prize.
Lee woke from his dream bathed in sweat, the ringing still vibrating in his ears and the flames still burning before his eyes.
Any slight noise would cause him to jump and grab the phone receiver and press it eagerly to his ear, but it was never his precious Beth.
She had left almost twenty-four hours ago and he felt as if he was losing his mind. No clue had she left to depict her whereabouts except for a short note that read:
Dear mum & dad,
Don’t worry about me, I will be back soon. I just need to know.
PS: I’m closer than you think.
When he had read it, it meant nothing to him. He had no idea what Beth was talking about. He had asked Stella, but she had just shook her head and refused to look at him.
Although his daughter was almost twenty-five, he was still worried to almost breaking point. She had come down from the city to visit them, but now it seemed as if there was some unknown reasoning behind it.
Just then he heard Stella come in the front door and walk into the kitchen.
“Sugar, you’ve been sitting by that thing all day. Go get some rest.” She told him, placing her hand demandingly on his shoulder.
“Christ Stella, she could call at any moment!” He cried angrily, feeling as if she didn’t even care. “She’s our little girl, what if something has happened to her!” With a sigh he put his head in his hands.
Stella said something about going upstairs and he agreed just to save his energy.
Slowly they trudged upstairs and he allowed Stella to get him dressed and put him in bed. As soon as he lay back his mind went blank and he fell deep into slumber.
***
People swarmed towards him as Lee desperately tried to get to Beth. He pushed and shoved, screaming at people to get out of the way. He could see his daughter. She was standing atop a pile of rickety crates, flaming torch in one hand, and a megaphone in the other. She was holding down a button on the megaphone causing it to emit a loud ringing sound. Her black hair was flying around her face, giving her the look of a wild lion. Suddenly he found a break in the crowd and ran through it, reaching for his daughter.
“Jump!” he yelled, holding out his arms. “I’ll catch you!”
She looked at him, her blue eyes blazing, and then dropped the flaming torch setting herself alight. Lee watched as Beth burned and saw as her hair changed to a wild frizzy mess of red. Slowly she raised her arms above her and in her hands she held a human skull flaunting it as a prize.
Lee woke from his dream bathed in sweat, the ringing still vibrating in his ears and the flames still burning before his eyes.